TOPIC: Spotting wild ginseng

I was out looking for ginseng yesterday and I was wondering if the plant drops its leaves/prongs after the first frost or hard freeze?

Yes. I would say it's done just about everywhere now. It was mid september when it started dying off here in my part of ohio. That was earlier than most years, as it usually hangs on till the first part of October. I have never seen a ginseng plant past the 10th of oct. Obviously this all depends on location. Southern areas will generally have sang around a little longer than northern areas. It is often times gone well before the first frost, but a hard frost will definately do it in.

Thank you for your reply. I had suspected as much. I was looking in Central NY near Cooperstown.

I will try again next year and a lot sooner. The property was logged before I bought it, I just hope it did not destroy it if it was there. There is still good tree cover with lots of ferns. The ground is a hillside NE slope, with a lot of moisture but slightly acidic.

I'm still hopeful.