TOPIC: Another season wrapped up

I imagine that just about everyone is finished digging for the year. As usual this time of year finds me anticipating what awaits me next spring. I find myself wondering how good a germination I will get from the seed I've planted this fall, and what some of the past plantings as well as some of the wild populations that I've been stewarding will look like next year. I wonder if certain old plants will ever show up again. I wonder how many 3 leaders will become 2 prongs, and how many 2's will become 3's. Six months is a fairly long time to get an answer to my questions, but I have no choice but to await patiently.... and enjoy the fact that there are no worries about poachers or diseases during these next 6 months

Jeff,
The last 3-4 weeks have really been busy for me and probably in different ways than most ginseng growers and diggers. I just finished planting rootlets at the house yesterday and went to the mountains today to start placing them in the ground there. It was not exactly the start that I was hoping for because Bear Season was open and I could only safely get into one spot that I wanted to make additions to. I have marked some spots that I want to dig some plants from and add to the ones at my house, but I thought I would get some of the other things done first. I want to take some time and video some of the work that I have done with the planting of rootlets since this is one area that noone seems to have touched and placed on camera. I saved a few small spots to do this in and I'll have some larger roots arriving soon as well as one year olds. I really went to a lot of work to give these babies the best start that they could have and I think everyone will enjoy a little different twist to planting and share their thoughts and practices as well. The sum of all this work is that I think I'll be able to get into a well balanced program of root sales and seed in just a few years and it should be sustainable for years to come if I have any luck with the weather and other unforseen problems. I hope that everyone is doing some serious planning for the years ahead. Let's hear some more thoughts for next season.
Hugh

I am looking forward to plating some seed here in the next month or so. Have not planted any yet, except the berries I got off my seed bed.

Also this comming spring I am looking forward to seeing my first wild simulated 3 prongers... I will have quite a bit coming up for their 3rd spring this comming spring. Did not have any 3's this year in that bunch, but did have a lot of nice 2 prongs that will hopefully be 3's next year.

Question - do any of you know when wild sim plants usually start producing berries. Just wondering if I might get some next year off of those that will be 3 year olds. I expect that more like 4 or 5 years will be when they really start producing berries, but wonder if 3 years olds occasionally do that ?

TNhunter

TN,
If I can go by what my plants have done I'll say you will have some that bear fruit and if they are growing real well it might look better than what I got from mine. I can tell you from experience that if they need watering at all it will make a big difference in the berries that you will harvest. I know that you have done all that you could to make them grow their best, but dry spells really take a toll on young plants as you well know and with berries on them it is even more stressful. They are real apt to abort seed pods if they come under stress. If they are within reach of a hose I would keep it handy this coming year. Good luck.

Hugh

Hugh, I wish you the best with all the rootlets you've planted. I've had mixed results in my limited efforts at this. The cultivated rootlets I tried did horribly, but had pretty good results with some woodsgrown rootlets that were basically grown in a wild-sim fashion. I got them as 2 year olds, and to answer TN's question, yes many of them produced flower spikes that 3rd year. I actually had a couple of berries from 2 yr old 2 prongs this fall. I think that this is a trait you will see in plants coming from commercial seed sources.

TN, good luck with you planting efforts! I look forward to seeing some pics of your 3 year olds next spring if your willing to share them. I'm also curious about what your 5 prong plant will look like this coming year.

Hugh,

I just read your post about the planting in the mountains and Bear Season. With Bear and/or Deer Seasons being in throughout the remainder of the year and into January, it is required that you wear a blaze orange hat and vest while in the woods or fields. I would hate to hear that you got ticketed by TWRA or worse that you got shot while trying to plant Ginseng rootlets or seeds!

I was up on the mountains Saturday and walked a good bit of the area where we found 1st found Ginseng. There are a lot more prime locations in this area than I thought which are perfect for Ginseng. If you get a chance, give me a call and we will talk. I hope to take my remaining Ginseng seeds on one of my hunts and get them planted before the weather gets too bad.


Frank

TNhunter
-stem thickness seems to dictate the seed count and quality
and this usually goes up with age, but seasonal change plays havock with this idea.
Three year olds should give around ten good seeds, if all is good, thats our expectations for wild sim seed production.

guy

Huntsman53- Here in NC, only hunters are required to wear blaze orange in the woods, and then only while hunting. Must be defferent there in your neck of the woods.

It would be nice to do more manicuring of my patch one. I've got a map/plan of what to do, where I want to do it about patch one, however now that the plants are down, this might be hard to do.

I intend to transplant the bunched-too-close-together plants, however didn't want to disturb the new 3-leafers in their first year.

I find myself thinking like a farmer tending to his land with these bigger patches.

There's security measures we need to take as well, and we are thinking that we are going to be planting privacy trees along the fenceline that are fast growers so the effots and area we are working in isn't readily viewable.

Another season wrapped up... leading to the next labor-intensive one!!!