TOPIC: Red berries july

Saw a few plants with red berries yesterday, all from wild sim, none of my real wild plants are red yet. I'm guessing the seed is from really far up north and has a different ripening time from the wild stuff down here in the south. By the way, I'm seeing a huge difference in the way the wild plants lean toward sun/shade compared to the wild sim. It only shoots straight up. Can't beat those wild seeds!

I wouldn't say north I'm in NY n are shang don't turn red til mid to late August. Just starting to see green berries now.

I have some wild sim that the berries get red on Mid July, but just a few, not all of them.

Some of my wild will have red berries mid August, but most it is the first or second week in Sept until the wild stuff (majority) is red.

I have seen a video online where they showed that those seng plants that do ripen berries extra early like that... if you plant those berries when they turn red, many of them will germinate the next spring (skipping the normal stratification period).

TNHunter

Here you go...



TNHunter

Great video TN Hunter, I will plant those red berries separately and see what happens. I hope they come up next year. I know it has been unusually rainy here this year. I found lots of morels earlier in the year and now many orange chanterelles.

Thanks for the video TN. Maybe you (or anyone) can tell me how long after the berries turn red should they be removed and planted? Also, I wonder if green or unripened berries can be covered as shown in the video and whether they'll ripen while covered? I ask because I'll be in AZ for a week in Sep and hope I don't miss opportunities in regards to berries ripening.

jm466..

I am sure that red berries can be planted as soon as they turn good and red and you will have good luck with them.

Years ago our season used to open on Aug 15... and many of our plants still had a mix of green and red berries that early. I always just planted the green ones too, in a case like that.

I found some research online that stated that something like 50% of Green berries planted (after Aug 15) would actually germinate.
So they can be far enough along to germinate even if still green (but filled out nicely).

I prefer to let them get red myself, and I plant them as soon as possible after they do turn red...

The first year after I started my seed producing bed... I had 40+ nice seng plants loaded with green berries, and just a few starting to turn red..
I decided to wait until the next weekend and pick the red ones and plant them...

Well I went back that next Saturday, and every stinking berry was gone... eaten, little piles of berry husk at the bottom of each plant stalk.
I expect it was field mice, or chip monks, or some critter like that, but they wiped them all out (400-500 berries) in a week.

I expect many were still green, but they did not care, they ate them all.

Now (that I have learned my lesson on that)... the hard way... I have two 3' sections of drain pipe off to the side of my bed, and I fill that will rat / mice poison when my green berries start filling out. I have had really good luck with that.. have not lost another berry crop to mice type critters since.

I am sure those little covers he was putting on those berry pods, would not stop them from ripening. It was just to protect the berries, from critters, turkeys, mice, etc..

Good Luck !

TNHunter

I was out collecting SD cards this morning and checking seng and found a red berry. It was about 95% red with still a dash of green. I thought about leaving it but decided to pick and plant it which I did.

I wonder if this would be considered a "July" berry and might germinate next year or a Sep berry and two years. I suppose I'll keep an eye out for it next year.

I checked on my seed producing bed this evening and I have that in one location and nearby that I have a few small patches of wild sim planted.

One of my wild sim plants, was a 3 pronger, and the top had been blown over or knocked over somehow... and it about half way broke the stem just above the ground. the top was mostly laying on the ground... but if you check the stem you can see where it is bent at a very sharp angle...

And it had Red Berries on it.



I think that most fruiting plants have that ability... if the plant becomes unusually stressed, damaged, etc... the fruit will ripen quicker.

I know that Tomatoes can do that. I had one of my tomato plants get blown over this year (very windy storm) cage and all, and it about half way broke the main stem on the plant. Those tomatoes ripened a week or more before the others.

I am sure that Seng can do that same thing. It sure looks like this one did.

I did find one plant in my seed producing bed that was looking quite stressed out and it had ripened its berries too.
Many others that were looking healthy and well, still had green berry pods.

TNHunter

Tennessee I spoke with one of my buyers earlier this week and he asked my to check and see how my sang is doing. I asked him why and he stated that he is going to pay $45 a pound for ginseng plants this year as long as they are still green with no yellowing. I’ve never sold ginseng plants or leaves before but for that kind of money may try to hang on to a few to sell. You have any experience selling the tops? Thanks Jim