TOPIC: Mayapple Removal

I have 20 acres of land with approx. 1.5 acres of suitable north facing hardwoods that currently has a handful of wild seng plants growing there.My question is this area is also choked with mayapple top to bottom.I'm wanting to seed this area heavily with ginseng seed but dont know if i should leave the mayapple alone since the top dies off in early summer,maybe spray with something like roundup or the unthinkable dig it up.Anyone who has ideas or info on what to do or not do would be appreciated

Buckhunter i have dug ginseng right in amongst mayapples so i don't know if it would hurt or not. My guess probably not, the only problem that i can think of is where it would be young ginseng competing with the mayapple the mayapple may win where they are so thick. Maybe you should try a small plot in amongst the mayapples and see how it goes before getting rid of them and investing a bunch of money in seeds. Or you could go with older rootlets they don't have as harder time competing and have a higher success rate on living, but they are also more expensive. But you really need to get someone on here who has more experience in growing than i do to give you a more in depth answer hope i helped you some.

Thanks for the reply Hillbilly.I have a dozen or so 3 and 4 prongs and a small patch of goldenseal growing there but i cant find any 1 year old or 2 prongs like i do at other places i dig.I suspect its either the heavy oak leaves or the mayapple shading it out.I think i will try to clear a small test plot amongst it.Good advice Thanks

Ginseng and mayapple grow well together... Also it can be a good indicator species for a good ginseng site.
Robin