TOPIC: Seng Emergence in Maine

6.1 PH is a little higher than desired. However, it is much better than mine which is 6.7. I was worried about my 6.7 PH level and two different growers told me not to worry about it. They assured me that 6.7 is common in rich and loamy soil. They said as long as the soil is rich and loamy with a desired Calcium and Phosphorous PPA level I will be OK and the Sang will do well.
Latt

It's been almost two week since my older plants started emerging. Here they are after they completly emerged.

Some healthy looking plants.

Here' a three yr old bed, filled out nicely.

I know your glad to see your plants filled out and growing after the long off season you have Classicfur. I have plants already forming growth buds at this point but I still have seedlings emerging as well. As far as emergence, this year has been crazy. I think it was due to our extremely warm winter.

Hillhopper

Classicfur,
Nice!!!

Hillhopper,
I am amazed by the number of people like you that are having a steady progression of seeds still emerging. I need to recheck some spots that I planted last year to see if any more came up.
Latt

Fellows,
I can sure be a witness to the fact that this late,strung out emergence isn't slowing down. It's almost bizarre. A month and 1/2 ago I was scratching my head saying \"what the heck happened this time?\" Since that time it has progressed to the point that it is beginning to look like a normal season. It has been blazing hot here for several days (95) and I started irrigating my beds. Just this morning while I was applying Gypsum, I could see newly emerged plants all over the woodlot that had come up this weekend. I just imagine that we are going to hear a lot more of this.
Hugh

Hugh,
I too am still seeing a few seedlings emerge at this late date. But, if we think about it, the crazy weather is the reason. Remember, dormancy in seeds is primarily a survival mechanism. If the seeds would emerge at the wrong time of year, or without proper conditions, they wouldn't survive.

Most generally, the conditions that ginseng seeds need (being morphological or morphophysiological in their dormancy) is a cool, warm, cool sequence along with correct moisture conditions. If we consider the conditions this spring, that second warm period when the seeds were supposed to sprout was combined with dry moisture conditions. Then, it got cold again. When the temperatures came back up, it was still dry. Now, as the temperatures and moisture moderate, the correct conditions are met for seeds which didn't revert back to a secondary dormancy.

I think that is the less than scientific explaination for the delayed germination we are seeing this year. The more I reasearch this, the more I'm thinking that is really the cause behind most of our second year emergence trouble. One way or the other, when the seeds broke their primary dormancy, they found conditions not correct and went into a secondary dormany as a survival mechanism.

Classicfur,
Those sure are some pretty little plants in that one picture.

Nice looking plants Classic! That last pic is a great example of the light conditions that ginseng requires. I noticed that there were very few other plants in your beds. Do you hand weed them, or have you sprayed them at all?

Real nice looking plantings!