TOPIC: A few more pics from the two year patch

Hillhopper..

Way to go man !

Must be an ideal site to be showing 2 year olds like that.

Nice root ! and the leaves on that plant look more like 3-4 year old.

I bet in 5 years you will have some nice marketable roots in that spot.

In 7-10 years - wow - I can only imagine.

Have you tested the soil in that spot ?

I would be interested in knowing what you have there PH and Calcium (and NPK) wise.

No doubt, what ever you have there, the seng is very happy and doing Great.

TNhunter

Hill,
I was thinking the same thing that TN has asked you. Whatever the test show, that is probably what many of us need to be working toward. Getting it just like yours may not be easy , cheap, or even feasable, but it does give us something to try to achieve. Wouldn't it be great to cut 4-5 years off the 10-12 years that seems to bring about the best sang.
Congratulations on an exemplary bed. That first picture looks like an Emperor Root in the making.
Hugh

Thank ya fellas,
My calcium is naturally out the roof due to a primarily limestone hillside.. Actually, that's all that is in my neck of the woods. I don't think IV ever ran across any granite or sandstone or anything else in my area. Calcium ranges from 8,000-9,000 ppa.the other most important nutrient \"phosphorus\" I have adjusted to around 600-700 ppa which is also high. Potassium is naturally high but I can't remember what and nitrogen is of course low due to being locked up by decomposition. The limestone had my pH at almost neutral but I lowered it with Sulphur. Other than that I just monitor for pests and disease and try to take preventative measures.

Hillhopper

Hillhopper,
Those are some nice plants and the root growth already \"whew\".
You will have some nice plants and growth in 5 years but it will take the 7 to 10 years to get the desired stress look and necks that they need for a good market.
Best of luck on your patches!

Hillhopper,

I have a few limestone bluff areas that I hunt and find very nice seng in those areas.

You may remember this pic from my birthday hunt a couple years ago..



All of those big bulby roots below and to the left of that $20.00 looked to be in the 5-8 year old range. The tops were big and stout, some nearly 24\" tall, big 4 and 3 prongs, with huge berry pods. They all had short root necks, but good stress rings. My seng buyer sure had no complaints about buying them.

I found them on a limestone bluff. The dirt was just full of limestone rock chips and the roots were all big and fat and had lots of root hairs too.

The other roots to the right of that $20.00 were found in normal hardwood, north facing hillside, on the way down to the bluff. They were all in the 20 year old range and 8-10\" tall 3 prongs, had berry pods with 5-10 berries on them, and the roots were about 1/4 the size of those bluff area roots.

I think you are on your way to having roots like my limestone bluff roots, and in a shorter than average timeframe too for seng.

Keep us posted on the progress there. I can't wait to see those at 3 and 4 and 5 years..

TNhunter

TNhunter,
I'm no expert but I'd say those roots are actually older than the necks suggest.
A lot of times fast growing roots will ingulf some of the neck scars and of course there are always bugs bitting some of the necks down as one or two of the plants in the picture has had. But then again there are always exceptions.

Hillhopper- Very nice looking beds there. 160' is a long bed, you'll have a great time harvesting that one! The plants are very stout looking and that root is developing very well!

Your soil tests are very interesting values. I'm certain that the limestone underlayment is to your advantage. I understand what you mean about doing the soil adjustments... have to do some work on my beds -in debth- as well on my mountain patch.

I'll be gald to see my beds looking like that --next year!

TNHunter- I like that photo! Guress you posted that one before I joined the forum, or I would've remembered it.