TOPIC: Very revealing

There was some pretty spirited discussion about just when to harvest any and all parts of ginseng and I thought that what I have observed and photographed might raise an eyebrow or two if you are raising something besides Kentucky Ginseng,and most people are. I want you to see just what you might be dealing with when growing ginseng from other states and projecting it toward a September 1st harvest date. Keep in mind that most people are not just growing Kentucky Ginseng on this board. It will certainly make a difference according to the type of weather we have. Here is my experience in East Tennessee.

Ginseng from Michigan 7/16/2012:

jpg[/img] As you can see from these pictures we are a long way from ripe berries and the legal harvest date coming together. Today was the 4th time that I have harvested and planted ripe berries. How does something like this conflict with the law that some feel so strongly about and what do you do with a season like this?

On the other hand, this is what wild Tennessee Ginseng looks like right now here in Tennessee. This ginseng should fit very nicely with the September 1st opening date but 95 percent of the ginseng grown here will not. When ginseng from other states is grown here as Wild Simulated it sounds like it could be a problem if you harvest parts of it that are ready.

This is what I picked today and this was the 4th picking of ripe berries that I have made so far. There will probably be a couple more like this. It is sort of a strange feeling planting in mid July along side 3 leafers
Hugh

Hugh, I've been pondering over the same question. You have to keep a vigii watch over the berries and pick them before the mice and chipmunks get them.

The whole purpose of wild simulated or woods grown is to make a profit from ones labor and expenses and Lord knows I've put in plenty of both.

What about bedded plants for the sole purpose of growing seed and say they are getting ripe, then what?

rootman

Hugh, nice berries. I wont be getting any berries due to the heat/dry.

It seems all states require you to plant the seeds in the vicinity of the parent plant. If you are a grower, I guess that means you couldnt sell any seeds.Here in Missouri, all ginseng is treated the same, Kind of the way Kyjabber explained in a different thread about Kentucky. I dont understand how that makes any sense, if you followed the same laws for wild, you couldnt sell 1,2,3,etc year old rootlets for transplanting or seeds. But people do, so are they in violation of the law?

I think we need better regulations in place to protect the growers, as it has very different circumstances than wild ginseng.

Lenno

Hi Lenno, how are you? That question about seed and plants is a good one. In Marathon co, in Wisconsin 90% of the \"tame\" seng is produced for the whole U.S. I never talked to the old timers about this, but how did the tame stuff ever get started if it wasn't for the pickers saving wild seeds and selling to the producers. I heard once that seeds were worth as much as roots. That is why I wouldn't worry about the seeds from farms, they are genetically the same as wild plants, at this time yet anyway.

Hi borrowed time, I guess it used to be ok to take seeds from wild plants years ago before they started controlling everything.

The pioneers Fromm Bros started around 1910 by transplanting 3000 wild ginseng roots in nearby woods to their farm and collected seeds for cultivation. That's how Marathon County becomes the Ginseng Capital of the US. Of course gone are the woods and wild ginseng now around Hamburg, WI where the Fromms started.


borrowed time wrote:

Hi Lenno, how are you? That question about seed and plants is a good one. In Marathon co, in Wisconsin 90% of the \"tame\" seng is produced for the whole U.S. I never talked to the old timers about this, but how did the tame stuff ever get started if it wasn't for the pickers saving wild seeds and selling to the producers. I heard once that seeds were worth as much as roots. That is why I wouldn't worry about the seeds from farms, they are genetically the same as wild plants, at this time yet anyway.

That is interesting, Dr. G, wonder why they didn't plant seeds first, as that would seem to be the reasonable choice. Maybe they did, but had more sun than needed, or didn't know about the dormant stage.