TOPIC: Very revealing

If you have read the story in Scotts book...

The old timer Oscar Wood (pg 179) got started by transplanting wild roots to his place and planting them in beds.

He then collected the berries/seed from them and planted that to establish his other beds.

So starting with roots, to produce berries is definately how it has been done in the past.

That is what inspired me to establish my seed producing bed.

TNhunter

TN, How's your seed producing bed coming along? My plants are looking good so far but they will be awhile before the berries start turning red. Now on the other hand my wild simulated patches have been producing red berries for over two weeks that are from northern ordered seed. I've been planting them right back in the ground.

All this rain has me kind of worried though. I hope disease doesn't set in.

rootman

Rootman,

My seed bed plants are doing OK.

I actually went out of town for a few days and just checked on them yesterday after we got back.

One plant, the one up at the top of the bed that was looking very stressed out - has about kicked the bucket now but the rest are hanging in there.

Some look real good, others just so so.

Berries are starting to fill out on most of them now but still a long way to go. No sign of red yet.

My 5 gal bucket trap, has not caught a single mouse type critter, just a bunch of bugs. It has 10-12 big old black beetles in it.

I set the drain pipe with decon bait out yesterday since the bucket did not seem to be working too well.

We have got plenty of rain the past couple weeks, with more good rain yesterday. Our drought is over for now, but as you mentioned we may be getting too much rain now for late in the season like this. Could spur on foliar diseases, but so far I have not seen any real evidence of that.

Good luck to you !

TNhunter

Those sure are beautiful photos mof the berries. I'm a bit envious of you in that you have them.. my stuff is so much younger.

The printed stories about the old timers are somewhat inspiring... in an odd sort of way it makes me feel that my efforts are worthwhile.

BT your right it all came from the same place, but only the field growers can sell their seeds. Hardly seems right. Sounds like someone wants to corner the market with their seed.

Guy

guy wrote:

BT your right it all came from the same place, but only the field growers can sell their seeds. Hardly seems right. Sounds like someone wants to corner the market with their seed.

Guy

I don't know if it is that or just the fact that significant folks on the administrative side of the issue are just truly ignorant of the effects of the laws.

We as a group tent to be very secretive about our operations --with just cause and solid reasoning for doing so. However, that creates a situation on which the administrative folks don't understand the difference between wild sim, woods grown, or cultivated as compared to truly wild.

From their perspective, they just want a clean way to do their job and get the numbers they need to make decisions. For instance, I fully expect to see the green market in wild ginseng banned all together in the not too distant future. The variation of weights is causing the administrative folks headaches. I know I can buy 20lbs dry, and when I go to get it certified it is only 19lbs 13 1/2 ounces. I pay by weight like everyone else, but the true weight is a moving target. The administrative folks only see that I bought 20 lbs, but only certified 19lbs 13.5oz ...they start wondering where the other 2.5 oz went. ---this gets sort of interestig when the weight goes the other way, and I've got papers for 20lbs but try to certify 20lbs 2oz!

Does that make sense?

If you are not familiar with ginseng to understand this is a common occurance which is NO one's fault, you could think someone was doing something illegal.

This is truly an educational think I think.

People,

I'm going to open up a can of worms here.
Say, if you bought rootlets from Wisconsin planted them in your own soil, natural or added nutrients and grew them for 5 or 6 years, technically would they not still be Wisconsin ginseg plants as well as any seed that may come from them and the same would go for purchased stratified seed from Wisconsin would they not be actually Wisconsin plants (embryo) technically speaking. That's the reason to be sure and keep all your receipts for future reference.

rootman

rootman,

I see what you are saying. I know people that do sell seeds from their woodsgrown plants and I guess nobody has ever had a problem with it. There has been a lot of talk on here lately about rules on ginseng, but I would think any reasonable person would not care if the rules were broken as long as it wasnt hurting wild ginseng. Im talking about selling seeds from ones own wild sim or woodsgrown patch.

rootman,

I see what you are saying. I know people that do sell seeds from their woodsgrown plants and I guess nobody has ever had a problem with it. There has been a lot of talk on here lately about rules on ginseng, but I would think any reasonable person would not care if the rules were broken as long as it wasnt hurting wild ginseng. Im talking about selling seeds from ones own wild sim or woodsgrown patch.

I guess nobody has ever had a problem with it.

and...

I would think any reasonable person would not care if the rules were broken as long as it wasnt hurting wild ginseng.

That is the way you and I think...as well as most of the folks who understand ginseng. The thing we must remember though, is that the folks making the rules don't always understand ginseng the way we do. Then, when you add another whole layer of governmental administratiion above our state folks....it can really be a challenge to get them to understand what we see as simple common sense.

I used to have a brother in law who was an engineer. I asked him one day what an engineer really does. Being a contractor at the time, he told me that if I were to nail a 2x4 to the wall with a single nail on one end, I would intuitively know that the 2x4 would swing down pivoting on the single nail. He went on to explain that an engineer would come to the same conclusion, but would have to do studies on the nature and magnitude of the natural and not so natural forces which were influencing the movement of the lumber.

Having a foot in all camps (ginseng grower, dealer, administrative and law enforcment) I understand how frustrating this is, but at the same time understand the administrative side who look for the engineers to explain things to them with proof and facts rather than just opinion and preference.


Right now, one of the statistical facts the Division of Management Authority is looking at is if the state agencies responsible for the ginseng program are actually actively enforcing their laws. Another thing they are looking at, is the number of violations that show up. So, what we see as a minor technical violation which doesn't harm anything, they see as a clear disregard for the law in general and just another example of why harvest shoul be banned to protect the ginseng species.

This stuff gets just plain maddening.