TOPIC: Techniques for planting and growing wild ginseng

I'm new to this ginseng growing thing. I have a dozen or so wooded acres and decided to try my hand at growing wild ginseng. I decided to start by planting a few pounds of seed.

I plan to plant every year and to get an idea of where on my land the ginseng would grow the best I planted half a pound in patches (wild-simulated method) in various places around the property so how well each patch does can be used as a gauge of where I should plant next.

For now though I did a soil test and found the area I want to plant the majority of the seed I bought this year. First off I was wondering the different wild-simulated planting methods people have used? I'd like to just move the leaf litter spread the seeds evenly and put the leaf litter back. Does it make a huge difference if I don't scratch up the surface? I used a dethatcher to soften the soil a bit in the places I planted the patches. It would take many hours to do that in the area I plan to plant. Also the area I plan to plant is quite rocky. What kind of effect, if any, will this have on the ginseng? Will the rocks have any effect on the root shape and if so negative or positive?

I noticed other people on here mention how wild-simulated ginseng thins out a lot over the years? How much and how fast? Knowing this would help me estimate exactly how much I should plant. I plan to protect the plants from herbivores (the deer are really bad here), but beyond that I intend to leave the plants to their own devices. At the moment I'm assuming a loss rate of two thirds before the plants become harvestable.

Also I was wondering what people think of replanting the same areas that have already been planted after the ginseng thins out? That way I would have plants of various ages growing in the same area, and it would be a better use of space.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

Welcome Ittiz,
I wish you the best. In my opinion good soil that contains rocks will not adversely effect your seng roots. As a matter of fact it may even add to the value of your wild simulated roots depending on the type of rocks and their density.

IMHO if you plant \"Wild Simulated\" style and use no herbicides or fungicides you should expect to have about 10% survival rate at year 10. Could be a bit better or could be a bit less it just depends.

As far as you planting using the \"Rake and Scatter\" method, many of us use that planting method. If you can get your seeds scratched in or top dressed with soil so the seeds are 1/2 inch to 1 inch below the surface, you will increase your germination success rate tremendously. Check out TNhunters video on his modified rake and scatter method here on this site. It shows how to get soil on top of your seng seeds when doing the rake and scatter method. Also it is important to walk the beds down to compress the soil which gives the seeds better seed to soil contact. Walking the beds down compressing the soil in the entire bed will also increase your germination rate tremendously.

Lastly, once you plant a ginseng bed and harvest the roots the ground will need a minimum of 10 to 15 years to lay dormant before attempting to plant again and even then you are planting good seeds in a risky situation. So most would not recommend planting in a spot that has previously been planted. Goldenseal (Yellowroot) however will do fine if you plant it in a previously dug ginseng bed.

Hope this helps a bit and if you look around on this forum you will find a vast array of post from many of us you are at different stages in planting ginseng seeds. There are many great post that I think you will enjoy reading.
Latt

Thanks for your response.

About thinning out I was saying after I dig them but while they are growing. So lets say by the end of the first year half the plants die. Then adding more seed to compensate for the thinning some what. I would stop planting once the oldest plants reach maturity and need to be dug. Also about letting the land lay fallow for 10 to 15 years. Could you maybe put manure down the year you dig, let it lay fallow for 1 year so the manure can settle than plant again?

Also how fast do you think the root grows at say by 5 and then 10 years? Or I guess a better question is what root weight (fresh) is considered the be a good harvestable weight? I know the longer you leave it the better the root, but I'm sure the root mass doesn't have a liner growth rate. So after a certain time it makes more sense to dig the root than let it grow for longer.

If half die year one, then I would not plant in that bed again. I know there are some that may reseed an area if the year 1 germination was interrupted by drought conditions etc.

Fertilizing an area and then replanting in a previous bed will not work. It needs to lay fallow a minimum of 10 years for \"Wild Simulated\" style planting. The experts are still uncertain as to why this is exactly. But it is most often attributed to the roots pulling out the minerals and other essential growing nutrients from the soil.

Root growth depends on many major components. Canopy is a major factor. Ginseng planted in a forest with heavy canopy (90 to 95%) will typically have slower root growth thus smaller roots than a same age root from a forest with 80% canopy. Soil conditions play a major factor in root growth and quality of the root. Annual rainfall plays a major roll as well.

I think it would be safe to say most would wait until they can dig to where 250 to 300 roots would make a dried pound. It could happen at year 7 or 8 or may take till year 12 or 15. All depends on the Canopy, Soil, Rainfall, Slope etc. I have a few beds where there is heavy canopy with great soil. My roots are 3 years old now and I have seen bigger 1 year old roots. So I will not be able to harvest at year 10. It may take till year 15 at this rate if I am lucky.

I am no expert. Most of my response to you comes to you from first hand knowledge from my growing ginseng experiences, what I have read and from talking to Ginseng farmers and visiting ginseng farms.

So feel free to take what I offer knowing this in advance.

Hope this helps a bit.
Good luck,
Latt

Wow very informative thanks.

Latt is on the money Ittiz.

There is some research which suggests that ginseng is allelopathic to some extent. I have heard that the Koreans let their beds lay dormant for 17 years before replanting. I know in Ontario, they track where ginseng was grown previously, and will not rent or buy ground where ginseng was grown in the past.

My experience is compatable with that of others...replanting in beds is a waste of time if it can be avoided. However, I routinely replant over wild sim patches a few years later much as you were saying to fill in the bare spots and also to mix the age classes of the roots when they are harvested. If you selectively harvest only the largest roots (noticed I didn't say plants....) this will help to keep your patch going and also provide a sourch of top quality ginseng which will bring top prices and sometimes even a premium.

I must qualify that statement, however, because I seldom rake and scatter. I have poor luck with it. Instead, I use my own seeder which drops a seed or three into a specific hole in the ground. No raking or scratching up the soil.

These topics have been discussed now and again, so don't be afraid of searching the topics for more information. Somewhere, in some post, you might find a key which will help you get over some hurdle at some point.

Ittiz,

As usual Latt has given you some good advice. I started growing wild-sim in the fall of 2010 and have some video's showing my plantings the first year and second on my youtube channel.

Below is a link to my youtube channel - lots of ginseng video's there. Look for the two part video named Planting Wild-Simulated Ginseng.

It shows how I do a slightly modified rake and scatter method that, does take more time, but does get the seeds covered with some dirt (not just leaves).

www.youtube.com/yttnhunter

Below is a decent text description of how to plant wild simulated.

TNhunter

==

1 pound of seed = approximately 7000 seeds.

Recommended planting bed size 5'x50' (250 sf).

Plant seeds at a rate of 4-5 per sq ft. In Scotts book he suggest that at a good site if you plant 4-5 per sq ft, to expect 1-2 to survive to harvest.
I can't say for sure how many will survive to harvest at my site and I am sure that varies quite a bit by site. I would be happy with the rate that Scott mentions, but I know Latt speaks from experience, so I sort of expect more like what he says.

1000-1250 seeds per 250 sq ft planting bed.

One pound of seeds will make 6-7 beds.

Time per planting bed 45-90 minutes depending on how hard you go at it and the conditions of your specific site.

Step by Step:

1.. Clear the bed area of any large rocks, logs, small saplings, etc.

2.. Rake the leaves off a 5x50 sf area, just pile them up along the side of the bed.

3.. Scratch up the soil surface good to loosen it up. I recommend that you rake some of the top soil over to the edge of the bed and just pile it up along side your leaf pile.

4.. Drop your seeds at a rate of 4-5 per sq ft.

5.. Rake the top soil back on top of the bed, covering your seeds as much as possible.

6.. Rake leaves back on and walk it down (walk over ever sq inch of the bed) to compress leaves down on seeds, making sure seeds have good soil contact.

Tools needed:

A axe/mattock or grubbing hoe type tool is good for digging out small saplings.
Heavy Duty leaf rake. I have one 3' wide with pointed teeth that does a excellent job.

Ginseng seems to grow best in soil with a PH around 5.5 and with Calcium levels at least 2000 pounds per acre, with levels in the 3000-5000 range being even better. Gypsum can be used to increase Calcium levels without affecting the PH.

In addition to the advice you have been given I will add this..... Nature loves diversity, actually it demands it. Anything planted in a monoculture enviroment invites disease and predation, whether it be ginseng,tobacco,tomatoes,or whatever, it doesn't matter. These two things will continue wearing on this artificial environment until a natural diversity is once again achieved. Unless, you entervien and fight against it. If you don't plan to do so then don't accept a high mortality rate by planting closely. Spread them out, way out. One every three square feet isnt too far I would think. if you have the ground and the time, plant one at a time as brad said with wide spacing and your efforts won't be in vain. If you throw them on top of the ground in a thick manner and just pitch leaves back on, every mouse in that woodland area will be gorging on your seed. If they don't and they do start growing next spring and they are one beside the other, at some point disease will sweep your patch if left unchecked.
If your are going to grow in a wild simulated fashion then go ahead and simulate the wild while planting. Spread them out to one, or two at the most per square foot, plant correctly and your success rate per seed will soar.

As for growing ginseng densely while using prevention and curative measures for disease and predation, I could write on until morning. It then goes from \"hey, I got a little ginseng I'm growing in the woods\" to \"hey, its Saturday again, I have to go spray my ginseng\".

For myself, its a business endeavor and I want to be able to manage it easily while producing big returns. I grow densely to maximize every square foot but I know i have to manage it or lose it.

Well, I'm out for now, lots of planting to do tomorrow cause \"hey, its Saturday again\"

Hillhopper

Based on everything I read I was thinking about four seeds per square foot. My time is extremely limited, I travel for a living and during this time of year the only time I'm home during daylight is the weekends. In my opinion land is cheaper than my time so I'd rather spread wider than have to constantly take care of needy plants. The underbrush has to be cleared however so at some point it isn't worth it. So planting one seed per three sq feet is out of the question. Most of my land is thick with mountain laurel, I'd be working on it for months and the ground would freeze up solid before I go anywhere near finishing. Although the area I plan to plant looks like it was a cow pasture maybe 75 years ago or so. It's moderately wooded and shaded with Aspen(popular), Ash, Maple, Oak, white Pine, Birch and Sassafras. The laurels haven't grown in to that area yet.

So basically a survival rate of 1/3rd isn't unreasonable for a good location? I'd like to grow as densely as possible without having to manage it closely. I'm just starting out, I'll see how this stuff goes and go bigger from there.

I do have a mechanical seed spreader, it just spreads though and doesn't plant. The method I used to plant test patches was to rake and use a dethatcher to loosen the first inch or so. What kind of mechanical seeders do you guys suggest? I looked around on the forums here and most of the things you guys reference seem to be for tilled soil.

Ittiz,

Everybody has slightly different ways of growing or should I say planting.
It is one of the most difficult crops you will ever try to grow.
Like most, I have read every book available but it is still trial and error.

The most important is \" good \" loose soil and facing north and northeast with a good slope and drainage.
I've learned to plant sparingly because it will self thin and if you're not spraying, this will cut down on disease. During years with rainy seasons I've seen 10 year olds fall to disease. Just start slowly and see what happens.

I wish you the best of luck.

rootman