TOPIC: The season is progressing

Hey everyone,
Just a little thread with pictures to show where the work has progressed to at this time of the year. This is when the rest starts and we get a little break until Springtime. If anyone wants to share, jump into the water.
Hugh

http://www.smokymountainflyguide.com/Choosing%20places%20to%20grow%20ginseng.htm

Hugh,
I thought I was ready to start my resting too, but just ordered some more seed and a few rootlets. Not a real large amount of either, but just felt the urge to get a little more in the ground before it gets too cold. I also thought I could just plant some seed with my hands while deer hunting in some small scattered locations. Guess I'll rest come the first of the year:laugh:

Well 5Prong,
Good luck with your late plantings. I was wondering if you got to plant any of your own seeds this Summer? I think I remember you saying the seed production was light because of dry weather. I'm looking forward to the next couple of years to when I should harvest enough to do all the planting that I want to.
Hugh

Hugh,
I enjoyed your video and I also am looking forward to spring even though winter hasn't even started.
I got plenty of firewood laid in, mostly hickory for those cold days and nights.

5prong,
I couldn't help myself and I too bought some more seed, 1/2 lb. I'm like you and probably will spot plant here and there. I'm stratifying about 800 seed of my own and like Hugh, looking forward to my own production of seed.

rootman

Hugh, yes, I did harvest a couple hundred berries and replanted the seeds from them. Berry production was horrible this past year. I truly am looking forward to trying my hand at stratifying some seed, but just didn't have enough this past year to make it worthwhile.

Rootman, good luck with your plantings as well. I wasn't real impressed with the look of the sed that I planted earlier this fall (none were grinning). Even though the seed source assures me that this is normal for his seed which is stratified in controlled environments, I just don't have a lot of faith that it will germinate this coming spring.... Thought I'd diversify to possibly keep next spring's germination from being a total disappointment. Perhaps I'll get good germination from both sources.......

Like you and Hugh, I too am looking forward to see what spring will unveil....

You website is pretty good, Hugh! I like your dog.. He's an earnest looking fellow.

I think I need to develop a website similar to yours. Is it difficult to maintain and do? Do you use a commmercial website company to start it up?

I just ordered two more pounds on a whim... just thining that I might have some more incentive to get some in the ground. Altho- I am looking forward to getting done with the patch two thing; gotta do some work on patch one while the plants are down.

Thanks Whitjr,
Boomer is my best buddy in the mountains and on the stream. He has chased bear and hunted grouse this year as well as landing trout. He can also turn a ladies eye in a moment:lol:

I do use a commercial website host. The name is Ipower. Maintaing a website can be a very difficult thing. If I did not have my wife to help me sometimes I'd be lost. I did mention sometime, maybe a year ago, that I felt that if a person really wants to go commercial that he needs a website or a blog to get his message out to the world. Wildgrown.com is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. I think some photography skills would compliment things as well. While I'm talking about it I think it is a good time to thank Mike for the work that he does with Wildgrown and for allowing us to meet here and share our little stories. For this old mountain boy, I can attest that running a website is not the easiest thing in the world and it takes a lot of time. Hats off to Mike and Wildgrown.
Hugh

I was just going to mention that seed usually mostly closed in August. By September it begins to crack open. By October most of it is cracked open and sometimes very cracked open. And November just about ever seed, if not every seed is cracked open or even buldging out of the husk. That is the seed I trust totally to have high germination. A person can speed up the process if you think the embryo is small and the seed is not cracking open by keeping the seed in sand and actually bringing it in the house and storing it in a basement of about 60 degrees with plenty of moisture in the sand. But not too wet that the seed could rot. What you are doing is speeding up the natural stage of the seed. Normally at this time of year the seed in the ground is much colder than 60 degrees. By keeping it plenty moist and warming the seed, it helps crack open the seed. I do not advise temps over 70 degrees. That may be too warm. My seed that I sell at Hardwood Ginseng web site is very cracked open. That tells me the seed has been properly stored. It would really surprise me if next spring I had low germination with seed that looks like that. Once in a while I plant late and end up with lower germination and I cannot understand why. For some reason I get my best germination when I plant in August. Maybe mother nature of having the seed in the natural ground is the best and safest bet. But on the other hand, seed stored in sand and I sell in the spring, I have seen nearly every single seed root out on me if I don't get it all sold in time. Mike