TOPIC: How does this look for growing Ginseng?

I've got it in my head that growing wild simulated ginseng can be a good money maker. I have been looking at homes with *alot* of lumber where Ginseng can be planted and then allowed to grow for 5+ years.

I do hope this post doesn't go the way of my \"other\" first post =) Hello everyone! I have no experience with growing ginseng so dont know if this pic represents good shade or not.

Anyone know if mycorrhizal mushrooms have a negative effect on ginseng growth? Since they infect the roots of trees (maybe ginseng?) and draw some energy from the tree I assume they could have some effect on shade.

EDIT: I had black morels in mind and knew they were sometimes mycorrhizal and for some reason assumed that meant they were not beneficial. From what I am reading now it appears they are in most cases beneficial.

It looks like you have ok shade for starters anyway. I wouldn't be afraid to plant this area depending on the other necessary factors like soil type etc.

Also, I should point out that with wild simulated, you should wait at least 10 years, and then harvest only the largest roots. I recomend you plant once, then go back in and spot plant over the original planting again a coupld years later. This causes you to have mix ages in your harvested root. By about the 5th year, your patch should be naturally reproducing and you can then continue to selectively harvest only the largest roots which command the highest prices in the market.

I see a pine. Pines other than white never did any good for me but others here may have had better experiences with them. Good luck my friend and never give up the dream.

I agree that the land appears to have appropriate shade for Ginseng! I also noticed the Pine trees but the ratio of Pines to Hardwoods seems to be low enough that they may not be a problem. If they do become a problem, maybe the property owners will allow you to take them down and off the property. It appears from the pic that there may be some companion plants on the property but we would need some close-up, walk through pics to be sure. During the heat of the day, afternoon and evening shade is fairly crucial to Ginseng's survival but the plant can tolerate more than is realized. Also, as TNhunter has mentioned before, Ginseng growing on properties with some Eastern sunshine does seem to be healthier and have bigger tops and roots. Although I can't be certain, I believe that this sunshine from the East needs to be mainly in the morning and not the afternoon or evening.


Frank

Welcome to this forum. You will find that there are some very knowledgeable folks here, and then there's the rest of us. [smile... it's a joke]

Looks good there, to me. Shade, ratio to hardwoods/pines OK, understory not too dense.

Some Q's for you: What sort of hardwoods are there? Have you done any soils analysis? What state are you in?

It is hard to say for sure just looking at a picture if ginsing will do well. Shade and even the mix of trees looks good enough but I have seen thousands of acres that looked good enough for ginseng, even finding some decent companion plants, but not one single stalk of seng growing there.

The absolute best sign is if you find some wild ginseng growing there already.

Have you found any ?

If not, then I would say the next best sign would be if you have some of the best companion plants growing there, maidenhair fern, baneberry, blue cohosh, yellow lady's slipper - with maidenhair fern being (in my opinion) the best of those.

I have some places that I have planted that look very similar to yours, and the first year 3 leavers came up and looked Ok, but even with applying gypsum yearly they have just never done much. Still very small, and spindly 2 prongs after 3 years. These are places where there was no wild ginseng growing but I tried it anyway... and well just have not had much luck with that.

All of the areas where I have had good luck or the best luck were areas where I had some wild ginseng growing already.

A soil test would be a good thing to do before you decide to plant. If you have calcium over 2000 ppa you might be Ok but still it could be too dry, to hot, to wet, etc...

I would advise to start small, space them out good, and after about 3 years you will know for sure whether it is going to work there or not. If things are progressing right along after 3 years, then you can get more serious about it.

Good Luck

TNhunter