TOPIC: Growth after a year

Hi Fella's its great that this forum is here! I planted 1/2 pound stratified seed last year around May. This year I plan on planting a pound. I live in Northwest Washington State just a few miles from the Canadian border. I am planting in a older stand of timber which creates a nice canopy to keep the underbrush down and offer shade. I have a lot of ferns growing around the most ideal places to plant. My question is: is it bad to plant next to a fern? Someone told me this but I'm not sure if it is accurate or not. Has anybody her had good or bad luck planting near ferns? Thanks a lot!! Tony

Good afternoon Toneo2001,
Welcome to Wildgrown.com, and I expect that you are going to get several different takes on this question. On the one hand, you will hear from many that it is a great companion plant and from others you will hear that you should never plant ginseng close enough to allow moisture to drip off the fern onto the ginseng plant. I just know personally that I have planted many thousands of seeds close to ferns and they are doing fine. I have dug a number of plants that were right up against ferns that seemed to be doing fine. I have much less experience at the digging part than I do at the planting, so I'll say that straightforward.
It's possible that the ferns in your area could be different than the ones we see so often in the mountains of the Appalachians. I guess the Maidenhair or Rattlesnake ferns are more common here.
When I read of the location that you are in the first thought that went through my mind is that you are located in a very wet zone to be growing ginseng and I would not be surprised if you don't need to focus more on disease protection than ferns. We had one of the wettest seasons that I can remember here in East Tennessee this past year and if you read any of the post about young growing beds this summer you probably saw how much damage was done from diseases that can be brought on and made worse from heavy rainfall. You may have to make the decision to spray your ginseng if your DNRs or agents say it could be a big problem. Let's see what others have to say about the ferns and good luck with your venture.

Hugh

Hi Hugh, thanks for the info about planting near ferns. I think this year I will try to utilize the area close to the ferns. It seems like they like the shadiest areas to grow in. As far as rainfall I did my own research on precipitation per year in Blaine Wa vs Madison WV. The figures surprised me. Blaine rain/inches Average per year is 41.07. Madison WV there is is 47.43 rain/inches per year. Having said this our Washington rain mostly a off and on light rain that can last several days. It is rare that we get hard rains. Although this kind of continued dampness I suppose could cause disease. The wild plants that do well in the many days of overcast skies here are the Field Horsetail, Lady fern, Deer Fern, Sword fern. The good thing about where I am planting is its on a very fertile layer of organic material on top of good draining gravel, In fact the property on the other side of me is a gravel pit. I am hoping this will help with keeping the roots dry enough to do well. I guess i will have to see how this experiment turns out.... Thanks, Tony

toneo2001,
It sounds like you have some positive things going for you at your planting site and 41.07 inches of rain does not sound bad at all. I would keep looking at your post because some others will probably have some comments. I noticed when I goggled up growing ginseng in Washington State that most of it is done in small patches and it is usually done under some type of artificial shade. It will be interesting to learn how well it does under natural shade canopy. Let us know.
Hugh

Due to the continued wetness in your area, I believe that Hugh was right on about it possibly causing fungus and other diseases in your' Ginseng plants and roots. If there are areas near you that are in the normal Rain Shadow (Google or see link below) but still get a fair amount of precipitation from some rains, snow, runoff, Fog and/or Dews and these areas are protected from too much sunlight by a good canopy of trees, you might try planting some seed in these locations. While these areas generally lie on the Eastern or Southeastern side of the mountains, they can still grow Ginseng if there is just enough precipitation and not too much direct sunlight getting through. Grant you that Ginseng needs and wants some sunshine but not too much. Early morning and late evening sunshine on Ginseng seems to be the best but too much direct sunshine in the late morning through mid-afternoon will kill it off.


Frank

Welcome tono2001!

have you tested your soil for it's dynamics? That will tell you a lot about things.

Hi Frank, I thing I'm good on the direct sunlight issue. I learned something on \"rain shadows\" Ive never heard of it. I guess I will have to play it by ear before I go plant crazy. I do have friends who own land on the east side of the mountains but it may be to dry.... Thanks for your input!

Hi Whit, no I haven't tested it yet. What is ideal for PH? Thank you

toneo2001,
I am jumping in on your question to Whitjr. Sorry Whit. lol
PH 5.5 t 6.5 PH
However, 5.0 to 7.0 PH will work on the low and high end with amendments.

You will need 3,000 to 6,000 PPA on calcium.
Latt

toneo2001 wrote:

Hi Frank, I thing I'm good on the direct sunlight issue. I learned something on \"rain shadows\" Ive never heard of it. I guess I will have to play it by ear before I go plant crazy. I do have friends who own land on the east side of the mountains but it may be to dry.... Thanks for your input!

Some Mountains passes that lay Southwest to Northeast, West to East or Northwest to Southeast might be good places to check out! While some of these may get lots of steady and long duration rainfall, there are some that lie slightly in the Rain Shadow and might be perfect for Ginseng given they have the right amount of canopy but not too much. You might check with local Forestry Offices, Ag Offices or the closest National Weather Service Office to see if any precipitation records exist for these areas. Not only look at the overall precipitation but also look at the durations of the events. If an area lies somewhat in a Rain Shadow but gets sufficient precipitation and shorter events, these might be ideal for Ginseng. Please understand that while precipitation is generally measured as rainfall and/or drizzle and snowfall, many rain gauges receive precipitation in the form of Fog and heavy Dews due to water droplets forming on or accumulating (i.e. settling) on onjects such as trees...their' limbs and leaves and on metal...glass or plastic objects and this gets recorded. Precipitation from Fog and heavy Dews are very beneficial to plants and are often overlooked because they are not hydrometeors.


Frank