TOPIC: Lighting / Shade

I am looking at different options and locations for growing ginseng. In the one forested area that I am considering, the canopy is so thick that NOTHING grows on the forest floor except new tree starts here and there. You can walk across the leafy bottom like a park with no obstructions except an occasional fallen branch. I could not find any ferns, blood root, or golden seal as other markers of a good place to grow. The land is sloped to the east and is nice and open for planting.
My questions are?, \"Is this too shaded?\"
Has anyone used a light meter in their successful areas to determine what LUX / lighting is good to grow in?
Can any of you do this? Any Photography shop should carry these meters or you can look for a good used on ebay for a lesser price. Maybe there is a smart phone app. UPDATE - Yes there are several smart phone apps for FREE.
My other forested area is shaded with small patches of light here and there with all kinds of small brush and other plants growing. None of the above mentioned though. Again, Lighting too much or not enough or just right. The only solution I can come up with that is scientific and constant and exact would be the use of a lighting meter. Can I get some input here? Can I get some of you to check your successful growing areas with a light meter and report here? Team work is what I am asking for. I do believe this will help all of us in the future in looking for good areas to grow in.
The other area I have to grow in is an old poultry barn. Sides are mostly open. It has been out of use for several years and nothing is growing inside except for the very sides.
Again, is this too dark? It doesn't seem to be but there again, a light meter will give us exact results. I am going to use one in these areas to determine what exactly we are working with and I am going to need your assistance for me to determine if these areas are too dark or not. If these have the optimal lighting, you and I will then know if something like an unused poultry facility might be an optimal place to grow our crops.
Looking forward to posting my results and seeing what you come up with.

Or just plant a little in various locations and see which appears to work best. That is what I have done with success. Good luck!

I must agree. Start small, plant a few test beds in locations where you think ginseng might grow. I have some very pretty plants in locations where ginseng is not supposed to grow.

not enough moister could be the problem if the area drys out to often plants like ginseng cant thrive lack of plants in the area is unusal if its capable of growing ginseng

No eBay APP ID défined in Kunena configurationGood advise everyone. I and a friend downloaded a couple of Ambient light meter apps on our phones and with the same apps, come up with incredibly different readings. So, we ordered one off ebay -
We hope to head to a grower in the area and use the meter to see what kind of lighting he has his plants growing in.
Good point about the moisture content. You may be spot on with that. We are anxious to get going but have discussed doing test plots in a few different areas to see what does and doesn't grow well.
Does anyone have a good university research link they can post ?
Will keep you posted and thanks for your input. I would still appreciate some LUX readings.

I would think that unless you are using the exact same light meter to check different areas, the data wouldn't be comparable by taking a survey of light readings by different people with different devices.

And the factors that allow good ginseng growth are dependent on so many different factors, the light/shade amount is only a small factor. I agree with the opinions above, plant small test plots at 10 different locations and see what results you get.

Thanks, I am working on the multiple locations. That is one thing that I wanted to do anyway - not have all my ginseng in one basket.
What I am finding with the light meteres is: If you have a cheaper one... like a phone app, the variance of reading is pretty dramatic from phone to phone. With a more expensive light meter, that is not so much the case. True, lighting is just one part of the equation in growing ginseng but it is a part. We have found a couple locations now that look to be good growing areas but nothing else is growing there. My observation is that there seems to be too much shade. The one area isn't getting enough water either so we'll have to deal with that if we are going to plant there.
Many photographers will have a light meter. If you have one, or are interested in getting one to share your readings along with the type of device that you took the readings with, I am sure all of us can learn from it. Thanks everyone for your input.