TOPIC: Depth Of Seed Planting

Just yesterday I dug at a couple of the seedlings I planted in small rototilled areas in my woods. Of the seeds I planted in these areas, a much smaller percentage of seedlings emerged, this past spring, than of the places I used the rake and scatter method (actually to give credit where due, it was TNhunter's modified rake and scatter method). The seed I am referring to in both of these methods is wildgrown's seeds. In these rototilled areas, I made rows and covered the seed with about an inch of dirt. Of what I dug yesterday, I realized this is WAY to deep. The top of the root was still the entire inch down. I dug pretty deep just to get to the top of the root and still couldn't get the little boogers to let go when I dug all around them so I didn't fully dig them up. They were the same diameter of the rake and scatter rootlets I dug for size confirmation recently, but the taproot was very deep. I guess that is good but the point is only about 25-30% emerged vs. the 95+% that emerged using the rake and scatter method. I also found one seed still sitting there and still not smiling. Does the seed just stay dormant another year if it thinks it is too deep? I would have thought they would have sprouted and died if they didn't have enough energy to make it through, not layed dormant. Confused??

Im also wondering about this, i had better germination from rake and scatter as opposed to planting by hand as well. How deep is too deep? Has anyone ever used a garden dibber to plant ginseng? What would be any cons to using one?

Sorry to hyjack but the questions are basically the same.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

The more I think about this, the more sense it makes of the rake and scatter being better. Nature will just drop them on the surface and the berry will keep the seed moist long enough for the leaves to fall and then the typical fall/prefall rains will keep them moist beyond berry decomposition, while the older layer of leaf litter will decompose the following spring. The fall rains usually speed up the leaf drop too. Then you get the occasional mouse stashing (burying) seeds and 'some' of them come up. So if the rains fail to come in time there's still some survivors. This plant is a survivor and has adapted well to it's environment, but still loves the appalachian cycles best.

I poke a hole in the ground about 1/2 - 3/4 inch, drop in the seed and very lightly step on it. My germination rate is pretty good.

I lean toward an inch deep.

BCastle wrote:

I lean toward an inch deep.

It does seem most logical that 1\" would be best, but I fenced in the rototilled areas that I planted 1\" deep, and just outside the fence I planted a 10'x10' area using rake and scatter and almost all the rake and scatter ones came up and survived the summer but only about 25% of the 1\" deep ones came up. All were wildgrown.com seeds.

I rake and scatter, however most of my seed is just under the leaf clutter, under less than a 1/3 \" of soil. II get great emergence of the 3-leafers. The deer just love it....

Whitjr wrote:

I rake and scatter, however most of my seed is just under the leaf clutter, under less than a 1/3 \" of soil. II get great emergence of the 3-leafers. The deer just love it....

Whitjr: Sorry to hear about the deer. I really thought they would be bad on my place but so far so good. Actually a little too good as I ruined my deer hunting and not even a picture of them on my cameras this year. Heck, I still had more tricks to use, to include the 45-70, and other less lethal ones. I think the peanut butter on foil on the electric fence did it. My son isn't so happy though, as he wanted to go deer hunting again. You can pick up a solar fence charger fairly cheap or just get a 12v one and a car battery and a cheap solar panel.

Thanks, jimsinger66! I am going to use the .303 British enfield on my patches this year. Last year I used the 8mm Mauser, which was effective... LOL

Whitjr: That is great. I am thinking one of deers favorite food is lead. Or at least that is MY favorite to feed them! Darn things must be on a diet though. I like that you like the old \"weapons of war\". Some say that we have no need for them. I guess they don't grow seng in Chicago!