TOPIC: Actual Profits In Growing Ginseng

I was wondering if anyone had any stats on their own Ginseng growing venture. I have read the book we all know of but was curious of personal experiences from others as well; seed amounts planted, surface area planted, time till harvest and profits.

hillhopper wrote:

I was wondering if anyone had any stats on their own Ginseng growing venture. I have read the book we all know of but was curious of personal experiences from others as well; seed amounts planted, surface area planted, time till harvest and profits.

hillhopper i noticed that this has been out there for 6 months with no response, I have been growing wild-simulated for many years that has been at a harvestable age for a few years. i can only give my opinion.probably most people are hesitant to publish this information on-line and it is understandable. As for the time till harvest and profits i think that alot of people who are starting to grow ginseng now will enevitably change their plans as their crop continues to mature, I am 12 years into a 5 year plan....when i started growing ginseng i had a 5 year plan. But after a few years my plans changed and i waited....and waited....and waited...I watched my seedlings sprout, battled fungus,deer,mice,turkeys,drought,flood,poachers,slugs,ticks,chiggers and god only knows what else. And every year in July I have to make a decision, do i dig this year or do i start topping my ginseng to hide it from the poachers, Its seems that after caring for these plants for over a few years you program yourself to instinctively protect your crop just as you would your own child.,then you finally weigh the odds and decide that you are going to roll the dice for another year because you know in the back of your mind that the price will just continue rise and your ginseng will just continue to add weight. so you order another 10-50lbs of seed and get ready for the next year. And then you spend the entire next year trying to decide again. it is a vicious cycle.

Hey Guys

Because our ginseng takes so many years to reach a harvestable size, I think we all end up changing our game plan atleast once.

This spring I will have plants ranging 1 to 7 years old. I originally was going to harvest at seven years. Then because of the two shoulder surgeries I had this past year I change my mind and decided to harvest at eight years.

Then some guy, Code Name: Hillhopper Wrote: Ginseng Age and Prices

\"I talked with a man yesterday that once graded roots for the Chinese and he informed me that variations in age of harvested woods grown Ginseng would definately increase the price paid. He went on to say it was definately good to not dig every plot completley and to let some grow to older, on up to maybe eleven years would be sufficient. That way, given that your root looked wild , if you had maybe 15% that were 10 to 11 years old and the same amount for 8 and then 9 years while digging the rest at seven you would definately get a good wild price. The main thing he noted was not to cultivate deep enough or to use fertilizers that would produce a carrot shaped root for they would greatly reduce your profit despite it's weight. A consistent age among your root harvested will be apparent it isnt wild and therefore will not bring a wild price he said. Variations in your harvested crop's age will therfore allow it to fly under the radar as wild.\"

End of what Hillhopper wrote.

After I read what Hillhopper wrote, I changed my mind again!

I was planning on harvesting the seven yr olds in 1 1/2 years from now when they are eight yrs old. But from the sounds of what Hillhopper wrote, it might be best to wait until they are 11 yrs old. That would be 4.5 yrs from now.

Then I could harvest the 11 yr olds, I will dig all of them, along with only a portion of my 8,9 and 10 yr old roots. That would give me a variety in ages of roots.

Then, the following yr I will do the same thing. Harvest the rest of the 11 yr olds along with some 8,9 and 10 yr olds. And then do it again the next year and so on.

I think this would work out well. I'll just have to wait three years longer than expected.

So I went from a 7 year plan, to an 8 yr plan and thanks to Hillhopper, I'm working on my 11 yr plan. We'll see if I change my mind again before that time.

classicfur

classicfur,

Sorry about that lol, it kinda put a little kink in my
plans as well. Option B might be to secure a dealer's license and purchase wild roots from diggers and mix your's with those you bought. Im not sure how ethical it is but I know it works because an aquaintance of mine does just that and never has any questions asked.

Hillhopper

Oh, and I'll try my best not to post anything else that might suggest the advantages of delaying a harvest, I myself can't wait to sink a digger in the ground beside the first root of my own crop

I have heard or read it somewhere and I can't remember which, that once ginseng is dried out it will keep indefinately as long as it is kept away from moisture and humidity. I have a root dried root from 3 years ago and it looks the same as it did the first year. So once a crop is dry would it not be possible to wait until the following year to mix those dried roots with the following years dried roots and so on and so on?
Latt

Hillhopper

Yah, I cant wait to start harvesting and seeing some income. From what I first thought when I started planting 6 1/2 yrs ago, thats too many yrs to wait. Now I have come to relize that it is the most enjoyable hobbie I have.

And as I have seen my endeaver grow over the years, I get enough joy for now, at seeing thousands of my plants getting closer and closer to that GRAND Day of Harvest. I suppose it's easier, now that I have More yrs behind me and less yrs before I harvest.

And I do appreciate that info, even if it does delay my harvest. What you said makes alot of sense to me. I,m willing to wait.

Thanks,
classicfur

Hillhopper, Thats a good idea,getting a dealers license and buying wild roots to mix with the ones you are growing. I too know a guy doing this, on a pretty large scale and it works well for him.

Classicfur, I guess this would be difficult for you in Maine where there is no wild harvest allowed, unless you got a license in Wisconsin or another state.

K duce, I know how you feel about digging your roots after protecting them for several years. Do you collect the berries before you top your plants? I tried weedeating a small patch of mine last year as an experiment- in late august, hoping they come back the same this year. I guess they should.

Lenno

Hi Lenno,

If the berries are red or close to it i just plant them in the area at the time that im topping, I will usually spend just under 2 weeks late in the summer doing this. I couldn't bring myself to use a weedeater and i have thought about it. I use scissors and remove the leaves one plant at a time, Over the years i have made alot of korean and other asian friends where i live since there is rather large population here and alot of them are always asking for the leaves to make tea. The thing to remember is that koreans are also a very large consumer for ginseng.(Plan . Last year i started putting a price on dried ginseng leaves and although it is not really a large profit it will pay me for my time in the woods topping the ginseng. I am trying to develop a local market here for ginseng leaf tea. I have to hold back my leaves alot and ration them out over the year just to keep people aware of it, but it keeps me in close contact with potential future customers.

It's good for me to read that several of you guys have adapted your plans. I'm not too sure I can hold back for 11 years...

It's also good to read that there's a market for the leaves. I read somewhere that there are buyers for the leaves and stems - that these are the stuff that the makers of ginseng colas use.

I really can't wait for the next 7 years to pass, and to get some income from all the labor!