TOPIC: Is it too late to plant seed?

Hey all, this is my first year planting strat seed and I was just wondering if it is too late to plant the half pound I still have? I'm in western north carolina, and am really not familiar with the term ground freezing. The only stipulation I can find on fall planting is that it must be done before the ground freezing. Currently the temp here is about 33, what do you all think?

If you can scratch around the dirt and cover the seed a little bit then go ahead, but when the ground freezes , you can't. Here in Tn the ground is froze now but it won't stay that way for long . When it does thaw out I still have around ten pound to plant myself. It only says that because you are unable to work the ground when it's froze.

Hillhopper

Thanks for the insight Hillhopper. As soon as temperatures rise above freezing in they'll go. I am not sure if the forecast is the same for you next week over in TN, but they are calling for teens here.

Hunz,

Agree with hillhopper - and what we have now here in Middle TN is really just a light freeze. The ground is not froze hard at all.

I think you could actually use a good ground freeze to your advantage if you can keep your seed good until it thaws.

When the ground freezes it rises up and when it thaws the ground is really soft and sort of fluffed up.

That would be a ideal time for scratching around and planting ginseng seed.

I sure hope to plant some more after Christmas myself.

We usually have some good hard freezes in late Jan and thru Feb, and after those hard freezes when it does thaw the ground should be very nice for planting.

If I can get seed then, I may plant in Feb and into March.

TNhunter

Well i'm kinda like HUNZ, this is my first year of planting seeds too. I've already planted a oz. of stratified seeds just to see if i had any luck with it. I'de love to put out a couple more ounces but we're usually tied up taking down baccer and stripping it until the end of febuary. So do any of yall know if seed would still sprout and come up this spring if i planted in the 1st of april, or is that to late? I live in middle Tennessee if that helps any.

Back Woods Digger,

This is my first year planting stratified seed too and I have planted 2 lbs now, and have another 1/2 lb of seed being delivered later this week for planting on Friday/Saturday.

It is supposed to warm up and rain some here the last half of the week and weekend (I am in Middle TN too). The ground is lightly frozen now but after a warm up and rain it should work real nice.

I am not absolutely sure about planting as late as April 1, but can tell you for sure that ginseng tops first appear here in my area around April 15-20. I have a small patch growing just off my back yard and check it just about every day in early spring and last year my first tops were up on April 17.

I would think that if you had viable seed at the end of March, or First of April and planted it, it would have a good chance of sprouting and making it.

If I can get seed then I may still be scratching around and planting myself.

Good Luck to You !

TNhunter

I believe that successfull planting in the late winter or spring depends on th condition of your seeds. If the embryo has pushed out the tiny tendril, it will be difficult to get the seed under some soil without breaking off the tendril which would kill that seed. You definately would not want to walk over the soil after the seeds are planted if the tendrils were sticking out of the seed shell.

Here's something I posted on Latt's 10 pound of seeds.

article from the state of KY:

\"When to Plant - Ginseng is usually planted in the fall from October until freezing weather
prevents further planting. Early spring (February/March) planting is also possible but
must be done before the seed starts to germinate. In northern areas where the ground is
frozen or cold and wet until April try to avoid spring planting. Handling seed that has
already begun to sprout often damages the young plant. Holding ginseng seed in a
refrigerator may delay germination for an entire year. I had some that never came up
whereas seed planted immediately did?\"


Picture of early sprouting seeds.

www.catskillginseng.com/html/ginseng/ginseng32.htm

I would suggest getting the seeds into the ground before the tendrils start growing out of the seed shell.

classicfur

Classicfur,
Great advice, Also like TNhunter said too it is supposed to warm up this weekend and I am going to get all 10 lbs in by simply raking back 10 sites 12 foot wide by 160 foot long with a 2 foot strip down the middle of each 12 ft 160 foot bed. I am simply going to broadcast the seed and then scratch them in and recover with the leaves. It is going to be in the mid 40's and it supposed to rain too. Rain or shine I will be in the woods getting this in as this may be the last chance before spring.
Good luck everyone that is planting this weekend.
Latt

I appriciate the help TN hunter. I was planning on trying to set out some more seed this weekend but I have a stupid wedding to go to in WV so that knocked that out lol So i guess I'll have to wait till next time it starts to warm up.

If you do get seed end of March or first of April and the supplier had it stored in a stratification box (just prior to shipping it to you) and the seed supplier was in a northern state (like many of them are)...

I am sure the seed sprouting would be less advanced than for example if you purchased from a supplier in a more southern state (warmer climate).

Even if the seeds are somewhat advanced in the sprouting, as long as you are very careful planting them I expect they will do Ok.

Late in the spring out in my back yard under the big white oak there are hundreds of acorns that are sprouted and the little root is run out several inches at that point but the acorn is just laying on top of the ground. That root eventually digs in and then the acorn cracks open and leaves appear as it roots in.

No doubt if you picked up a bunch of those and put them under some dirt being careful not to break off the little sprouting root they would do just fine.

Ginseng seed should be about the same.

If planting seed that was advanced in sprouting I would recommend raking back the leaves, then raking back the leaf mulch and some dirt, dropping the sprouted seeds, then rake the dirt and leaf mulch back on top, then the leaves.

Do that without walking over the sprouted seeds.

That is one way you could get them under some dirt without disturbing them much.

Probably have a real good chance of making it.

That is basically how I am planting them now, but once I cover back up I walk the bed good to compress the dirt and leaves down.
If the seeds were sprouted good I would just leave that out.

Good Luck !

TNhunter