i may set up a patch for ginseng. where do you get seed for it?
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Galax Virginia is named for the ramp. āGalaxā.
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@steveb4 ā¦ I have not bought any stratified ginseng seed in the last 6 years or soā¦
Once your plants reach 4 or 5 years oldā¦ they will start producing berriesā¦ each berry normally has 2 seedsā¦ sometimes 1ā¦ sometimes 3.
I have only planted my own berries these last 6 years.
Hardwoodginseg.com
Wildgrown.com
Were the two main seed suppliers I used when I was buying stratified seed. Both were good.
Noteā¦ to jump start a patchā¦ you can also by rootletsā¦ 2 3 4 yr old rootletsā¦
Note it will not grow just anywhereā¦ needs high calcium levels in soilā¦ ph 4.5 to 5.5 is good. Shade in the 70-80 percent range.
Gypsum is a good add for calcium boost and has little affect on ph.
Bone meal is tooā¦ but it has a ph in the 12-14 range.
I know a guy that grows it in Canada and in Main and both have done well at it.
Good Luck.
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So,
is it high calcium or low pH ??
How do you get both?
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It happens naturally in some areas with limestone and lots of organic matterā¦ like river bluff areas in TN and other states.
Gypsum is good for increasing Caā¦ if you need to without affecting ph.
You could use bone meal but only if you had very acidic soilā¦ that you needed to raise to 4.5.
If you are just starting a small patch and dont intend to plant large areasā¦ and your Ca is low ( less than 2000 )ā¦ you can cut gypsum boards up into 4-6 inch wide stripsā¦ and put them in your planting bedā¦ spaced out a foot or soā¦ and plant between those strips of gypsum board. That will supply calcium for many years as it slowly leaches out of the gypsum board strips. I have done that myself in a bed dedicated to seed production and it worked well.
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Iām probably am just giving you a hard time. Iāve found genseing growing among limestone rock outcroppings (though it struggled apparently) and Iāve found genseing in acidic woods among huge rotting chestnut logs.
Everything from 5 to 7 pH and it is OKā¦but may prefer acid and it likely does ok below a 5pH as you suggestā¦for it grows among mountain laurel and sourwood trees in North Carolina.
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@BlueBerry ā¦
My woods soil here averages 5.5 ph which works well.
From experienced growersā¦ yes it will grow at higher phā¦ but disease issues will be more prevalent.
Best results with lower ph 4.5 5.5 good.
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From the ginseng growers bibleā¦
Growing and Marketing Ginseng Goldenseal and other woodland medicinalsā¦ W. Scott Peterson
Highly recommendā¦ if you get serious about it.
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Thanks for the infoā¦I probably have forgotten some important points since the last Ag class I had.
(Been awhile since I visited āBedrock Quarryā too.) 
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@BlueBerry ā check out this exampleā¦
The 4 roots upper right area, with long necksā¦ are in the 20 year old range - that is nice ginseng, but notice it is small compared to the othersā¦
Those 4 were growing in average woods, on a north facing hillside with calcium levels in the 1000 rangeā¦ and in 20 years they grew to that size.
I went another 50 yards down the hollow and made a right along a east facing river bluff and found the rest of thoseā¦ Notice the short necks on those large rootsā¦ most were 5-8 years old.
That is the difference that calcium levels, and light can make.
Also normally ginseng grows in small patches here and there and spaced out wellā¦
But when you start growing it for profit, you are most likely going to be making fairly dense plantings and believe me, when you do that the disease pressure is going to go out the roof. That 4.5 ph soil will make a difference.
But now as you said 7.0 ph, with sparsely populated ginseng plants and you will be OK.
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Yep, the ones in high pH soil do resemble the top right ones.
Iāve moved around too much last number of years to have myself a patchā¦last one I had years go somebody cleaned out a year or so after I moved and not present to keep an eye outā¦even if camoflaged in brush.
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This root is from a nice sized 4 prong top with 1.5 oz rootā¦ and notice the soil and the extreme health of the root (really excessive fine root there).
The root neck had very few flatsā¦ only a few years 4 or 5 old.
This was part way up a limestone bluffā¦ that soil loaded with mineralsā¦ especially calcium. That is where ginseng does bestā¦ and another plus was this bluff faced eastā¦ the plant got lots of morning sunā¦ but not the hotter evening sun. Ginseng ideal growing location.
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my soil ph under those spruces runs about 5 so its perfect there. ill remember to add some gypsum. thanks for the references.
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I met a young lady in Cherokee NC that had trained her dog to hunt ginsengā¦ she did very well.
There is a pic of a ginseng root online that is worth $588000. Its 65 years old.
Amazing what people will do so that the Chinese can have an aphrodesiac.
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Jerusalem artichoke is actually pretty manageable to get rid of, just takes a little concerned effort to dig up any sprouts in the spring.
Japanese barberry, on the other hand, I would avoid planting at all costs. Itās actually illegal in many (if not most) states. Itās almost as bad as oriental bittersweet, and its only real use is as a thorny hedge. There are so many better alternatives for that role.
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@blueberry and @steveb4 - when I created my seed producing bedā¦ over a season I collected 44 really nice mature ginseng rootsā¦ and I planted them in a 4x14 bed, that I worked up ā¦ I basically dug up 8x14 spot and then raked it up into a raised bed ā¦ ending up 4x14ā¦ The soil and Ca levels at my place were not idealā¦ (I had soil test done) and way short on Ca.
I drove to a hollow named rocky hollow and at the bottom of a lime stone bluff I collected 6 - 5 gal buckets of that limestone rock chip soil and added that to my raised bedā¦ I also add other minerals vis gypsum, greensand, and gypsum board. I had great success with that bed for 12 years producing berries/seedā¦ Harvested them a few years ago, Huge Roots.
The youtube vid above is one of many that I did back in that dayā¦ it shows some Tennessee river bluff ginseng, and that rock chip filled soil that seng thrives in.
I have some vids out that that show in detail how to do rake and scatter method of planting tooā¦ if you want to search thru my vids, you can find those.
Good Luck growing some seng !
TNHunter
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I am going to make a food forest hedge for the birds and bees in a place that is within eyesight but i dont grow anything there. Cotoneaster, Hawthorn, Huckleberry, Winterberry, Red and Yellow Twig Dogwood, Honeysuckles, Trumpet Vines, Wild Blackberries etc. A few of those are invasive but thats okā¦
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You mean itās illegal to grow barberriesā¦they sure sell the crap out of them at LOweās in Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina!!!
@krismoriah ----
This one was in the 50-60 year old rangeā¦ each flat on the root neck represents a season, or a year.
Ginseng root sends up a top each springā¦and that top dies in the fall and breaks off the root neck (leaving a bump or flat there)ā¦ after the current years top is upā¦ the root develops a bud/spur that will be the top for the next year. That little bud has all the top details in it already (how many prongs, leaves on each prong, etc)ā¦
I have seen them 80 years old here in TN.
Never got that kind of cash for one though.
I have found a Man rootā¦ one with arms, legs a headā¦ which is special and some will pay more for those. I kept mine.
The emperorās root is the most special and they do often sell for big bucks. The emperorās root is in the shape of a manā¦ arms, legsā¦ and has a middle leg
TNHunter
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I like how you put that. āThat little bud has all the top details in it already (how many prongs, leaves on each prong, etc)ā¦ā
Iām sure it evolved that ability by chance. (I speak as a fool).
Great looking OLD root, too.
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