RayForker on October 21, at pm. Ginseng farming techniques techniquez Entertainment Artwork Books Circadian rhythm health. Unfortunately, there have not Gindeng enough definitive studies to determine the perfect environment for ginseng, but it should grow adequately in any pH range from 4 to 7. Pick these in the fall if you want to harvest the seeds for planting or selling.

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How to Plant Ginseng Seed

Ginseng farming techniques -

Typically, you do not want to remove these trees and shrubs altogether. Performing selective pruning allows increased air flow while maintaining proper shade levels.

These small trees and shrubs will provide habitat and protection for your ginseng if managed properly. Pay attention to what direction the wind tends to blow on your site and clear accordingly to allow for maximum air flow over your ginseng plants. This will require yearly maintenance and some pruning to maintain good air circulation.

The next step in site preparation is picking up any large rocks or sticks that may be lying in the area you wish to plant. Consider using the larger rocks and sticks to line the bottom or downhill side of your planting area to help catch debris or soils that may be blown or erode off of the site.

Site preparation work can begin any time throughout the spring and summer of the year, but it must be completed prior to planting in the fall.

Now that the site is prepared you are ready to begin the planting process. The process of growing wild-simulated ginseng begins by planting seed in the autumn around the time the trees begin to shed their leaves, but before the ground freezes in Ohio this is usually done between October and November.

Ginseng seed must go through a period of cold dormancy also known as stratification before it can germinate the following spring Figure 2. To ensure success we recommend that the novice ginseng grower acquire stratified seed from a reputable commercial seed source.

It is a good idea to spread your plantings out over many years for a variety of reasons. Planting over a number of years will eventually allow you to harvest mixed aged roots on a yearly basis rather than having one entire crop come into maturity all at once.

Planting over a number of years can also help ensure that you won't have a complete loss of your crop due to weather, rodents, or other environmental factors that can wipe out a young planting in one season. Ultimately you want no less than one and no more than two mature ginseng plants per square foot upon maturity.

This density helps to ensure minimal disease problems and maximum growth. The first year plants will emerge the following spring and do not resemble a mature ginseng plant at this stage. They can be easily overlooked if you're not familiar with their appearance Figure 3. Figure 2. Stratified American ginseng seed.

Photo courtesy of Rural Action Sustainable Forestry. Figure 3. One-year-old American ginseng seedling. Begin the planting process by raking back the leaf litter along the bottom of the slope you are going to plant. You will want to rake the leaf litter off of an area about 5 feet wide and 40 feet long if possible.

This is best done with a large heavy-duty leaf rake. This 5 X 40 foot area is equal to square feet and will require approximately two ounces of seed. One pound of ginseng seed contains approximately 6, to 8, seeds to seeds to an ounce. Therefore, each ounce of seed should cover approximately square feet at the optimal seeding rate.

Once this area is clear of leaves, go back and scratch the soil surface with your rake to loosen the soil up to about ¼-inch deep. This helps the seed to make better soil contact and increases your seed germination rate.

The site is now ready to be seeded. Try to spread the seeds evenly over the plot by walking along the top of the plot and sprinkling the seeds by hand.

Although it may take some getting used to, this should become a comfortable technique to use for seeding your ginseng. Remember you want to seed at a rate of four to five seeds per square foot.

The next step is to move upslope and begin the process over again. This time you will use the leaf litter that you are raking downhill off of the next area to be seeded to cover the previously seeded plot. Make sure to cover the seeded plot entirely with leaf litter, but do not exceed more than 3 inches of leaf litter over the seeded plot.

Once you've raked the leaf litter down onto the seeded plot, your next plot should be ready to seed. Repeat the process and continue until you have seeded your whole area.

Figure 4. Raking to remove leaf litter in preparation for planting of American ginseng seed. On sites where raking and other site preparation would be difficult, ginseng can also be planted by hand one seed at a time.

Although this method will substantially increase the time spent planting, it will dramatically increase germination rates and will also allow you to plant areas that may be more difficult to plant with the technique described above.

Many growers like to use a variety of techniques to seed their wild-simulated ginseng. You should experiment and determine what works best for you on your sites. Growing wild-simulated ginseng can be a relaxing and rewarding experience. You should take time to do research on growing ginseng and on the laws that govern ginseng harvesting and sales before ever planting a seed.

Currently in Ohio it is illegal to market a ginseng root under five years of age. This law also applies to wild-simulated ginseng growers because wild-simulated ginseng is typically not distinguished from wild ginseng in the marketplace.

In Ohio, ginseng is regulated under Ohio Revised Code Chapter Administrative Rules for The Ohio Ginseng Management Program are available through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife and should be obtained, read, and understood before taking up this pastime.

Contact the Rural Action Forestry Program for information about how to obtain seed and planting stock of ginseng and other medicinal herbs:. The Roots of Appalachia Growers Association RAGA is another resource for ginseng growers.

They can be contacted through Rural Action Forestry. Thanks to David Cooke, West Virginia University Cooperative Extension; Greg Duskey, Wild American Ginseng Company; and Deborah Hill, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension for reviewing this document and providing valuable suggestions for improvement.

CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity. For an accessible format of this publication, visit cfaes.

Skip to main content. Growing American Ginseng in Ohio: Site Preparation and Planting Using the Wild-Simulated Approach F Chip Carroll, Rural Action Sustainable Forestry and Appalachian Forest Resources Center. Dave Apsley, Natural Resources Specialist, Ohio State University Extension.

Site Preparation Before preparing any site one should consider many factors, foremost is security. Planting Wild-Simulated Ginseng The process of growing wild-simulated ginseng begins by planting seed in the autumn around the time the trees begin to shed their leaves, but before the ground freezes in Ohio this is usually done between October and November.

In the wild-simulated method, stratified ginseng seed is planted in the fall when the trees lose their leaves. In some locations, clearing of undergrowth will be necessary.

If the site is sufficiently shaded, there should not be a great deal of competitive weed growth. This is an extensive as opposed to intensive planting method.

If dense patches of weeds exist o­n the site, simply avoid them and plant in other areas. It is desirable to disturb the site as little as possible to reduce the spread of fungus diseases.

The o­nly tools needed to plant wild-simulated ginseng are a rake and a garden hoe. It is a good idea to plant seeds in defined beds that are 5 feet wide and 50 feet long. The beds should be separated by three foot wide walkways. The beds should run up and down the slope rather than across the slope for better air drainage around the plants.

Rake the leaves o­n the forest floor away from the bed right down to the topsoil. Using the hoe, make three narrow furrows 13 inches apart, all the way down the length of the bed.

Plant ginseng seeds, by hand, three inches apart in each furrow About o­ne ounce or seeds will be needed to plant three furrows at this spacing in a bed that is 5 feet wide and 50 feet long.

After planting, carefully step down each row to firm the soil around the seeds. To finish the planting, rake o­ne inch of leaves back over the bed as a mulch. After a couple of rain storms, no o­ne will be able to detect that any planting has occurred.

The site will look completely natural. The stratified seed will germinate the next spring. The plants will look like three small strawberry leaves o­n a stem about o­ne inch tall. Some of the ginseng seeds will not germinate and some will be eaten by rodents.

Over the next seven years, the plant population in each bed will be reduced every year by various natural forces. The final stand will be a thin, healthy population of wild ginseng plants. In the wild-simulated method, after planting, no more work is required until the ginseng roots are dug six to ten years later.

The ginseng plants are left to the vagaries of nature. Weeds o­n the forest door will compete with the plants for water and nutrients. Insects and rodents will attack certain plants. Fungus diseases infect ginseng plants from time to time.

Severe weather may reduce plant growth. All of these stressful conditions result in a wild appearance of the roots that are eventually harvested. Digging the roots will be difficult work because they often become entwined with the roots of other woodland plants.

The harvested roots should be air-dried in the shade. A half acre will produce anywhere from 0 to pounds of dried roots in six to ten years. The natural fertility of the particular planting site will determine both the quantity and the quality of the ginseng that can be grown there.

The greatest threat to the crop is theft. Ginseng should not be planted in areas where people go to dig wild ginseng. In some regions, ginseng hunters comb the mountains every fall looking for wild ginseng. These hunters will certainly be excited if they come across a dense population of plants.

Somehow cultivated ginseng plants are often considered "fair game" by wild gatherers. Fines for stealing ginseng are negligible. The wild-simulated method of growing ginseng is best practiced o­n lands where access is controlled.

It is highly recommended that anyone attempting to grow ginseng this way, keep quiet about the enterprise. Ideal growing conditions for ginseng are more difficult to find in low-lying regions than they are in the mountains.

The forest floor in most woodland areas is too hot and dry during the summer for ginseng to survive. Micro-environments may be found, however, that are good, if not perfect, places for ginseng to grow. Small pockets of cooler soil may be found very often o­n a north-facing hillside above a stream or river.

Many Virginia landowners are successfully growing ginseng well out of the mountains. For several decades, natives of the Southern Appalachianregion have harvested natural plant materials from the wild for sale to the many medicinal herb buyers in the region. Very often these buyers operate small grocery stores.

There is at least o­ne buyer in every town in southwest Virginia. Products most commonly traded are ginseng, black cohosh, bloodroot, golden seal, lady slipper, mayapple and slippery elm. The local person, who buys the roots, bark, leaves or seeds from medicinal plants, often also buys furs and hides.

These small buyers, in turn, sell the plant materials they purchase to regional brokers who either export the materials to the Orient or sell them directly to pharmaceutical companies in the United States.

As native wild populations of these medicinal plants disappear due to over harvesting, potential increases for profitable sale of cultivated woodland medicinal plants.

Indeed, many small landowners throughout the region have already successfully grown and sold these plants. There is never any problem marketing the products they grow.

Last Ginseng farming techniques November 19, Fact Checked. This article gechniques co-authored by Andrew Carberry, MPH. Andrew Astaxanthin and memory support is a Food Systems Eco-friendly replenish and the Senior Program Techniquew at techhniques Wallace Centere at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee.