Ginseng

The first step is site selection. Favorable soil and moisture conditions are most often associated with

north or east facing slopes with at least 70% shade canopy. This is fairly dense shade we’re talking about.

The best shade is provided by deep rooted, deciduous trees such as Poplar and Oaks.

Ginseng grows best in a moist well drained soil. That is a contradiction, but these soils do exist.

Successful growth of ginseng most often occurs in sites where herbaceous woodland plants such as Jack-

in-the-Pulpit, Bloodroot, Solomon’s Seal and ferns are thriving. If no herbaceous plants are growing on the

forest floor, ginseng will probably not grow there.

Excellent soil drainage is essential and swampy or clay soil must be avoided.

The stratified seed will germinate next spring. The plants will look like three small strawberry leaves on a

stem about an inch tall. Some of the 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 most likely be a thin healthy population of wild ginseng plants.

It is recommended that only stratified seed be planted. Freshly harvested seed that is placed in the sand is

known as ‘green seed’. Planting stratified seed means that the seed is only vulnerable for a very short time

period (as opposed to 18 months in natural conditions) and survival rates are much greater.

The only tools needed to plant wild simulated ginseng are a rake and a garden hoe. It is a good idea to

plants seeds in generally defined beds that are five feet wide and up to fifty feet long. The beds can be

separated by three foot walkways. The beds should run up and down the slope rather than across the

slope for better air and water 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 18 inches apart, all the way down

the length of the bed. Plant seeds by hand, three inches apart in each furrow. About one ounce or 500

seeds will be needed to plant three furrows at this spacing in a bed that is five feet wide and fifty feet long.

Cover the seeds with approx. 1 inch of topsoil. After planting, carefully step down each row to firm the soil

around the seeds. To finish planting, rake one inch of leaves back over the bed as mulch. After a couple of

rainstorms no one will be able to detect that any planting has occurred. The site should look completely

natural.

In the wild-simulated method, stratified ginseng seed is planted in the fall before the trees lose all 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. Avoid dense patches of weeds, and disturb the site

as little as possible to reduce the spread of fungal disease.

In the wild-simulated method, after planting, little or no work is required until harvest 5-8 years later. The

ginseng plants are left to the mercy of nature. Weeds will compete with the plants for water and nutrients,

the plants will struggle to grow in barely cultivated soil. These stressful conditions result in the wild

appearance of the roots that are eventually harvested. Digging the roots is slower because the roots are

entangled with other woodland plants. Harvested roots should be air dried in the shade. A half acre will

require 8-10 pounds of seeds and will yield anywhere from 50 to 200 pounds of dried root in 5 to 10 years.

Ideal growing conditions for ginseng are more difficult to find in low-lying regions than they are in the

mountains. The forest floor in some woodland areas is too hot and dry during the summer for ginseng to

thrive. (Moist environments may be found that are good, if not perfect, places to grow ginseng.) Small

pockets of cooler soil may be found very often on a north facing hillside above a stream or river.