Messages

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General Ginseng Discussion / North side of the hill

« on: April 20, 2014, 09:09:56 PM »

 I was planting some left over seeds today. Theres still snow in the woods but the hilltops are finally clear. I was planting a little knoll , abut two acres and I noticed something. It's lightly wooded , young trees , growing in abandoned farmland that was probably forested before that. I started planting from the south slope and noted large clumps of moss and a very hard soil with little loam but good shade. I planted it lightly in the moss and out ( for a control) and as i rounded the north side and immediately noticed much deeper loam. The north would be the lee side of the hill and all the leaf litter would end up there. Could this be factor in the old myth that ginseng is found on the north side of the hill? I imagine this would depend on the particle geography in question. I am a newb and still haven't had time to hunt any wild sang but with help of BC 's i got about a half acre planted last year. Can't wait to see them popping up. We had a nice 3' blanket of snow/ice over em to keen them warm. Had a few grinners left over so I wanted to get them in. I made a stratification box and wintered them over. Brads book was invaluable , thanks

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General Ginseng Discussion / Got my Seeds , What Now?

« on: September 26, 2013, 05:54:00 PM »

 Hey Brad or any other expert. Got my seeds and rootlets , as promised (thank you). I looked in your book and couldn't find any information on what to do with the stuff on receiving. I know what your all thinking , put it in the ground stupid. I am going to plant this week-end but was wondering what to do in the mean-time. I opened the seeds and stirred them a bit. I opened the roots last night and again this morning and added a few drops of water. They were still moist. I have them in a cool dark corner of the house. Any thing else I should be doing? I could have emailed but I thought this might be of interest to other newbs.

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Wild Ginseng / Re: NEW TO GINSENG....HELP

« on: September 24, 2013, 07:53:39 PM »

I've heard of a place called Sylvan Botanicals. I think it's in the Catskills. I didn't have much luck finding out more about them , but maybe you'll have more luck. Did you say they were five prongers you found? Or five leaf. They would be pretty old to be that big I would think. I can't wait to get out and look myself. I am new to it and had never heard of ginseng hunting till recently. I'm hoping nobody else around here has heard of it either.

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Wild Ginseng / Re: Beginners luck?

« on: September 21, 2013, 06:40:21 PM »

Nice roots! Any details other than beginner? Wheres he from and did he find them all in one patch?

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Wild Simulated Ginseng / Re: New grower

« on: September 07, 2013, 10:00:13 PM »

Where I'm about to plant has good points and bad too. It's close to home so I can keep an eye on it but it's close to home so everyone else can keep an eye on it to. I'm don't entertain much but have customers and clients around occasionally so someone is bound to notice eventually. I'm going for the natural look so ginseng should blend in pretty good. Down side is limited room for expansion on my own property. I think I'll be doing the Johny apple seed thing for a while. A lot of our area is overgrown farmland that was abandoned after the depression and hasn't reseeded much. I hope to get up into our gulf regions where the terrain is rough so was never logged off. If there is any wild ginseng around thats where it would be. And if there isn't , there will be.

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Wild Simulated Ginseng / Re: New grower

« on: September 07, 2013, 06:29:55 PM »

Up here in northern NY land for growing ginseng is reasonably priced. If it has mature timber then its quite a bit more. But the trouble is finding a piece thats cheap enough , has the right layout and is defendable. Most hunters wouldn't know ginseng from a hole in the ground, but it would only take one. We also have alot of state land in my area and that borders many remote properties. They tend to get over hunted so they're used as access points to "back door" private property. I think fencing would attract attention so that probably wouldn't help either. On my land I have scottish highland cattle (big horns) and a bull. Idon't recall ever seeing a trespasser crossing my fields. They are hell on gardens though.

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Home Herbal Recipes and Remedies / Re: ginseng uses etc.

« on: August 23, 2013, 09:56:53 PM »

Yes , it's a very hard to notice any "effect". The capsules I take recommend two a day with food. I forget half the time and don't intend to take them everyday non-stop. I would rather use ginseng That I found or grew and use as you suggested and in a tea as chinese do. I was feeling my age (53) in all the ways a man my age does , but since using the capsules my endurance has returned , libido has improved , even lactose intolerance has lessened dramatically , I even think my vision has gotten a little better. I'm not a jump on the band wagon kind of person so I didn't start wanting to believe. But I am convinced there is something special about this herb. Thanks for the advise and if I ever get a free minute I'm gonna go sagin and find me the real deal!

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General Ginseng Discussion / Re: Ginseng and Black Locust Trees

« on: August 22, 2013, 07:17:32 PM »

I remember Brad telling me that some plant secreet stuff that keeps other plants away. Locust trees spread just under the surface of the ground and send up shoots every where , so maybe they choke out other stuff. I am going to try some in my locust patch when they get a little bigger but i think I will stick with maple and cherry to expand my wood lot. I would mix in ash but emerald ash borers are a huge problem here right now. Maples are haveing some trouble to but I think thats more stress from hot summers , cold snowless winters and all the crap they spray to kill weeds along the guardrails of the roads.

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Home Herbal Recipes and Remedies / ginseng uses etc.

« on: August 22, 2013, 07:07:56 PM »

I was wondering how sangers use ginseng. I heard in Pritts book that people would chew fresh root for energy and I was wondering if other ginseng people used the root themselves or were just in it for the money and the fun of the search. I have been using a capsule of Korean panax and was impressed with it's properties. That is the main reason I would like to grow it and help to re-introduce it in our area. If it didn't work I wouldn't do it just on a speculation basis. A few years back a gentleman with deep pockets started a huge red deer farm , thousands of animals. Well a few years later viagra hit the market. You can probably guess how long he stayed in business. He chips wood for a plant now from that location. My point is the Asians KNOW it works as well as millions of others so , I can only see a bright future for the sale of this commodity. What worries me is climate change a will ginseng be able to survive. I live far enough north that I think my patch will survive and the price may go sky-high if it struggles elsewhere. If so wild ginseng will be even more rare in the wild. We use to get about 15 to 20 feet of snow where I live and the last few winters you could barely ride a snowmobile. My greatest worry is the roots not being insulated with deep snow. Anyway I was wondering how people used there own root , tea , leaf tea , root chewing etc .

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Wild Simulated Ginseng / Re: New grower

« on: August 16, 2013, 09:52:52 PM »

Well my 800 square feet has turned to about 1200. It's real good looking ground though. Not steep but has slight slope running north. I improved the drainage a little with my hoe. I have about 1800 - 2000 square feet that can be planted in wild sim too. I have been salting the woods grown plots with some rock phosphate and gypsum and tilling it in to place the phosphate deeper. I was wondering though if its even worth putting phosphate on the wild sim sites. I'm not going to do nothing for prep there just plant it. Mostly with seed but I may plant a few older roots as well. Should I use any amendments when I plant rootlets in a wild-sim type situation or leave em alone and just plant em. I figure I can plant about another 2500 sq ft of wild sim plots next year ( and over seed lightly this years plots) . With a little strategic tree planting I should be able to plant about the same amount for the next few years. then i guess I'll have to find some new woods to work. It's like eating potato chips!

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Wild Ginseng / Re: Site Selection?

« on: August 08, 2013, 10:07:57 AM »

Did i say tilling? I keep forgetting terminology can get you in trouble when dealing with government agencies. That being the most important part of the learning curve. We will DEFINENTLY NOT BE ROTOTILLING OR AMMENDING THE SOIL. tHANKS FOR THE REMINDER. 

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Wild Ginseng / Re: Site Selection?

« on: August 07, 2013, 08:56:53 PM »

Yeah that would be the way to do it. The situation is a little more "complicated". For instance: She heard black walnut makes excellent sugar , and it does. She asked about walnut seedlings and I said I had plenty she could have. Next thing this guy has planted some 3-4 hundred for her.(at her expense I imagine) .I have several on going projects for her ,contracting and the budget seems a little tight this year. I think this guys in love with her forest and if I bring up the ginseng idea....... he'll be plantain ginseng for her. I think I'll just start some at home and learn the ropes and wait see what happens over there.
Hey Brad or anyone else, I have about 800 square feet under way and here is my plan. I am thinking of starting with 25 2 year-old rootlets , 100 1 year-old and seed. I thought I'd divide up the roots roughly evenly in the 4 patches and then seed it fairly sparsely this year. I will re-seed in between over the next several years as i expand my operation. I am prepping the beds now with some gypsum and rock phosphate and tilling. I would like to start some companion plants too. I am not doing a soil test but am pretty sure calciums low. I think ph is good , maples grow great there. I am not using any fertilizer as suggested just the wood mulch i mentioned in a previous post. I going for wild sim'woods-grown if anyone asks. and don't plan on digging any for 10 -12 years. I can't wait to have some for my own use. I started on Korean tabs about a month ago and now I'm a believer. I think the tea from fresh root would make a fine tonic. If you have any suggestion on my plan please advise Obiwan

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Woodsgrown Ginseng / Re: Light and Photo period of Panax

« on: August 07, 2013, 05:00:20 PM »

Is that like a gable roof style , which causes lift. I have tarped a lot of roofs. I have been keeping my eye open for a hoop greenhouse frame to try a cultivated patch. Figured could hurt.

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Wild Ginseng / Re: Site Selection?

« on: August 07, 2013, 04:55:53 PM »

I don't know if I would plant there at all. She'd be agreeable I'm sure. But they are getting into sugaring with another guy , who seems all right but I don't like to have to have a committee meeting for every decision. She has a very nice wood lot though and I may pop in a few seeds this fall while hunting there.

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Woodsgrown Ginseng / Re: Light and Photo period of Panax

« on: August 06, 2013, 05:16:39 PM »

Yes , Heat is definitely an important factor. But , what I'm saying is northern slopes , from ten till 2 or 3 would be getting almost no light at all. This is why a northern or NE hill would be much cooler . I don't think for field cultivated you could do alot about the heat. Maybe a high tunnel house with multiple layers of shade cloth on top third. I bet growers have tried but due to cost vs space it's not feasible. I was wondering about availability of rootlets too , 1 year olds and some 2s. Got lots still , Brad?