Hi Paul,
Welcome.
1) Top dollar is reserved for the highest quality wild roots
2) As far as I know, ginseng grows in every county, but depending on your county, there may be more or less. For instance Franklin, Hamilton or Cuyahoga counties might have little natural woodlands left in which wild ginseng might still be growing. Also, ginseng doesn't like to be in heavy wet soil, so some of the glaciated counties might have limited suitable habitat.
3) In my early experimentation, I found that seeds and rootlets from different areas did tend to have different characteristics. For instance, seed from local wild strains came up last in the spring and appeared to be a tad hardier. However, just because you get seed from a local dealer doesn't mean the seed came from that area. Most all commercial seed comes from either Wisconsin or Ontario. Mine comes from Ontario. However, I've had exceptional results with this seed in all but one year thus far. It has done exceedingly well in wild simulated patches which are now naturally reproduce.
4) Ive never tried this approach. On larger scales, I think it would be too costly and labor intensive. Planting seed directly would certainly offer more cost effective planting. I'm sure I can plant a second or third seed for the price of a peat pellet or small pot and soil mix.
Keep us in the loop!
b
