[MPWG] Ginseng production in containers?

[Farrington, Susan J (UMC-Student)]

Steve and list-members,
 
I have just finished up my master's thesis on the ecology of American ginseng in Missouri, including wild simulated cultivation. I would not recommend to the farmer that he try to raise ginseng in containers... ginseng is only worth good money if it is perceived as "wild" whether that be truly wild or wild simulated. Cultivated roots sell for about $15 a dried pound versus $250 to $600 a dried pound for "wild" root. 
 
There are as many methods of planting wild simulated ginseng as there are people who do it, but since this farmer is up against time, I would just suggest that he plant it in the simplest and most natural way: walk through the woods, look for good spots to plant it, rake the leaves away, scatter the seeds lightly (you only want 3 to 5 adult plants per square foot, so scatter maybe 10 to 12 seeds per square foot), kick the leaves back over the plants and walk away. Using this method, I planted an entire pound of stratified seeds in my woods in about 4-5 hours a couple weeks back. Potting up all those seeds would take much more time than that! While some farmers till the soil first, this is not only labor intensive, it also damages tree roots and other plants that may help to protect the ginseng from disease, etc. 
 
Choose sites that have good canopy cover, good drainage (slightly sloping is ideal), and where the soil appears reasonably rich. I like to sow it up against rotting logs and stumps, since that's where I so often see it in nature, and the humus is usually very rich in this microsites. 
 
Granted, my method will mean that the plants will grow completely naturally, and therefore very slowly... I don't expect to harvest my roots for at least 8-9 years and probably longer. While ginseng can be grown much more quickly (3-4 years) with more intense cultivation, the roots may not be worth much if they don't have that "wild" look. 
 
Part of my research was to conduct germination trials, and I found that burying the seed at about 1 inch improves germination (about 80% germination with this method), but simply scattering the seed and covering it up with leaf litter resulted in about 50% germination, and given the time it takes to bury the seeds, I was willing to scatter my own.
 
Good luck to your farmer!
 
Susan Farrington
Eminence, Missouri
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