locating ginseng

[bitternut]

Now is a good time for those of you who have woods to search for ginseng. The clusters of red berries are a dead give-away and really stand out. Here is a picture of a sample plant I have growing at home. I found several plants in my woods also but did not have the camera with me.

[beenthere]

Are we supposed to pull it up and chew on it?   


 


Thanks for the tip, as I've been asked if I have any in the woods. The fellow said he hunts it and had found the 'man' (root that is shaped like a person with 'arms', 'body' and 'legs' and worth $10,000).   He carefully wrapped it in paper toweling and put it in his truck glove box to dry (??).  His ex-wife stuffed a pair of shoes in there, and broke it up.  Not sure when the 'ex' became 'ex'.

I will keep my eye out for it.

[redpowerd]

cool! thanks for the heads up! now not quite sure, but that stuff grows on a southeast slope? i think i remember in a backwoods home magazine what slope and soil, and then i remember thats the only slope i do not have in the woods.....

[tnlogger]

now that looks lick a 4prawn in a bucket    did ya grow it or transplant it 

[whitepine]

Can you dig it up and transplant it like a tree???

[Jeff]

I did a little research a few years ago as there was a bunch of it growing wild on where my Mom and Dads place was. Turns out that that wild ginsing that is supposedly worth big bucks is kinda like the walnut tree growing in the kids sandbox thats going to fund the retirement years. Buyers are pretty particular.

[bitternut]

I grew it in the pot from seeds that I bought from a place in Michigan. I was having trouble finding any in my woods so I bought some seed and planted it in pots at home. I used to have 3 pots with plants but I got a little too close with the roundup one day and now I am down to just one  good sample. Once I saw what the berries looked like it became real easy to find. Found several spots without hardly trying. Even found a couple spots on the neighbors that he doesn't know is there. I have never dug any yet. I just get the seeds and plant them in the area that I find it growing. I don't know if I am helping propagate ginseng or not but I like to think I am.

Jeff is right about the wild product being the high demand one. It is quite a bit more costly than the cultivated variety. To me its just another excuse to be in the woods walking around.

[tnlogger]

 around here if you take the seeds there is a big fine if they catch you . my son digs around 10 to 15 lbs a year makes hin Christmas* money that way. prices have gone down i think the buyers are paying 450. or so a lb
dyr this yr. 10 yrs ago we were getting between 5 and 6.oo for good sang.

[PawNature]

I sowed 10lb 3 yrs ago. Lets see 6000 seeds per lb x 10 lb x 300 per lb =
Dang where is my sang hoe.

[tnlogger]