WILD NORTH AMERICAN GINSENG HOUSE PLANTS

(Panax quinquifolium)


Upon receipt of shipment, immediately store seeds in a refrigerator. Do not let the seeds freeze, or they will perish.
Keep them in the container so they will not dry out, or they will perish. Seeds must be planted as soon as possible to assure the best possible survival rate. They must remain in the soil all thru the rest of this year, and sprout next Spring at about April 1 thru May 1.


(1) Prepare flats at least 3 inches deep with ordinary fine moist potting soil or rich forest humus soil from deciduous leaf mold . The depth of the soil should be at least 2 inches. Be sure the flat has good bottom drainage.
Leave the top of the soil 1 inch below the flat’s rim.
Plant seeds 1 inch deep and 1 inch apart and gently cover with soil. Do not pack the soil.
Add a loosely applied top layer about 1/2 inch deep of well deteriorated clean forest leaf mold from a deciduous forest to protect and feed the plants and preserve moisture.  Do not pack it down.  If you cannot obtain leaf mold, use more loose potting soil..
Place flat near a window or outside in an area which will provide indirect sunlight. Avoid all but a very little direct sunlight from striking the plants. Water as needed to keep the soil slightly moist. Do not keep the soil in a wet or very damp condition.  At the end of the growing season, store the flats in a cool dark place for the Winter.

(2) In the Spring, your plants will begin to grow.  Place flat near a window or outside in an area which will provide indirect sunlight. Avoid all but a very little direct sunlight from striking the plants.
At the end of the growing season, as the plant tops begin to age, in about October, gently remove the roots from the flats and mix them in potting soil in a tightly sealed zip-lock cellophane bag. Be sure to have enough soil so that the roots will not touch each other to any great extent.
Store them in a refrigerator which does not cool below 40 degrees F or is warmer than 50 degrees F, for at least 3 months until planting time.


(3) About March, plant the roots 3 to a pot in the same manner that you planted the seeds using the leaf mold mulch to conserve moisture.  At the end of the growing season, as the plant tops begin to age, in about October, gently remove the roots from the pots and mix them in potting soil in a tightly sealed zip-lock cellophane bag. Be sure to have enough soil so that the roots will not touch each other to any great extent.
Store them in a refrigerator which does not cool below 40 degrees F or is warmer than 50 degrees F, for at least 3 months until planting time.

(4) About March, plant the roots 1 to a pot in the same manner that you planted them 3 to a pot using the leaf mold mulch to conserve moisture.  At the end of the growing season, as the plant tops begin to age, in about October, store the pots in a refrigerator or some cool place which does not cool below 40 degrees F, or is warmer than 50 degrees F, for at least 3 months until growing time. 

In the Spring, repeat growing cycle.  Some of the plants may bear seeds which can either be planted as whole berries or striated (See my web page at wildspiritginseng.com for this and other ginseng growing information). At the end of the growing season, about October, repeat the storing process above.

In subsequent years, Leave the mature plants in their pots, being careful to not disturb the soil or to till it in any way. Be sure to help them through their dormant period at the same temperature which does not cool below 40 degrees F or is warmer than 50 degrees F, for at least 3 months or until growing time.
To attain a condition approximating that of a plant which grows it entire life without Human help, you must keep your plants in at least 90% or greater shade to retard rapid growth. Wild ginseng roots begin to become valuable after about 10 years of life, and their value increases with each year of growth, given all other factors being equal.
As you attain skill in growing ginseng, you will be able to produce roots which cannot be differentiated from wild roots, because they were originally planted from wild seeds. Which makes them the same as wild roots.
Survival rates using this method can be over 90% of the original seed plantings.

At about the 3rd year of life, you can generate income by selling some of your wild ginseng houseplants, and keep the rest until they reach the age you choose to harvest them.  After the 4th year, you should be producing enough seeds so you will never have to buy them anymore.