For instance, the above graphic shows a square foot divided by a 2"x2" grid. There are numerous examples of growers who have nurtured their crop for 10 or more years only to have it wiped out by a poacher who steals thousands of dollars worth of ginseng. Ginseng seed sowing should start in fall to early winter. How do I sell ginseng root? Currently, wholesale seed prices range from $35 to $45 per pound, and retail prices range from $50 to $90 per pound. However, ginseng usually germinates at about a 70% level. For wild simulated ginseng plant 20 pounds per acre. You cannot do this rake and scatter without damaging the young ginseng you planted before. Plant seeds individually 3/4 inch below the surface using a knife blade or dibble stick. The powder is very fine and has mini… The seed is easy to sell and will provide income while the roots continue to grow and gain value. For a one-tenth-acre plot, 1,600 seeds per bed multiplied by nine beds requires 14,400 seeds. How to Calculate the Amount of Ginseng Seeds for Your Ginseng Farm. Establishment costs for one acre of ginseng beds, under wood lath shade or under polypropylene shade cloth, varies from $20,000 to $30,… Seed and shading materials alone can cost more than $29,000/acre. Leaves on top of the planting spot should be kicked aside before planting and returned after planting. One of the more common questions I have been asked is how much seed a new grower should buy for a given area -let's look at this a little closer. Buy only graded, newly stratified seed. For example, a half-acre planted in ginseng will start producing seeds in the third year. However, if you are looking for wild simulated roots with some age, you won’t need to plant nearly as many seeds in the same area. That same space of land should have about 500 pounds of roots, which are selling for $300 to $600 a pound. Please keep in mind that an acre is 43,500 square feet. A watermelon farmer gets a profit of 2 lakhs to 3 lakhs per acre in India in 2 to 3 months period. 21,780x.8=17,424 usable square feet at 80% of 1/2 acre. Remove the leaf litter from the ground first. Obviously, the more space you have to plant the more seed you will need. For wood's cultivated ginseng stratified seed are planted at the rate of 40 to 50 pounds per acre in prepared beds (one to one and a half pounds per one thousand square feet) in late summer or fall, but before the ground begins to freeze. Ginseng favors well-drained, humus-rich soil on north and east-facing slopes. This is a question I’ve answered many times over the years. Example 1 is a 4'x16' raised bed intended to produce roots for personal consumption. Viable ginseng seeds (Figure 2) are one of the most significant investments in establishing a successful ginseng operation. Stratified seed. Example 1: Bob has a one-tenth acre of land he plans on using for his ginseng farm, which equals about 4,350 square feet. But, with my seeder, you can seed the same area without damaging the plants that are already there from the initial seeding. Read: Growing Tomatoes from Seeds. Four-year old roots are very commonly harvested. The same principle applies to one side. However, if you want to keep the bed going longer before starting over, you might consider wider spacing. Because of ginseng's high value, it is sought after by many. A List of Direct-Sown Vegetables, Average Seed Quantity Needed for Planting, and Projected Yield Direct-seeding is the sowing of seeds directly into the garden or field. Once a ginseng plant is mature enough to produce seeds, it will usually produce seeds every year. Growers who sow 50 to 100 lb. How long do you intend to grow before harvest? This is another one of those subjective things that will just vary to some degree depending on seed size, region of origin, and the particular growing season. Current stratified seed prices range from $150–$200 per pound. For this reason, I highly suggest wild simulated planting in such a way that it promotes natural propagation of the patch which can then be sustainably harvested for many years. As a rule of thumb, 20 lbs. However, a good rule of thumb is about 5 plants per square foot. of seed per acre are spacing plants much closer than 4x6" in the rows since all seed will not germinate. What type of final product you want (wild sim v cultivated)? Over a six year growing cycle, that quarter-acre could produce as much as $50,000 worth of roots, seeds and rootlets. This year, freshly harvested ginseng could fetch $75 to $100 per pound. This is because the bottom of the square foot above will have seed on its bottom -which are the very same intersections as those on the top of this grapic. If you break it down on a diagram, this is a little less than 6 inch spacing between the plants. Our final example will be a 1/2 acre of wild simulated expecting to allow the plants to grow indefinately and start a naturally reproducing, sustainable patch. Yields as high as 2,500 pounds of dried root per acre have been reported. The following are two examples that show how easily it can be to understand calculating the amount of ginseng seeds you would need. Many weed problems can be alleviated during site preparation. Yields as high as 2,500 pounds of dried root per acre have been reported. If you want your ginseng to grow in the most wild conditions possible, or if you have a large quantity of seed, you may wish to simply scatter the seed on the selected planting site. The ideal plant density is 1-2 plants per square foot. An acre of ground at 80% coverage (rocks, trees, etc) … We'll plant these with 6"x6" spacing. A typical seed yield is 150 to 250 lb/acre. Weeds enter ginseng gardens on the wind and in the straw used as mulch. As improperly stratified seeds germinate poorly, we highly The biggest potential problem any grower will face is the risk of having their crop poached. Then I take a small step forward (12–18 inches) and repeat this process. 10. apart. The cost to grow an acre of ginseng was So let’s look at these different considerations one at a time. Plant density varies considerably. Commercial farmers use about 2 inch spacing. Seeds that are not properly stratified will likely fail to germinate or can take nearly two years to sprout. So, by simply counting the intersections in this diagram we come up with 36 seeds per square foot. For me, seed spacing is one of those things. First remember, if you substantially disturb the soil, you won’t be able to grow ginseng there again. Now that we understand what we are doing, lets work through a couple examples. Here in northern Ohio, I normally estimate the usable space of an acre to be about 80%. Two ounces of seed will be enough to create about 16 test plots. 7000 seeds in one pound divided by 16 ounces, 7000/16=438 seeds per ounce. Refer to my article Estimating Ginseng Seed for more detailed info on this, but the formula for estimating the amount of seed for a given area is Total Square Feet X Seeds per Foot / 7000 Seeds per Pound. How to Plant Ginseng Seeds. I suggest at least 10 plots per acre or one each per 4,000 square feet. Planting Stratified Ginseng Seed, you will see a way we have planted ginseng seed for years. Please keep in mind that an acre is 43,500 square feet. How much of your area is unusable (think rocks and trees in wild sim setting). By a typical seed yield will be 150 – 250 lbs per acre… So there can be very wide variability from plant to plant as to how many seeds are produced per plant. VII. An acre is 43,560 square feet. According to this method, 1/2 pound of seed is planted per acre, per year, for five years. So I cut out deadwood, small saplings, and low branches. Commercial ginseng farmers typically plant around 80 pounds per acre and increase that amount if viability tests come out low. of ginseng seeds will cover an acre of planting area. Plant seeds 1 ½ inches (3.8 cm.) There are approximately seven thousand seeds per pound. Higher and lower germination percentages frequently occur. Economics of Production and Markets: Ginseng growers typically invest $20,000/acre and 600 hrs of labor annually and get no return on their investment until the third or fourth year. Buying 2 ounces of stratified seed will give you plenty. Planting wild sim (using the ECF Seeder) I plant 2 or 3 seeds in each hole in an arch in front of me about 8–10 inches apart. In Ohio, ginseng poaching is currently a thir… For wild simulated ginseng plant 20 pounds per acre. Ginseng is used in teas, medicines, energy drinks and supplements. amount to approximately $179 per quarter acre. This spacing gives us 9 plants per square foot. Approximately 3,800 acres of ginseng are grown in intense cultivation under artificial shade in Wisconsin. At current ginseng prices, a half-acre ginseng patch could produce $100,000 worth of seeds, rootlets and mature roots over that 6-year period, or over $16,000 per year. 2x30=60 x9=540 seeds. Seed production will be small that year, typically around twenty pounds for a half-acre. Anticipating growing the plants for some time and also some predation of the seed before spring, we'll go with 4"x4" spacing here (9 seeds per sq ft). So, simply multiply the width by the length of the area you want to plant. Best of luck with your patches gang!~Brad, © Copyright Brad Castle, Emerald Castle Farms, Castle Enterprises. As a rule of thumb, 20 lbs. If you are looking for big fast roots, you can plant very densely and fertilize the ginseng for a comparable cultivated product. Seed is selling for about $150 a pound. I also pull all the multiflora rose bushes in the area. It may take 10 years to break even. Yield of Ginseng Herb: The yield of the Ginseng will be on an average it will be 1 tonne per acre of land. Using the wild-simulated method, the experts recommend a seeding rate of twenty pounds per acre. Since we know we cannot plant ginseng seed in every square foot of this half acre plot, we must estimate the amount of plantable or usable space. Most of us won’t be planting 80 pounds of seed in a year, however. Supply can be limited. This allows you to fill in sparse spots and it also mixes the age classes of the harvested ginseng down the road. Most of us won’t be planting 80 pounds of seed in a year, however. 17,424x4=68,968 /7000= 9.85 pounds of stratified seed. After a few years of growing ginseng, you should have about 100 pounds of seed each year for every half-acre of ginseng you’ve planted. Once dried, the roots could sell for up to $350 per … Predation of seed and seed that naturally delays germination or just doesn't germinate will lower the plant density from our estimate. Using the woods cultivated method, a seeding rate of sixty pounds per acre is recommended. Planting wild sim for harvest in 10–12 years is much different than planting woodsgrown in a tilled bed anticipating a harvest in 6-8 years. NOTE: Because this item is considered an endangered species, it cannot be shipped outside the U.S. Avg. So let’s look at these different considerations one at a time. In some states the poaching of ginseng is a felony offense. Since most of my customers and friends are growing wild simulated ginseng, I’ll lean this article in that direction. When I’m going to seed a wild simulated area, I don’t intend to do anything with it for at least 5-7 years. 500 seeds/oz. As any ginseng grower will tell you, that beats growing most any other crop by a country mile! 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