How to Grow Ginseng
Planning the Site
If you wish to employ the “wild-simulated” method of producing ginseng, you should have land just within the plant’s natural range.
Preparing the Site
One way to determine if a site is suitable for ginseng production is to determine whether wild ginseng is growing there. Because wild ginseng is so rare, you can also get an idea of the suitability of the site by checking if “companion plants” such as trillium (Trillium spp.), cohosh (Caulophyllum thalactroides blue, Cimicifuga racemosa black), jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema atrorubens), wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), and Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum) are present.
Required Materials
To grow ginseng, you will initially need ginseng root crops, fertilizers, calcium sulfate, and calcium carbonate.
Watering Requirements
During the preparation year, water demand will be greater as all or some of the following measures may become necessary:
Reduce weed population by encouraging germination.
Prepare land for fumigation when soil water percentage is very critical for good results.
Break down large pieces of organic matter such as alfalfa roots as they will decay much faster in moist soil.
Nutrients Required
If you find a site that is perfect except for its soil chemistry, you may wish to amend the soil in the plot to adjust the pH or increase the quantities of phosphorus or calcium. The “wild-simulated” growing method demands that no tilling be done to the soil, so simply apply the fertilizer to the surface of the soil. The soil pH may be raised by adding lime (calcium sulfate), and calcium level can be increased without altering pH by the addition of gypsum (calcium carbonate).
Seasons
Sow the seeds in the fall after the leaves have fallen from the trees. Ginseng seeds must be sown in late fall or early winter, and planting should occur when the ground is moist (such as after rain or snow). Space the seeds at least 14 to 18 inches apart.
Expectations/Results
It usually takes 7 to 10 years for the ginseng plants to mature. Note that growing ginseng using “wild-simulated” methods may require patience, but only minimal maintenance is necessary.