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Wild-simulated ginseng cultivation

The wild-simulated growing method requires only a steel rake, hand pruners, ginseng seed, and of course, a suitable growing site. Since ginseng thrives under shade, forest landowners have a unique opportunity to plant it and allow it to grow in a manner that fetches the $375 average that wild roots garnered during the fall 2002-winter 2003 buying season.

As a slow-growing plant, producing wild-simulated roots for the traditional Asian market is a relatively long-term endeavor, usually requiring at least 8 years of growth from seed to harvest. Additional years beyond that will only add value.

Site selection

The most favorable growing sites for wild-simulated ginseng tend to be found on north- and east-facing sites on well-drained slopes under a forest canopy of 70-90% shade. A common approach to identifying a suitable site is to look for other understory plants that can serve as indicators of good growing conditions where ginseng would tend to thrive. Some of these include: ferns, jack-in-the-pulpit, cohosh, spicebush, trillium, wild ginger, bloodroot, and Solomon's seal.

Planting

The process of growing wild-simulated ginseng begins by planting seed in the autumn as the trees begin to lose their leaves, but before the ground freezes. Ginseng seed must go through an 18-month period of cold dormancy before germinating to ensure that growing begins the following spring after planting. This type of seed can usually be acquired from a reputable commercial source for around $70-100 per pound (or less if purchased in bulk). Containing approximately 6,500 seeds, one pound of ginseng is enough to plant approximately 1/10 of an acre using the wild-simulated method. Planting is as simple as raking back the leaf layer, then broadcasting one or two seeds per square foot onto the bare soil. The seeds are then lightly raked into the soil and re-covered with leaves.

Other cultivation methods

Ginseng can also be grown under more intensive operations, both under a natural forest canopy, as well as in fields under artificial shade. These types of operations use tilled plots, typically require large amounts of petrochemicals, and produce lower quality roots that bring in substantially less - usually $10-40 per pound, though harvest time occurs at around four years after planting. Because these more "industrial" approaches use loose, tilled soil as the growing medium, the ginseng roots end up looking like carrots, rather than the gnarled roots from the wild. Such distinctions are readily apparent and very important to the high-end Chinese consumer willing at times to pay thousands of dollars for a single prized root.