[Bushpig]

Hows this going Roachy ?



Boosh

[dergheist]

Howdy Roach, PM my friend greenglovegardener here at SPF, he could help ya out.  He grew up in Michigan where he grew and harvested the stuff all the time and I am sure he would not mind giving ya some tips.

[Avery L. Breath]

I understand it grows great from root cuttings....... makes a good bonsia too.  That is it grows well in pots.  Don't know much about growing it from seed though.  There's a wild variety that grows around here though...... must have been transplanted, but it's the white american ginseng though.

[jus407]

whats ginseng used for mainly? doesnt it make you hallucinate in some cases?

[fractanimist]

I'm in Michigan where wild american ginseng can very easily be found in forests....too bad it is illegal to pick.  The wild stuff is so much more potent than the cultivated.  Also, if you pick wild ginseng you pick plants that are 20-30+ years old so you don't mess with the population.  I can't imagine growing a crop that I didn't plan to harvest for 25 years.  It would be incredible to do that though.  Best of luck with your project Roach, I'm very interested to see how it turns out!

I'd say ginseng has just as much potential to make you hallucinate than anything else that is not an hallucinogen.  

[Hyakitaki]

WOOO, now you're talking my launguage I am from Michigan...to be exact


Marquette MI
49855

I don't care much for the law either I will pick ginseng!  I don't know though we have harsh winters up here (Marquette is in the upper peninsula of Michigan).  Infact I just came in from a cool small blizzard today!  In the summer though it's nice and I am surrounded by the woods.  Hook me up with some more info on the effects please!

[Avery L. Breath]

I don't care much for the law either I will pick ginseng!

So much for the plants fealings on the matter.  

I think possibly the law is in place to protect the plant from you, not you from the plant, so perhaps a little respect for critical habitat is in order..... perhaps it is a little endangered, or would quickly be so if everybody went out picking 30-40 year old specimens.  But then again, I've never been to michigan.

[fractanimist]

Yeah, you're right about that a.l.b, that is why I said only pick plants that are at least 20 years old, preferably much older.  As long as you do that, and you are only picking enough for yourself or family, you won't harm the population.  At least not where I have been, when you find it in the UP you will likely see it all through the forest.  

There was a big problem with Koreans coming to Michigan to rip out the ginseng somewhat indiscriminately, to get as much as they could and sell it for over $200/lb in Korea.  The DNR eventually started doing sting ops on Korean (and others) ginseng poachers.

If you were driving home with a trunk full of roots you could end up in jail, but that law is in place for a good reason.  Having a trunk-full is a bit much, especially since this is potent ginseng.

American Ginseng makes excellent beverages!  I have just started fermenting a new American Ginseng ale, deliciously envigorating.  I'm not saying it is wild ginseng-that stuff only exists in fairy tales.  

fract

[Hyakitaki]

So much for the plants fealings on the matter.

I think possibly the law is in place to protect the plant from you, not you from the plant, so perhaps a little respect for critical habitat is in order..... perhaps it is a little endangered, or would quickly be so if everybody went out picking 30-40 year old specimens. But then again, I've never been to michigan.

Hmmm ya that could be a problem...what if I bought a bunch of ginseng seeds and then launched them out of my hands triumphantly all over the woods, do you think that would work?

Ya of course I would only pick enough for myself and some friends...I don't have much use for a trunk full

[Greenglovegardener]

I was in Michigan before 1995 and picked wild ginseng alot.  Our buyer required us to buy and plant seed in areas that it would grow (old hardwood forests).  If we didn't find any we still planted in these areas.  From seed it takes ten years to get a quality root for market.  If the forest is disurbed it can stay dormant in the ground for years until a full canopy redevelops.  I have never seen it grown in pots because it is a very picky plant.