jchrisfos,

I had not thought of what you suggested - that is interesting - but like you said - who knows.

I do know that tomatoes and lots of other fruit will ripen if you pick it green (but near when it would start to get ripe). Some suggest you put them in a dark place or inside a paper bag, or box to finish ripening. They do not have to remain on the plant to ripen.

But now fruit ripening and seed maturing to the point that it will germinate may be two entirely different things.

If you harvested the root but poked the plant back in a hole like you said (leaving the berries to ripen that way) the seeds would be subject to be eaten by turkeys, mice, whatever eats them - - - not that that would be a bad thing. They would poop them out soon enough and perhaps in a good location for ginseng to grow that it may not be currently growing in.

You know some of those isolated ginseng patches you find up high on a ridge or in a unusual place may have been in a pile of turkey poop at one time

I think I might still lean towards planting them in the ground, covering with leaves. Notice in the study that they said 50% of green berries planted Aug 26 germinated.

That is a fairly high success rate.

I think that getting them under a bit of dirt with some leaves on top may give them a better chance than them just falling off and geting covered with some leaves that fall later - or even if they do end up in a pile of turkey poop.

TNhunter

Im from Pike County KY are season starts Aug.15th !!!!!CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!

TNhunter wrote:
maya,

I have always just planted the whole red berry.

I try to plant them about 1/2 inch deep and then on top of the dirt I put on some good leaf mulch and then step on it to pack it in.

The Red/Berry and Pulp may be there mostly to make them attrictive to critters for eating (so they can deposit the seeds else where and do some planting for us).

Or that Berry Pulp may also help keep the seeds from drying out for a month or so until the damper winter months get here.

Just a guess on my part on that.

I would be interested in knowing if anyone has proof that it helps to squeeze the seeds out before planting. If it does I can sure change how I have been planting them this season.

TNhunter

Thanks TN, I plant berries too, but a friend said he's always sqeezed and I've read a couple articles that says squeeze. Just wondering what everyone else here does.

I had a limb fall and break some of my plants about a week ago. I was worried the damaged plants would be more succeptable to disease and then spread to the rest of the ginseng so I removed the tops of the damaged plants. I noticed the seeds are turning red on those tops now.

Your roots should already have next year's buds formed, so they should be okay. Interesting that the berries are ripening. Let us know if those seed are viable from those plants. Good luck!