TOPIC: Northern Wisconsin Senging

This year seems to be one the worst years for seng in my 20 years picking. I am in northern wisconisn and it seems the drought we had from april into june hurt the ginseng. I'd say less than 10% of the plants i found this year had berries. With the heavy logging in my neck of the woods the senging is getting harder every year. Does ginseng lay dormant in periods of heavy logging with no canopy? also is it possible the larger plants didnt sprout with the dry conditions? ( i aways found a few big fat roots every year nothing but small stuff this year) does ginseng grow laying dormant? Senging isnt like it used to be up here. Just stop along the road and you could just about find it anywhere.

I always figure 12-15 years after an area has been logged it's worth going into. It's nasty and thick but I have had great luck in these areas. Especially if it should of had sang due to topography. I'm no expert just a hillbilly, but I swear that sang will lay dormant for many many many years until the canopy is good enough or something like that. As for drought, my opinion, the more rain the more sang.

yup on al that but for the growing when dormant, haven't seen that.

guy

Just a couple years after clear cutting or hard select cutting a hollow it will be all grown up with saplings and briars and otehr tall weeds and stuff 6-8' tall.

I am sure the seng still sends up a top in the spring but it may get burnt up by too much sun the first year or two, the top may die back early summer, then try sending up another top the next spring.

There are a couple months in the early spring, part of april and early may where I expect it does fine with extra sun exposure, but then may die back early when it gets too hot and the sun to intense.

But after just a few years the saplings and other tall weeds and briars start to offer it more shade and I am sure that it comes back OK after that.

I have found some really good seng in areas that were clear cut 20 years ago, or select cut hard 15-20 years ago. It is often still thick with underbrush and briars but if you can wade thru all that mess there is some good seng to be found.

I think those conditions discourage most seng hunters and the seng sort of gets a little vacation while growing in that mess, and reproduces well.

Now when the top does die back or just does not send up a top (being dormant for a year or two) I don't think there is any root growth. I remember Scott mentioning that in his book.

He also said that most folks growing wild-simulated seng should consider removing the flower spike from the plants in early spring. Producing seeds takes away from root growth a bit. Best I remember he said it was something like 20% - or if you removed the flower spike rather than letting them flowr and set fruit, produce berries/seeds - then you would gain about 20% more root growth per year.

You might establish a few patches for berry production but then on the other patches remove the flower spike in the spring.

TNhunter

I really try and avoid areas that have been logged recently. My experience here in Indiana is that ginseng will grow in the tops, saplings, and briars in a recently logged area, but it's just not worth it to me to get into that kind of mess. I find that after nine or ten years, an area that has been logged is good to go hunting in again. By that time, the remaining trees are growing larger and beginning to choke away the weeds and briars, and the tops are starting to rot away.

The good thing about tops lying around is the deer and turkeys can't get to it. I noticed too that in my part of Wi few berries are on plants, fewer berries on other plants also.