TOPIC: Emergence of 2014

Thomas,
I think you are probably right. I Goggled that plant up and it looks a lot like the pictures they show. I've seen a ton of Rattlesnake Fern, but apparently I've just not noticed it at this stage. Thanks for the help.
Hugh

Your right on it being Rattlesnake Fern. Nature's way of saying \"Insert Ginseng seed here!\".

Hillhopper

LOL indeed it is Hill. In fact, for years I knew this little plant as a \"pointer fern\" ...as in GINSENG pointer fern.

The spore stalk will come up right from the center and will bend over by fall. The old timers used to tell me that it would fall (point) in the direction of ginseng. However, I've actually found them -the whole plant- leaning toward ginseng...even when the ginseng was in the middle they all leaned inward. Go figure.

LOL indeed it is Hill. In fact, for years I knew this little plant as a \"pointer fern\" ...as in GINSENG pointer fern.

The spore stalk will come up right from the center and will bend over by fall. The old timers used to tell me that it would fall (point) in the direction of ginseng. However, I've actually found them -the whole plant- leaning toward ginseng...even when the ginseng was in the middle they all leaned inward. Go figure.

BCastle,I have always heard they would but have never took notice. If man has left the area be, you can bet its close, everytime. When moving swiftly while in the woods Ill always throw the breaks on when I see it.

Well, I can now verify that below freezing temps for several hours (27 degrees to be exact) doesn't hurt fully unfolded ginseng. I was sweating it last night and quite relieved this morning to see what was already up had endured.

Hillhopper

Hill,
I know that you and K_Duce have both said that it did not seem to hurt the ginseng that was up at your places, but I'm not convinced that there was not some damage done that may show up in a few days. I hope you're both right. It was 28degrees at my house for at least 4 hours last night and it completely wiped out all of my peaches. That is the first loss of a peach crop I've had in 8 years and it curled up the leaves of any ginseng plants that I might have left uncovered. I covered anything that was exposed that I could see , but I missed a few. When I checked everything this morning I found one here and there that looked pretty sick. We'll know in a few days. I could see damage on Japanese Maples, Sessile Bellwort, Solomon Seal and a few other plants in the woods. I guess I'm just skeptical since it completely wiped out the peaches. I'll remove the leaf litter that I placed over the plants sometime today to let them go on as normal. I sure do hope everything is alright with everyone's plants.

Hugh

I'm just acheing to get up to the mountains and check on my crop. two weeks ago, I was convinced that all would emerge the following week. it doesn't come up all at once, and now we've had a few days of cold... I wish I had the time to go up there and look. arrrrrgh!

the recent cold snap better not hurt my lil' guys... If it does I'm going to file a complaint! [LOL]

It did not get that cold here at my house (up on a ridge) the low was 36 degrees (before and just after daylight)...

No doubt it was colder down in the hollows though.

I checked my seed bed again this morning and found one top pushing up.

A 3 prong... but the past two years this has been a double top with 2 - 3 prongs.

The other top may come up a bit later.

TNhunter

Great Photo, TNHunter! Cool to take those sort of shots!

You guys are killing me! I went by a patch of mine, still under about 4-5\" of snow!