TOPIC: opening day...

Woodsrunner...when they first start emerging and unfolding they can look a little wimpy...

But I would not say sickly looking.. unless they had a bad color (yellow)... if they are nice and green I would not worry about the rolled up and all wrinkled look at first. they will come out of that and expand and get up to full size in a month or two.

Now some of those really early ones, could poke up, and get frost bit. that could sure cause them to look sickly, wilt and just sort of melt and die.

Seng will not sent up another top in the same year... but if the root is stout enough, it will form a bud over the summer and fall, and send up a top next spring.

Good Luck

TNHunter

I'll accept "wimpy" as opposed to "sickly". Not yellow, just kind of shriveled looking but this is my first year watching them come up. The plant I posted a pic of several days ago that hadn't unfurled yet, went back two days later and it still hadn't unfurled, I guess they're in no hurry. I didn't get up there today.

Sorry to hear about your frost related losses, I've got my tomato and pepper plants in the greenhouse for the night, only suppose to drop to 40 here. Tomorrow might have to move them into my shop, dropping to 36 they say. My greenhouse which was here when we bought the place has a few broken panes so it doesn't stay real warm.

Well after work yesterday the wife and I drove down to the river again. and it was still up and running but not as bad as Tuesday evening and the water had cleared up nicely too... so I decided to give it a try this morning. It was dang cold... cold cold hands... but caught a limit of Smallies... 4 nice ones and one a little small but he filled out the limit and will eat good cooked whole.

I saved all of the undamaged roe and livers from these fish too, which will add to the meal... instead of feeding us 2x... should get 3x out of this catch.

I had one BIG smallie on for a bit, when I set the hook I saw him turn sideways in about 3 ft of water and he just shimmied a bit and out poped my rapala lure. (3 sets of trebel hooks) and dang none stuck good enough. He looked about as wide as my calf.... probably a 5-6 pounder. Well that was the big one that got away !

Below are the mess go good eaters I brought home.

TNHunter

congrats TN,looks like the start of a fine meal.

i been guiding a first time turkey hunter the last two mornings,birds sure aint doing much.we are going up the river tomorrow and turkey hunt early then crappie fish,hope to bring home some kinda meat....

Ginseng first; I've been to several plots I planted last fall and am seeing 1-7 with the average around three, I hope it's still early as I planted 32 seeds in each plot.

I visited a few places I planted two years ago in which I didn't see much (if at all) early last year. This year I'm seeing some 3-leafs and even a few 5-leafs and a 2-prong or two. I kind of forgot about these spots when last year in May I discovered the 3 "honey holes" on my property. So I didn't really give them much attention from May on.

Because I'm seeing 3-leafs planted two years ago, does this mean some seeds need an additional year to germinate or whatever? It appears that way to me. Has anyone experienced this?

I'm starting to see a few wild plants from last year emerging and that is promising.

The weather here is becoming real frustrating. We just don't get a day or two of warm, sunny, calm weather. I still haven't tilled my garden because it's too wet. Right now I can hear the trees blowing in the wind, this morning it was wet and breezy, once it cleared up it became gusty and blowing like hell. Tonight's temps are supposed to be in the 20s so I've moved my tomato and pepper plants back inside.

But you know what, as frustrating as the weather is right now, there are a lot of folks worse off than me. So, I'm just venting a bit and not complaining.

I had to go to Lowe's the other day which is where I bought my tomato and pepper plants after our Governor announced the closing of nonessential businesses due to the virus. At that time, I didn't know what "essential" meant so I bought early.

I bought my plants at least 4 weeks ago. I've had them in the garden, in my shop, in the greenhouse, I've re-potted them in larger pots but they're still alive. At Lowe's the other day, I checked out their veggie plants: the tomato and basil plants were all dead as well as other plants. The peppers didn't look too bad. I suspect with the freaky weather and virus-effected staffing, they've been unable to get the plants indoors when necessary.

TN, nice catch! Is that your new hat? I apologize that I forget what it's called. I'm going to need to either cut my own hair soon or comb in straight back, spray it, and wear a cap since all the hair-cutting places are closed. lol

Woodsrunner...

That is my new hat... it is a Stetson Mountain Sky.. (same as my old one).. very comfortable... crush-able wool. My dermatologist wants me to put on sun screen every day... (history of basil cell carcinoma) little red itchy spots that they either freeze off, or slice off... usually no stitches involved, but once or twice I have had spots that required more slicing and stitches.

When we were kids, we put on nothing when sun bathing... got sun burned regular... and when you grow up like that, later in life that skin that you mis treated so.. will give you trouble. It has been manageable, but I tell you every time I go and see her (my Derm)... she finds a few spots of my skin (mostly head and neck, back, occasionally arm) that she frowns at, and freezes off, or slices off.

I am just not going to put on sun screen every day... might if I took the family swimming and was going to be exposed for hours...

But I do try to wear a hat with wide brim (all around) while out in the sun, fishing, gardening, mowing, etc..... I think this one is 3.5"... and that helps keep the sun off the face and neck. She approves of that.

On your question on ginseng seed (stratified seed), not sprouting the first spring... Yes... I have seen that several times.

Planted beds 5' x 50' or longer... and for 2-3 years after, found what sure looked like first year 3 leafers up with my small 2 prongs, and 5 leafers.

The seed in some ginseng berries (from plants that ripen berries much earlier than most) will often come up the first spring.
Most require that stratification period, and will not come up until the second spring.
And still others, will remain in the ground for another year or two and then sprout.

What seems like an oddity to us... probably just part of the plan by the designer, for ensuring survival.

TNHunter

Well, it's a fine looking hat TN.

Interestingly, I was in the garden early this evening planting blackberries and strawberries when my wife walked out just to hang out as she sometimes does. She asked me if as a kid did I spend a lot of time outside and did I wear sunscreen. I told her I did spend a lot of time outdoors and that nobody back then wore sunscreen (unless you went to the pool). Her mother had melanoma which I think finally killed her so I guess that was on her mind.

I'll put some sunscreen on occasionally if it's hot and I know I'll be out in the sun for some time. But usually I don't.

For me, the same with ticks and Lyme disease. I did get it last August (apparently) but spraying myself everyday is just not feasible. Our house is surrounded by woods which I'm in or next to daily. I have stepped up my tick checks and so far this year I've not worn shorts except when running.

I didn't get up to check any seng today but I appreciate your response to my question regarding sometimes taking a second year to sprout.

Had a nice day weather-wise but suppose to have rain/showers the next several days. Back to drywall I guess.

It has dried enough to break my garden one time so far this spring.. and I got the first breaking done... that was a couple weeks ago. It was about dry enough to break again yesterday evening and before I could get to it, it rained again. I usually have a nice patch of greens at least growing by now, but not this year.

I do have all my fruit trees and berry bushes and strawberries and they are doing well.... some got frost damage more than others the morning of 4/15.

Looks like most of my apple crop is lost this year, but looks like some peaches may make it. After that frost my apple tree had just a few blooms that had not opened yet, and they bloomed after the frost, so some of those may produce. My loganberry is loaded with blooms and some small berries starting to show now, black berries are just starting to bloom.

My honey berry bushes have bloomed and are setting fruit now... the JostaBerry bushes have not leafed or bloomed yet, but buds are swelling nicely. They obviously do come out much later than other stuff, and should be very good at avoiding late frost. My euro plums have leafed out nicely, were not affected by the frost, but no blooms yet. I would expect them to bloom before leafing out... perhaps they just need another year to get in gear on that.

My grapes had new growth, 4-5 inches long, but it all got frosted bad, dead... I cut it all off, and now some buds are starting to swell and grow again already.

The mostly hardwood forest around my home looks a bit odd... with about half the trees with green leaves... and half with shriveled up black frost bit leaves. I know from past experience that they will leaf out again in 4-5 weeks. Hickory, Poplar and some oaks got bit bad, and others like Maple, Black Cherry, did fine.

In my seed producing bed... that pic of those 2 - 4 prongs that were fresh up... that was before the frost of 4/15... and I checked on them a day or two ago and they were looking fine, and all other seng plants looked Ok too... so that temp that we hit that morning... was right on the edge frost wise. cold enough to badly damage some things, but other more frost hardy stuff came thru it ok.

Lots of sunshine this evening here... nice. I am going to get out in it some.

TNHunter

A tale of two days for me today. I had planted two cherry trees a couple days ago and wanted to get my peach trees planted today, I even dug the holes yesterday. The thing is, I have to fence off each tree the day I plant it or the deer will eat it by next morning. Every evening and morning I see those guys in my orchard and around the house. Ran into a few in the woods this evening and one was staring me down for quite some time. They're snorting as well so maybe they're fawning.

I plant a tree then dig 4 post holes, set the posts and fence around it which doesn't sound like much work but it is time consuming. All morning it was cloudy and I hoped to beat the rain which was forecasted for this afternoon but that didn't happen. I got all the posts set as it was raining a good bit. While running the fence it got pretty heavy. I pretty much gave up, got the fencing around the posts and quit, figuring I'll secure it better another day.

Just checked our forecast, wet every day through next Thursday except for Tuesday might be dry. I left the PNW in part because of the rain, I think it tracked me down.

So, I went up into the woods and was pleasantly surprised to see a bunch of seng I planted two falls ago. I mentioned them previously but those plots are so more productive compared to year one. One plot that I could not locate last year I decided to look again and a 5 leaf caught my eye, then a two prong. I found roughly 15 plants had emerged there.

This gives me hope for last fall's plots which are averaging well under 20% success rate at the moment.

We had a frost a couple nights ago but since I'm just planting my fruit tress and most berries, I wasn't expecting much this year. A couple neighbors had fruit trees setting and they said the frost killed those.