Just got permission to harvest and grow Ginseng on 700 acres and possibly more!

[huntsman53]

I finally landed permission and a contract to harvest and grow Ginseng on 700 acres, 400 acres of which is hardwood forests but the gentleman and his wife own additional properties that I may get access to as well. I have a big decision to make concerning whether to spend the money and time to purchase and plant Ginseng seed on this property and/or the other properties which I may get access to! They gave permission a few years back to a few individuals to dig Ginseng on the 700 acres and apparently these folks or Ginseng poachers have came back and raped the place of most of the Ginseng. It would be hard to keep anyone off the property and from digging any Ginseng I grow on it, so I could be making a costly mistake by purchasing the seed and planting it there. I covered nearly 100 acres of the property yesterday searching for Ginseng and it is rough terrain with steep ridges, cliffs and lots of rocks. I only found 19 Ginseng plants but probably missed some due to all the companion plants of Ginseng as well as other undergrowth. There was only 6 mature 3 prong plants that were legal to harvest which I dug with the roots weighing in a 1.2 ounces. All of the other plants were smaller 3 prong, 2 prong and flat tops (i.e. one prong plants). I was able to plant about 20 Ginseng seeds that I found still on the berry clusters of the plants. If there is any bigger Ginseng in this location, it is either way up high on the ridges and hollow above the cliffs or it was dug out a long time ago. I will download some additional pics from my' cell phone and post them on here. Like I said, I have a big decision to make on whether I should invest in Ginseng seed, plant it in this and the other locations of the property and hope that no one digs any of the Ginseng except me. If anyone has any advice, I would appreciate any you have to offer. Please understand, that the property is too large to purchase and place cameras on it and besides, I cannot afford to invest in them. I guess I will have to wait until I have had time to search all of the property where Ginseng should grow to assess whether it is worth the investment. I was truly hoping to find enough Ginseng and dig enough roots to pay for the investment in seeds after I pay the owner his' 50% of the profits but I am not sure that is going to happen!


Frank

 

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[red fox bob]

You are going to have a very difficult time policing that property.I know of a friend of mine a few years back that did pretty much the same thing,it did"t turn out very pretty.No one thinks of the future,all most people are concerned with is the money end of it.I myself hunt sang,I never tell ANYONE where,when, or how.I know it is not a nice way to be,but in the sang game it"s the only way to be.I know I"m not sheading a very good light on this subject, it"s just the reality of it all.If you do decide to go on with this venture I most truly wish you the upmost sucess.GOOD LUCK & GOOD HUNTING

 

[GTB]

If you do go for it you could leave some suttle hints by your plants. Maybe a shiny spent piece of brass from your long range shooting. If that don't work try a target you shot at the range. That might make rethink about stealing your crop. Good luck to ya!

 

[sawmill man]

Same as redfox said , if it was your own place where you can keep a good eye out ,by all means go for it ,i think your trying to do good , but you already have diggers there it will be hard to keep them out. i make my living in the woods and i rarely see sang around here anymore.

 

[Nitric]

Sounds awesome!! I tried to check into some this a while back, and sent you pm's on it. I'm going to have an hour tomorrow to do a REALLY quick search of land in northern AL. I just want to see if it even grows there! If I can find just one plant? I will try to plant as much as I can. Like you? That is a scary thought! If they have been working the land your thinking about? You might end up losing your crop. Another concern of mine! And because I've been in deals with some not so honest people, How well do you know or trust the property owner? All it takes is for them to tell one person or even set it up, that you lose! Hate to think that way, but it would be an honest concern of mine! You do all the work, and gone! Maybe I watched too much TV but ginseng seems to be a crop that people are willing to risk taking, and if there is no protection of the plants or any loose lips? I think it would be gone!

Anyhow! Those would be my concerns if I was in your position. That and seed is not all that cheap to plant that much land!!! I would love to do it when I get back on my feet. The amount of land you are talking about could yield a LOT of money a few years down the road.

One thing I thought about, if It grows on my land and I plant some of it, I would go way before season and cut all the tops off. But I'm not sure that is good either, My thinking was that maybe it would protect them. But who knows! I really don't know enough about it.

Either way? You have some hunting ground to check out! That sounds fun enough!!

 

[G.I.B.]

Digging and perhaps sharing some of the profits with the land owner is one thing.

Investing in planting purchased seeds is something different.

You would need a solid contract in order to reap the future rewards, and protect your investment.

Think about investing a lot of time and money, then something happens and you are not allowed back on the property, or it's sold by surviving children, or they decide to let someone else harvest... you could easily lose out for any number of reasons, without a very solid contract.

 

[releventchair]

Sang is a tough game. Any patch not within arms reach is subject to piracy. If wilt don't strike first from foolin with it tryin to force it somewhere.
Domestic sells for less ,leaving wild or planted back just right/where seed grows slow enough to get a better price...risking poaching again.
A small or a couple small patches where guarded might be worth the gamble without a security force.....but risks exist. Got to sleep sooner or later.
Other plants have demand. Maybe not the same profit or allure ,but check local demand or one that can be reached to compare.
Keep planting back. Keep others off young stuff and a slow few diggers should be there regular.
Plant all you want ,but don't count them chickens till they are in hand.....

 

[huntsman53]

Thanks everyone for the comments and advice so far! I know that this venture could be a losing battle and especially so because the property is some 47 miles from my' home. However, it is excellent Ginseng growing land with pretty much all of the companion plants that you would want to find where Ginseng grows. Even though a portion of the piece of property that I searched does get a little more sun exposure than you normally would want, it does have a good canopy of trees/leaves and shade from adjacent ridges and Ginseng was growing in these areas as well. I may try a limited seeding but not until I have searched all of the 400 acres and assess if it is worth my time and money. I have posted a few more pics and I hope you enjoy.

Jason (Nitric)... PM me about the property in Alabama and I will try to give you the best advice as possible. If I did not respond to earlier PM's from you about the land, I am sorry!


Frank

 

[Nitric]

I'll pm you! You did respond and gave me good advice along with a good resource for information.(not sure if I can mention it here?) This was a while ago. Anyhow, I'll pm as to not put anything in the thread on how.

 

[Limitool]

What about my area Frank.... Could we plant some here?

 

[kcm]

Hey Frank, just plant Ginseng all in the interior and also plant a hefty strip of Stinging Nettle all the way around. That would cut down on your poachers!

 

[huntsman53]

Hey Frank, just plant Ginseng all in the interior and also plant a hefty strip of Stinging Nettle all the way around. That would cut down on your poachers!

That might work but there is Jewel Weed there, although it is not plentiful. In case some on TNET have no idea as to what Jewel Weed is and what it is good for, see the pic below and the following info. Jewel Weed is your' best friend in the woods and some fields as it takes the sting and itch out of getting stung by Fire Nettles, mosquito...no-see-ums...gnat and fly bites, bee stings and also will usually help with the itch from Poison Ivy and Poison Oak. There is a variety/species of Jewel Weed that has orange flowers and I believe another which has more yellowish flowers. Now, these may be the same variety/species but the one's with the orange flowers seems best for the aforementioned ailments. Just break off a branch or stalk and rub the whole thing...flowers...leaves and stems on the affected area, making sure to squash out as much of the sap as possible onto your' skin.


Frank

 

[huntsman53]

What about my area Frank.... Could we plant some here?

Brad,

Yes but we would have to plant on ridges and in hollows that face more in a Northerly direction unless a specific location has heavy canopy (tree and leaf) cover or ridges in a Southerly direction that provides afternoon and evening shadowing from direct sunlight. If not on your' land, we would need a contract and permission from the land owner to insure that we could plant, maintain and harvest the Ginseng every year for as long as the contract/permission is written. Once the terms are agreed to, these are usually 20, 30 or even better, 50 years and allows our' heirs to continue growing and harvesting the Ginseng. Also, in the event that the land owner will not renew the contract if needed or the land is being sold, a clause guaranteeing that we can remove each and every plant from the property will be needed in the contract.


Frank

 

[gordonquixote]

The meth-head tweakers are going to rob you blind. Save yourself the cultivation time and just throw cash out into the woods for them to find.

 

[RustyGold]

A song!
"There's thunder in the mountains, lightning in the air! Sang on the hillside and it's waitin for me there!"

Best of luck Frank!

 

[kcm]

That might work but there is Jewel Weed there, although it is not plentiful. In case some on TNET has no idea as to what Jewel Weed is and what it is good for, see the pic below and the following. Jewel Weed is your' best friend in the woods and some fields as it takes the sting and itch out of getting stung by Fire Nettles, mosquito...no-see-ums...gnat and fly bites, bee stings and also will usually help with the itch from Poison Ivy and Poison Oak. There is a variety/species of Jewel Weed that has orange flowers and I believe another which has more yellowish flowers. Now, these may be the same variety/species but the one's with the orange flowers seems best for the aforementioned ailments. Just break of a branch or stalk and rub the whole thing...flowers...leaves and stems on the affected area, making sure to squash out as much of the sap as possible onto your' skin.


Frank

View attachment 1356598

Next skeeter season, I'm gonna have you run a few plants through a blender, put in a Ball jar and send it to me!!

 

[huntsman53]

I have posted a couple of pics taken on the right-handed ridge going up the hollow where I searched for Ginseng on Monday on the property. The first pic is looking downhill towards the somewhat flatter parts of the hollow and generally ranges from 30 to 40 degrees in slope. The second pic is looking up towards the top of the ridge and taken from the same spot. From where I was standing, the slope generally ranges from 40 to 60 degrees upslope with some 65+ degree spots until you get to the cliffs/bluffs which are almost vertical. I also included a third (sorry it is blurry) pic of a cave which has a creek running out of it and it provides water to a Church in the valley below. When I first saw it before crossing the creek, I could have sworn that there was a Cougar inside looking out at me but I believe that it was just spots on the rocks inside making it look that way. I was concerned and did not take a pic until I got across the creek which was a worse vantage point.


Frank

 

[huntsman53]

Next skeeter season, I'm gonna have you run a few plants through a blender, put in a Ball jar and send it to me!!

There should be no need as Jewel Weed grows over most of the Northern Hemisphere which likely also includes much of Europe and Russia and also grows in some areas of the Tropics. Just look where old fields have been overtaken by forests and especially along the perimeter as well as grown up logging roads. It grows elsewhere in forests and areas overtaken by brush, briars and weeds but the aforementioned areas are the best!


Frank

 

[huntsman53]

A song!
"There's thunder in the mountains, lightning in the air! Sang on the hillside and it's waitin for me there!"

Best of luck Frank!

Thanks! I really like this song by Jim Duke an old Ginseng hunter, digger and caretaker.


Frank

 

[kcm]

There should be no need as Jewel Weed grows over most of the Northern Hemisphere which likely also includes much of Europe and Russia and also grows in some areas of the Tropics. Just look where old fields have been overtaken by forests and especially along the perimeter as well as grown up logging roads. It grows elsewhere in forests and areas overtaken by brush, briars and weeds but the aforementioned areas are the best!


Frank

I see that it IS native to this area, but I don't remember seeing it in the wild here.