2011 Ginseng Season News

August 10, 2011

Thank you all for getting so many of your orders in early and taking advantage of the earlybird sale! We have already sold more ginseng seeds than in any prior year. The seeds will start shipping in the next couple weeks. If you didn't get your order in on time, order right away to make sure you will get seed this year. If you need bulk orders, call me or order right away to avoid further price increases as the seed becomes harder to secure.

Wild ginseng prices remained steady at the end of the 2010 buying season. I do not as yet have an indication as to what prices for wild root will be this fall. A late frost damage seed production significantly in the spring of 2010. Therefore, there will be a shortage of seed this year. This shortage will likely cause increases in the price of seed for this year.

I am pleased to announce that we will once again be selling SELECT roots this fall. However, only one-year-old SELECT roots will be available. I have still not determined the availability of woodsgrown rootlets for this fall's sales.

We base our prices on a number of things. First and formost is the price of seed and roots available elsewhere. We try to keep our prices close to the average price you might find elsewhere. Secondly, we can only sell what we have available. We have no trouble selling out. Therefore, as supply goes down, prices go up. Most of our prices have remained relatively consistent if not the same for the past several years. All the bets are off once the digging seasons start and people start buying seed and root in earnest. You need to have your order in our que to lock in your pricing.

All seed and root orders will be filled on a first come first served basis. Don't take a chance on shortages or higher prices again this year, order your seed today!

Please visit our new site! emeraldcastlefarms.com Where you will find more up to date information and a forum where you can ask your questions.

STRATIFIED AND Germination TESTED GINSENG SEEDS ready for fall planting! This is healthy American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolius) seeds. Only healthy seeds will be shipped for planting. Shipping normally begins in September when the seeds are finished with their 1-year stratification.

Stratification is the process whereby the green ginseng seeds are harvested from the plants and then placed in a container and mixed with clean sand. They are then buried for a full year to continue to grow inside the seed shell without the danger of being eaten by some small furry creature while you are waiting for them to show up the spring after next! Our seeds are kept in a refrigeration unit to better control the temperature and moisture during stratification.

Note: Recent experimentation has shown that ginseng seed can stand to be much dryer than we had previously believed. In some years, the seeds would even float, but still tested at better than 94% germination.

The seeds will be shipped with a link to the full instructions via USPS ground or priority mail to hold down costs while still providing timely delivery of these high quality live seeds.

Plant ginseng seeds and roots only in the fall when the conditions are favorable to promote healthy plants, and coincides with nature’s own timing.

Ginseng has been used for centuries to promote vitality and improved health. Medicinally, I personally use the raw root in small portions about the size of a pencil eraser by simply eating it in the mornings for increased energy toward the end of the day. I know its 100% pure and potent American ginseng! This is an advantage you too can have for yourself if you start your own ginseng ‘patch’.

Wild American ginseng has seen such a growth in demand the past few years that it has reached over $700 per pound for dried root in some years! (in fact, in 2007, wild ginseng was bringing about $1100 per pound!!) If these seeds were sown in the woods with correct natural conditions and left alone, they would be ready to harvest in 7-10 years and would then be considered WILD ROOTS!

WOW! What an investment!

Another quickly rising use of American ginseng is as a perennial FLOWER! That’s right! I have one ginseng plant that had been growing beside my concrete porch in the city for over 9 years! All you have to do to grow ginseng in your flowerbeds is provide the type conditions that it prefers. Ginseng requires well-drained soil and 75% shade at the minimum.

See our free report on growing ginseng at home! Growing Ginseng At Home

I have planted a whole bed of ginseng and other woodland botanicals in a flowerbed along the north side of my house and they LOVED IT! These majestic plants will certainly be a centerpiece and provide endless interest and envy from your friends and neighbors as it matures and adds prongs (leaf sets) from year to year. Ginseng normally grows from 8-15 inches tall but I have seen areas where plants grow to better than two feet tall. In the fall, the berry cluster in the center of the deep emerald colored leaves turn a bright crimson red and are truly breathtaking! Ginseng can live for many years with the correct conditions; I routinely find wild roots that are over 25 years old and roots over 100 years old turn up from time to time.

Here are a few things you should remember about ginseng. There are about 7000 seeds in a pound. That’s about 435 seeds per ounce. Ginseng seeds ripen anywhere from the middle of August to the end of September. This is the time that nature plants ginseng seeds. And that is the time YOU should plant your seeds and roots also. If ginseng seeds are taken from stratification too early in the year it could lead to double dormancy or worse, drying out completely and death of the seeds.

I can and do guarantee live delivery. Your success depends on many things including your skill as a gardener or grower. I only sell ginseng plants and roots in the fall when it is time to plant them. Planting at any other time is inviting a disaster. Remember, I will provide free information on planting and caring for your plants with your shipment.

We sell seeds with the small growers and hobbyist in mind, we offer stratified seeds in quantities of 100 seeds, 2 ounces of seeds, and full pounds of seeds.

Again, thank you all for your business!!

brad

Remember...seed may not be shipped before the first or second week of September!

Sold out for fall 2011

Ginseng Rootlets

If you are looking for a way to get a jumpstart on your ginseng patch, or your production beds, rootlets are the way to go. Additionally, by planting rootlets you will be able to bypass what I consider the most dangerous time for ginseng plants....that first year.

We offer woods grown ginseng roots for transplant. These are healthy plants that have made it through the seedling year, and an additional years in the case of two, three, four, and older roots.

Additionally, we offer a select grade of roots that are grown in raised beds especially for woodland and shade gardeners. These roots are typically larger, and often more hardy, than their counterparts grown in the woods. This does not make them any less disirable for transplanting into the woods, but they are normally larger and stronger than the average woods grown plant. This makes them ideal for planting into your shade or woodland garden. There is a limited supply of these roots! this year we are pleased to offer both one and two year old Select roots.

Emerald Castle Farms normally offers rootlets by 25 and 100 count for woods grown 2, 3, and 4-year-old plants, as well as a very limited quantity of five year or older roots. Select Grade roots are available in 10, 25, and 100 count batches.

Check our new site for rootlet availability at www.EmeraldCastleFarms.com

After you place your order, you will be brought back to this page. When you are ready to check out, just click on the shopping cart window in the upper left of the page, or the link below. Go to your Shopping Cart (checkout here)

Click here to learn about "Growing Ginseng, a Beginner's Guide"