Detailed Explanation of High-Yield Cultivation Techniques for American Ginseng, the King of a Hundred Herbs Grown This Way

American ginseng is also known as Guangdong ginseng and flower flag ginseng. It originated in the area from northern United States to southern Canada. It can be taken by boiling, stewing, or steaming, or sliced and held in the mouth, or ground into fine powder and taken with water. Below is an introduction to “the king of a hundred herbs” and a detailed explanation of high-yield cultivation techniques for American ginseng!

1. Site Selection

Because it prefers a cool and humid climate with half shade and half sun, and well-aerated, loose, fertile soil rich in humus, American ginseng cultivation sites should be chosen on well-drained valley and ridge land along ventilated paths running southwest to northeast in areas with good afforestation, or on fertile land on both banks of rivers. It should not be chosen in open areas in front of mountains with little forest and prone to dryness, nor on winter cold-wind paths running northwest to southeast. Practice has shown that as long as organic fertilizer is scientifically increased and chemical fertilizers are used reasonably, it is feasible on sandy loam and silty loam relatively rich in phosphorus and potassium.

2. Land Preparation

To reduce damage from nematodes and other pests and diseases, the previous crop for American ginseng is best a grass family crop such as wheat or corn. After harvest, leave the stubble, plow and turn once every half month and sun the ridges to promote decomposition of previous crop residues and accelerate soil maturation. At the same time, apply 6000kg per mu of decomposed pig manure and cattle and horse manure (chicken manure and human urine and feces are too alkaline and not suitable), and other finely crushed high-quality organic fertilizer, plus 50kg of decomposed cake fertilizer and 100kg of high-quality ternary compound fertilizer, evenly mixed by hoeing into the 20—30 cm plow layer;

In late autumn, level the land and make raised beds, one every 2m, with bed height 25cm, bed top 1.4m, side slope ratio 1:1, ditch bottom width 10cm. The bed surface should be as level and fine as possible, and on top spread 3cm of finely crushed phosphorus-containing weathered stone (4cm for transplanted seedlings), then after sowing cover with another 1—2cm. During this process, use 20 grams per square meter of 50% carbendazim and the like for soil disinfection, of which 15g is hoed and mixed into the soil when plowing and preparing the beds, and the remaining 5g is mixed into the phosphorus-containing weathered stone spread on and covering the beds at sowing time.

3. Sowing

1. Seed Treatment

In August, when the ginseng fruits turn red, harvest the fresh fruits, immediately rub off the flesh and wash clean, dry slightly, then soak the seeds in 1000 times 50% carbendazim for 10—20 minutes. Remove and dry, then soak in 50ppm high-quality gibberellin for 24 hours, then remove and rinse once with clean water, then mix with sand (seed:sand=1:3). After mixing with sand, place in pots or boxes in a cool place until November. The temperature should be controlled below 25°C, and humidity should preferably be 10%—12% moisture content. Too wet easily rots the seeds; it should be moist enough to form a ball when gripped and scatter when released. Seeds from the current year emerge vigorously, while seeds from the following year emerge weakly.

2. Sowing Time

In late November, those treated by the above method may have 70%—80% cracked, while those not treated with gibberellin have about 30% cracked. They can be picked out in batches for sowing. The sowing period lasts until the end of December. The remaining uncracked ones are placed at 0—5°C, and by February of the following year they can still crack. After sowing they can also emerge. Those that crack even later cannot complete physiological after-ripening because the low-temperature treatment time is less than 70 days, and therefore cannot emerge, or cannot emerge completely.

3. Sowing Method

On the leveled bed surface with sufficient moisture, scatter 3cm of sieved, evenly fine, moist, medicine-mixed and disinfected weathered stone. After leveling again, use a standard 5×6cm spacing hole punch board to punch holes (2cm deep) and sow, so as to keep the depth standard consistent. After sowing, scatter more medicine-mixed and disinfected weathered stone to cover the seeds. For smoothness, after covering with weathered stone, smooth it once with a board to ensure a sowing depth of 2cm, then cover with 10-15cm thick grass to preserve moisture and prevent freezing. Generally, seedlings emerge around April 20.

The above is Tuliuwang's introduction to high-yield cultivation techniques for American ginseng. Friends who want to start growing it should consider in advance whether the conditions are met. Growing medicinal herbs is different from growing crops and other plants. The hard requirements are very high, and the cost is also high, so a series of issues must be taken into account to ensure profitability.