How to Grow American Ginseng? A Complete Guide to Detailed Cultivation Techniques
(1) Site Selection:
Because it prefers a cool, moist climate with half shade and half sun, and a well-aerated, loose, fertile soil rich in humus. American ginseng planting sites should be chosen on well-afforested, well-drained gully or ravine land or fertile land on both banks of rivers, oriented toward the southwest-to-northeast ventilation corridor, and should not be chosen in open, sparsely forested, drought-prone areas in front of hills or on northwest-to-southeast winter cold-wind corridors. The soil pH in our city, except for the alkaline coastal beach areas, is mostly slightly acidic, with a pH between 5—6, which meets the growth requirements of American ginseng. Although it is difficult to find deep, fertile, humus-rich forest-type soil in our city, practice has proven that as long as organic fertilizer is scientifically increased and chemical fertilizers are rationally used, it is feasible on sandy loam and silty loam soils 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. For example, after wheat or corn is harvested and the stubble is left, plow and turn once every half month to sun the ridges, promoting the decomposition of previous crop residues and accelerating soil maturation. At the same time, apply 6000kg of decomposed pig manure and cow/horse manure (chicken manure and human feces/urine are 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 per mu, evenly mixing and turning them into the 20—30 cm plow layer. In late autumn, level the land and make high beds, one every 2 m, with a bed height of 25 cm, a bed top of 1.4 m, a side slope ratio of 1:1, and a ditch bottom width of 10 cm. The bed surface should be as level and fine as possible, and on top spread 3 cm of finely crushed phosphorus-containing weathered stone (4 cm for transplanted seedlings), and after sowing cover with another 1—2 cm. During this process, use 20 grams of 50% carbendazim and the like per square meter for soil disinfection, of which 15 grams is mixed into the soil when plowing and preparing the beds, and the remaining 5 grams is mixed into the phosphorus-containing weathered stone spread on and covering the beds at sowing time.
(3) Sowing and Transplanting:
For direct seed sowing, use 3.5kg of seed per mu, with row and plant spacing of 10×10 cm, and harvest after 4 years. This saves labor and produces very long roots with high yield, but wastes mulch, requires more spraying and is costly, and more importantly cannot meet the market demand for thick, short roots, so root prices are low. Therefore, production still adopts the method of first raising seedlings and then transplanting. When raising seedlings, sow 3.5kg of seed at 5×6 cm plant and row spacing on 2 fen of land, grow for 2 years, then dig them out and transplant at 20×10 cm row and plant spacing onto about 1 mu, grow for another two years and harvest. American ginseng cannot be continuously cropped; seedling land cannot be used again to plant American ginseng.
1. Sowing
(1) Seed treatment: In August, when the ginseng berries turn red, harvest the fresh berries, immediately rub off the flesh, wash clean, and let 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 and keep in a cool place until November. The temperature should be controlled below 25°C, and the humidity should preferably be 10%—12% moisture content. Too wet easily rots the seeds; the standard is moist enough that a handful forms a ball when squeezed and falls apart when released. Seeds from the current year sprout vigorously; seeds from the following year sprout weakly.
(2) Sowing time: In late November, seeds 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, and the sowing period lasts until the end of December. The remaining uncracked ones are kept at 0—5°C, and can still crack by February of the following year and also sprout after sowing. Those that crack even later cannot sprout, or cannot sprout completely, because the low-temperature treatment time is less than 70 days and physiological after-ripening cannot be completed.
(3) Sowing method: On the leveled bed surface with sufficient soil moisture, spread 3 cm of sieved, uniformly fine, moist weathered stone mixed with disinfectant, then level again, and use a standardized 5×6 cm plant and row spacing hole-punching board to punch holes (2 cm deep) for sowing, so as to ensure consistent depth standards. After sowing, spread disinfectant-mixed weathered stone to cover the seeds. To make it level, after covering with weathered stone, smooth it once with a board to ensure a sowing depth of 2 cm, then cover with 10 to 15 cm thick grass to preserve moisture and prevent freezing. Seedlings generally emerge around April 20.
2. Transplanting: To meet market needs and save land, reduce costs, and ensure uniform and consistent growth, transplanting is adopted. Transplanting generally uses 2-year-old seedlings.
(1) Digging seedlings: It is best from late October to early November, after the aboveground part of American ginseng has withered. Dig open the bed soil along the bed, then lift the roots from one end, digging as deep as possible to avoid damaging the roots. Try to dig, select, disinfect, and transplant in one continuous process; prolonged stacking easily causes water loss and heat damage, affecting survival. If planting cannot be completed before the New Year, do it as early as possible after the New Year in late February to early March before the buds begin to move.
(2) Seedling selection: Select seedlings with robust root systems, plump buds, and no pests or diseases, and transplant them in three grades according to seedling size.
(3) Disinfection: Seedlings easily carry pathogens, so they need disinfection before planting. Generally, soak the seedlings in 1000 times 50% carbendazim solution for 10 minutes, which has a certain effect on preventing root diseases.
(4) Transplanting method: Planting density: grade 1 at 20×10 cm, grade 2 seedlings at 20×8 cm, grade 3 seedlings at 20×6 cm. For well-aerated, drought-prone soil, slant planting is better (place the seedlings into the bed at a 45-degree angle to the bed surface); for poor aeration, flat planting is better. Soil covering thickness: grade 1 seedlings 5 cm, grade 2 4 cm, grade 3 3 cm. Before transplanting, both the 4 cm bed layer and the weathered stone covering the seedlings must be mixed with disinfectant.
(4) Field Management
1. Cold protection: Regardless of whether they are seedling-grown plants, transplanted seedlings, or sown seeds, after late November all must be covered with 10—15 cm thick grass to preserve moisture and prevent freezing. The field edges and bed edges should be covered more thickly, and to prevent wind from blowing it away, press branches and stones on the grass.
2. Drought resistance: In years with little rain or snow and drought, spray water to prevent buds from drying out and to ensure normal seedling emergence in the coming spring.
3. Spring and Summer Management
(1) Remove cold-protection materials in good time: It is best to remove cold-protection materials in late March to early April when winter jasmine blooms. Too early makes them susceptible to frost damage; too late makes the seedlings emerge late, and the tender stems are easily scorched by sunlight. When removing the grass, some short, broken grass may be left to help preserve moisture and prevent rainwater from impacting the ground. In each place, remove the covering materials scientifically and timely according to climate and phenological changes.
(2) Bed surface disinfection: After removing the grass, rake away miscellaneous leaves and spray the whole field with 1% copper sulfate for disinfection and sterilization, but the liquid must not seep onto the buds and ginseng roots, so as to avoid damage and effects on seedling emergence.
(3) Loosening the bed surface soil: After removing the grass, if the bed surface is moist, loosen the soil immediately; if dry, spray water to moisten first and then loosen the soil, so as to aerate, raise temperature, and promote seedling emergence and growth. During the entire emergence period, the bed surface must remain moist to prevent the young tender stems and leaves from being scorched by dry surface soil.
(4) Build shade sheds: American ginseng likes slanting and scattered light and fears strong light, but still needs sunlight to provide energy for photosynthesis. After the large ginseng raises its nose and after the covering grass is removed from first-year sown ginseng, scientifically and rationally set up shade sheds to adjust light, so as to promote and maintain robust growth of American ginseng. Use double-permeable (light-permeable and rain-permeable) large sheds; the main posts have a total length of 2.2 m (buried 50 cm underground), and the four side main posts are 1.9 m (buried 50 cm underground); the longitudinal spacing between posts depends on the length of the longitudinal poles. The crossbars are 2.4 m long; first tie the crossbars with wire, then place three longitudinal poles on each bed on the crossbars and fix them with wire. On the longitudinal poles place shade grass curtains, and around the perimeter use corn stalks and the like to form windbreaks. The light transmittance of the curtains depends on ginseng age: 15—20% for 1—2 years, and 30%—35% for 3—4 years. In addition, in mid-April when American ginseng seedlings are close to emerging, shade sheds must be set up in good time. Too early makes the bed temperature low and emergence late; if shaded only after emergence, the young tender stems and leaves are easily scorched.