What are the planting methods and techniques for ginseng seeds?

Ginseng, also known as guigai, shencao, tujing and other names, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Araliaceae family, genus Panax. It prefers a cool and humid climate and cannot tolerate strong light or high temperatures. The soil requirements are well-drained, loose, fertile brown forest soil or mountain podzolic brown forest soil with a deep humus layer. It has extremely high cultivation value. Let's take a look below at how to plant ginseng seeds!

Seed germination

1. Germination site: Choose a spot for ginseng seed germination that is sheltered from the wind, faces the sun, has high and dry terrain, and good drainage. Clear the topsoil, dig drainage ditches around it, set aside a seed-drying area, and set up windbreaks.

2. Choosing germination boxes: Place germination boxes or bed frames on the leveled ground. The boxes are 40 cm high and 90-100 cm wide, with length determined by the quantity of seeds. Pack soil firmly around the frames.

3. Germination substrate: Germination substrates include pure sand, sand mixed with humus soil, and pure humus soil. Generally, pure sand is best; using pure humus soil as a substrate easily causes seed rot. To prevent seeds from rotting, they can first be disinfected with 1% carbendazim by sand weight.

4. Soaking seeds and boxing: Before treatment, to allow dry seeds to fully absorb water, first soak the seeds in tap water for 1 day and night, remove them and let them dry slightly, then mix them evenly with sifted substrate at a ratio of 1 part seeds to 3 parts substrate, and place them into boxes.

Seed sowing

1. Sowing time: Generally in April, sow seeds that have already been germinated, or in summer sow freshly harvested fresh seeds (water seeds), or in autumn sow before the soil freezes. After sowing, the seeds must pass through summer, autumn, and winter before seedlings emerge in spring.

2. Sowing method: Before sowing, first prepare the land and make beds 23-33 cm high and 126-133 cm wide, with working paths between beds of 2-2.66 cm. Use broadcast sowing at 0.5 g per sq cm, cover with 3-4 cm of soil after sowing, and keep the soil consistently moist. Seedlings emerge around early May.

Seedling transplanting

1. Transplanting time: Ginseng can be planted in spring and autumn. Spring planting is usually from late March to early April, carried out after the soil thaws and before the buds sprout. If too late, the ginseng seedlings have already sprouted and grow poorly after transplanting. Autumn planting is generally from early October to early November. It can be done from when the aboveground parts wither in autumn until before the ground freezes. The time can be later, but not too early; if too early, the ginseng seedlings have not fully entered dormancy, and high ground temperature can cause heat damage and seedling rot.

2. Ginseng seedling treatment: Divide ginseng seedlings into 3-4 grades by size so they can be planted and managed separately. All transplants should be soaked in 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture for 10 minutes. Be careful not to soak the buds. After removing from the disinfectant, let them dry slightly before planting, or spray the seedlings with 400-times zineb solution until the seedlings are thoroughly wet.

3. Transplanting method: When transplanting ginseng, shorten the time as much as possible and do not let the transplants lose water and dry out. The transplants should be lifted and planted promptly. Plant at a 30-40 degree slant with the rhizome head facing up. The seedlings have already grown for 2-3 years and have formed a shady side and a sunny side; do not reverse them when transplanting, otherwise it will affect emergence and growth. Before covering with soil, cover from the rhizome head to the shoulder with half a handful of river sand, then take a small amount of soil to press down the root tips, and afterward use a transplanting board to take soil and cover the seedlings completely.

Field management

1. Loosening soil: After the soil thaws in spring, ginseng beds should have the surface soil loosened to raise soil temperature. One-year-old plants require 3-4 rounds of soil loosening and weeding, generally from early April to early May, in June, and in August. On plots that are too wet or too dry, and in years with abnormal rainfall, increase the number of soil loosenings.

2. Shading: Ginseng fears intense sunlight. From mid-April to early May, when more than half of the ginseng seedlings have emerged, frames can be set up with curtains to make a shade shed. The specifications of the shade shed depend on the age of the ginseng being shaded, local climate conditions, and terrain conditions.

3. Adjusting light: In midsummer, insert fresh tree branches with leaves into the ground at the front eaves and sides of the shade shed, or hang branches on the edges of the shade shed eaves. You can also use sorghum stalks, reeds, and similar materials to make sparse curtains and hang them on the front eaves, turning strong light into filtered light entering the shade shed.

4. Bud removal: Ginseng begins to bloom and set seed after growing for 3 years. Except for seed-production fields, generally around mid-May on a sunny day, remove all flower buds. In seed-production fields, at the early flowering stage, thin out 1/3-1/2 of the flower buds in the middle of the inflorescence.

5. Seed collection: Ginseng begins to bloom and set seed at 3 years of age. The ginseng fruits mature successively and should be harvested as they ripen. Rub and wash off the fruit skin and flesh. The washed seeds can be dried slightly and used as water seeds for summer sowing. If not used, they should be dried in the shade before storage. Shade drying is necessary; exposure to direct sunlight will reduce the germination rate.

6. Overwintering: Around "Frost's Descent," when ginseng stems and leaves are nearly withered, cut the ginseng plants at the root zone. Rake up the scattered grass on the bed surface in the garden and transport it out of the ginseng garden. Cover the beds with grass or old grass curtains, or dig up soil from the working paths and cover it on top to about 5-8 cm.

7. Harvest: Ginseng can be harvested after growing for 4-6 years. Harvesting is generally carried out in late autumn around "Frost's Descent," when the aboveground plants turn withered and yellow. Avoid causing few fibrous roots or broken roots. Shake the soil off harvested ginseng and transport it back immediately, then process it promptly to prevent drying out or mold.