Ginseng, pound for pound, is one of the most profitable plants you can grow.If you’re interested in ginseng production you could see healthy profits after just a few years in business. So how could you do that? Here are six insider secrets to a successful ginseng-growing business. Follow these, and you could be making nice money growing ginseng for profit:
1. Grow rootlets
Growing and selling rootlets is a way you can make a nice income while your ginseng roots continues to grow to maturity at six years or so. New ginseng growers buy rootlets to start their ginseng garden. Rootlets help speed up the process, because they grow to maturity two to three years faster than plants started from seed. You can sell a variety of rootlets, such as one-, two, or three-year-old rootlets.
2 How to grow ginseng
There are three primary methods used to grow ginseng. Pick the one that works best for you, and can give you the most cost-efficient results. First, there is the “artificial shade” method, which uses a canopy of posts and shade cloth to simulate the natural growing environment. Start-up costs for this method can be expensive, due to the costs of building the shade canopy, preparing the soil and planting the seeds and rootlets.
Instead, many growers choose one of the following two affordable methods. First, there is the “woods-cultivated” method, which is the most practical for most small growers. Instead of building artificial shade, you rely on the shade provided under hardwood trees, such as maple, sycamore, oak or basswood. The other method is “wild-simulated.” This is the preferred method for producing the expensive roots if you own at least a few acres of hardwood trees.
3. Have good soil
Like any plant, ginseng needs good soil to grow in. The land must be well-drained and have partial shade, as ginseng does not like full sun. Be sure to test the pH of your land. It should be between 5.0 and 6.0 for the best results. You also should be growing in an area that gets cold weather in the winter. Your ginseng will need the cold to break dormancy, which will lead to sprouting in the spring.
4. Be sure to buy good seeds
Be sure you’re buying good seeds. Don’t assume the cheapest seeds are the best, or that the most expensive seeds are the best. Make sure the seeds come from disease-free plants. You also want the seeds to be “stratified,” which means that the berries were de-pulped and that the seeds were buried in sand over the winter time. When you buy your seeds, play it safe and disinfect all of them. Plan on soaking the seeds for fifteen minutes in a solution that is made up of one part Clorox bleach to nine parts water. Then flush thoroughly with clean water.
5. Watch for diseases
As your ginseng grows, keep on the look out for diseases or pest problems. Be sure to use organic matter, such as compost and leaf mold, which will help fight disease problems. One way to stop diseases is to make sure your ginseng plants have plenty of air circulation. Don’t plant the seeds or rootlets too close together either. For pest problems, stick to organic solutions, such as yellow sticky traps.
6. Get top dollar when you sell
For ginseng, there are generally three ways to sell your roots, seeds and rootlets. Consider selling mature roots to local wholesale buyers. That way you can sell right out of your backyard. Plus you get paid on the spot, so you’re making money right away. Or maybe you’d like to sell to out-of-state buyers. That works best for seeds and rootlets. When shipping, treat your ginseng like a fragile item. Pack it carefully. Finally, you can sell to ginseng brokers, who buy ginseng in bulk and then resell it to someone else for processing and packaging. The ginseng market will be its busiest in the fall time, but the prices will generally be higher between the months of November and April, so keep that in mind when selling.
Follow these six insider secrets and your ginseng-growing business will be a success in no time.
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