From this point onward during the hot summer months, I will only transplant to pots when there is an order to fill. 1rst, 2nd, but no 3rd year seedlings are available. These are potted seedlings, and I don’t ship those. Bare root seedlings will begin shipping once the weather cools off in fall. It takes about a week in the pots before they’re ready to go to new homes. So if you know you’ll want some, give me some lead time to get them ready.
Ginseng Summer Transplanting
Ginseng seedlings can still be transplanted during summer, if you do it while conditions are right.
First, the don’ts:
- don’t plant them during drought
- don’t plant them in the morning during hot weather
- don’t plant them in an unsheltered location
- don’t plant them where there is no leaf mulch on the ground
Here’s the do’s:
- do plant them where the ground below leaf mulch stays moist
- plant them in the evenings so they have overnight cooler temperatures while adjusting
- surround the stems with leaf mulch, crushed, for support
- make sure the location has good tree cover to break heavy rain
- plant them where there is adequate understory to break hard winds
Delay Transplanting Ginseng Seedlings
If conditions aren’t right when you get your seedlings home, you can leave them in pots indefinitely if you put the pots in the right location. In my nursery, I have retaining beds made from rocks for the walls. I put the pots directly on the ground and surround them with crushed leaf litter. With newly potted ginseng, I make sure the crushed leaf mulch supports the stems of the plants so they don’t flop over during recovery.
Some of my older plants in pots have stayed in this environment for years with no trouble. I rarely need to water them, because the location is deep shade and the leaf mulch prevents water from evaporating out of their containers. During extended droughts, I do water them.
Potted Ginseng Seedling Pickup Locations
You can pick up potted ginseng seedlings at the Wild Ozark nursery in Kingston (six miles off pavement), and you can pick them up on Saturdays at the Wild Ozark Studio & Gallery in Alpena. After placing your order, let me know where you’d like to pick them up by emailing me at or texting me at (479) 409-3429 (may not go through with Android phones until I get out to signal, but you can call instead if you’d prefer).
