Crop Matrix Tool

Use this tool to find out about characteristics; such as soil pH, cultivation methods, pests and post harvest treatment; for a specific crop. To load a crop's characteristics choose a crop from the drop-down menu. To see a list of all possible crops grouped by category click on the “Show List of All Available Crops” link next to the drop-down menu.

American Ginseng Download Data (CSV Format)     Printable View      Show Citations General Common Name American Ginseng Latin Name Panax quinquelfolius Category Medicinals  Family Araliaceae  Variety   Visual Traits Flower many in a terminal umbel Foliage/Fall leaf color bright golden-yellow fall color Fruit fleshy red berry, usually 2 seeded but occasionally one or three white colored seeds Height 3 inches (seedlings) to 24 inches, rarely taller mature plants Other valued traits medicinal use by many cultures, considered an adaptogen, attractive ornamental Spread 3 inches (seedlings) to 24 inches, rarely wider mature plants Cultivation Cultivation and Mulching mulch with two inch layer of shredded sugar maple leaves Field preparation and planting hand till or shallow rottotill soil to 2 inch depth Field spacing / planting depth thin to one plant per square foot Harvest usually harvested at 7 to 10 years or older Pollination primarily self pollinated but some cross pollination by small bees Propagation method seeds only Retail Source several Seed harvest fall, when berries turn red, August to October Seed treatment and storage requires complex stratification, berries are usually depulped, mixed with coarse sand and buried for one year Seedling treatment protect from slugs Sowing seed fall planted in North, (September to November) up to February in south Transplant 2 year old and older roots easily transplanted after August Watering guidelines not usually watered in forest Critters Insect and invertebrate pests slugs, gray aphids, cutworms, stinkbugs, Pathogens Phytophthora cactorum, Alternaria panax, Rhizoctonia,Cylindrocarpon, (rust complexes) Toxicity None Wildlife Pests deer are serious pests, as are voles Soils Compaction (tolerance) some Fertility / quality low to moderate fertility Minerals high calcium requirement Moisture and drainage prefers moist but well drained pH wide range from 3.6 to 7.6 Salt tolerance none Soils and topography prefers mild to moderate slope, found midslope most often Texture wide range from sand to clay loams Growth Pattern Fruit bearing age / full crop load varies with site from age 5 to age 10, full crop usually by age 10 Good seed crop interval (fruit load) annual if not eaten by critters Growth rate slow, somewhat site dependent Longevity potentially very long lived, up to 150 years or more Root habit perennial Habitat and Climate Exposure north, northeast preferred Fire tolerance none Frost-free days (FFD) as few as 60 Growing degree days (GDD) wide range Hardiness Zone USDA Zones 3,4,5,6, Native Range northern Georgia to Southern Quebec, west to Wisconsin, northern Arkansas and Alabama Rainfall / humidity moderate 35 to 55 Wind / ice / frost susceptibility somewhat frost tolerant in fall, less so in early spring Light Light recommendation requires 65 to 85% shade, optimal shade is in a mature sugar maple forest, 80% basal area Shade tolerance high, up to 90% shade tolerated Vegetation Associations Competitive ability competes well with native plants poorly with exotics i.e garlic mustard Indicator species Maidenhair fern, rattlesnake fern, baneberry, blue cohosh (north). Goldenseal, black cohosh, bloodroot,spicebush (south). Competes well with most native plants, poorly with exotics ie.garlic mustard Images American Ginseng