American ginseng — site evaluation and materials checklist¶
Routing: Use this page to score Appalachian-style woodlots, decide go / no-go, and assemble physical materials before you commit stratified seed. Not a substitute for a soil test, TDEC harvest rules, or professional forestry advice.
Suite: American ginseng from seed — ASAP start plan (timeline) · this page (site + materials) · American ginseng — planting and cultivation guide · American ginseng — woodlot maintenance, pathology, and remote security
Provenance: American ginseng — PDF-heavy inbox batch … 2026-04-20 plus Tennessee wild-simulated PDF from American ginseng — seed and forest culture sources … 2026-04-19.
Mandatory vs optional
| Tier | Scope |
|---|---|
| Mandatory | Complete shade, drainage, and access checks before buying seed; soil test for pH/Ca/P on any site above “reject”. |
| Optional | Formal scorecards below; 3′×3′ test plots before large buys (Beyfuss protocol PDF). |
1. Shade and canopy targets¶
The Cornell-style one-page score sheet in ginseng-site-selection-capture-inbox-2026-04-20.pdf states American ginseng wants ≥65% shade with ~78% called optimal across “most soil types.” Use a spherical densiometer or comparable method and record readings at midsummer—not under leafless winter canopy.
Mid-Atlantic matrix PDF ginseng-visual-site-assessment-matrix-capture-inbox-2026-04-20.pdf reinforces north / east / northeast aspect preference and penalizes hot western aspects unless the capture’s exception language applies.
2. Scorecards (quick use)¶
A. Cornell one-pager (dominant trees + exposure + security)¶
Work from the printed PDF: assign points per dominant overstory, proximity / patrol / camera exposure category, and wild ginseng indicator presence. Captured bands: 40–60 excellent; 30–40 potentially good; 20–30 marginal—full soil test; <20 poor—look elsewhere. The sheet explicitly awards points for “Surveillance camera installed”—this is a planning hint aligned with the security companion guide.
B. Visual matrix (species, slope, plantable fraction)¶
Categories A–D in ginseng-visual-site-assessment-matrix-capture-inbox-2026-04-20-extracted.md score sugar maple / tulip / walnut bands highest, slope 10–30% best, and reward large-tree sites with high plantable fraction.
3. Small-scale field test (before scaling)¶
ginseng-testing-potential-woodland-sites-capture-inbox-2026-04-20.pdf outlines a protocol: buy only stratified seed; surface sterilize with mild bleach; float seed; rinse, keep moist in baggies; lay out 3 ft × 3 ft plots; 50 seeds/plot; rake litter, scratch mineral soil, broadcast, recover mulch. Treat this as a pilot BOM—see materials checklist.
4. Tennessee / soil chemistry cross-check¶
The MTSU-region wild-simulated guide (2026-04-19 ingest) discusses pH ~5–6, calcium, and phosphorus sufficiency with East Tennessee citations—after scorecards pass, map soil test results to that PDF’s guidance rather than guessing lime or fertilizer.
5. When you must involve forestry (PB1799)¶
If opening canopy, removing midstory, or preparing regeneration for future hardwood composition, use UT Extension PB1799 ut-extension-pb1799-capture-inbox-2026-04-20.pdf (Professional Hardwood Notes—site preparation in natural hardwood stands). Ginseng needs stable shade; avoid treatments that suddenly expose the forest floor without a reclosure plan.
6. Materials checklist (pilot + first season)¶
| Item | Role |
|---|---|
| Stratified seed (vendor COA / reputation) | Only seed grade appropriate for your chosen method |
| Field notebook + private map sketch | Track plots without publishing GPS |
| Soil probe / zip bags | Depth and horizon notes for odd wet spots |
| pH + soil test mailer | Lab analysis; compare to TN + VCE bands |
| Densiometer or shade photos + canopy sketch | Document 65–80%+ shade claim |
| Steel garden rake, hand rake, flags | Beyfuss plot layout; plot corners |
| Digital scale (0.1 g) + counting tray | 50-seed batches; optional float-test bucket |
| Bleach + timer + rinse water + gloves | Only if executing sterilization—follow PDF concentrations and disposal rules |
| Breathable seed storage (baggies / vermiculite per vendor) | Bridge from delivery to planting |
| Trail camera(s) (optional Phase 0) | See security companion—mount after plot layout |
Tangential: tn-fruit-vegetable-calendar-2025-capture-inbox-2026-04-20.pdf is not ginseng-specific—use only if you want a general Tennessee crop timing wall calendar in the same field office.