These fall planted ginseng seeds will germinate but not during the following spring. The stubborn ginseng seed needs a dormant period of between 18 and 21 months to germinate. American ginseng seeds will only sprout during their second spring. The ginseng seed has to "age" for at least a year in a damp soil and experience the warm/cold sequence of the seasons.
Failure of the ginseng hunter to harvest and plant the ripe crimson berries can also lead to excessive losses from critters like rodents and birds. A good ginseng root collector will select all the mature seeds he or she finds and plant them at a productive location, usually near the seed-bearing plant that has been removed. That location has proven its ability to grow ginseng and would make a great seed bed.
