sooo....I found a handful of plants on my land...should I :
1- dig it up and plant the seeds
2-leave it be and plant the seeds
3-leave it be

I've never dealt with this before, so not sure what to do, or how to sell

Great find! Never found wild ginseng. Do you have a picture?

If it were me, I would do #2. The more years the plants are left to grow, the more the roots are worth. Wait until you have a decent amount to sell.

Reason I'm asking is plant age, region matters. If it's got seeds you can definitely get them into the ground. But not too deep! They need to go through the cold stratification. It's not legal in most states to pull it under 5years.

If it’s just a handful,, leave it,,, and definitely, most definitely plant the seeds,, preferably within 10 yards of the parent plant.
I’ have around a pound and a half of dry root right now,, hoping that the price goes up a whole lot more…
It’s pretty cheap right now in my neck of the woods…the ginseng market is a little rocky right now because of the economic downturn… kinda like the fur market.

Here's a little one .

Based on what we learned at the WTA when a gingsing specialist gave a talk. It will not grow well in the same place for years if ever. I would pick and plant the seeds in a nursery type area and then find a section of your land that is very similar to where you found these, Soil type, moisture, shade etc. Then plant the young plants there. In the wild it may take 6-10 years to grow a decnt amount of roots for harvesting.

Bryce

Perennials that are old enough to produce fruit(seeds). generally dont like being moved. Can it be done, yes but its a lot more riskier moving the plant. Plus there's probably a good reason why its growing there.

Read Eplers book on ginseng it will provide you with all the info you need.

I also forgot to previously mention, check to see what your state regulations are too before digging if you decide to go that route.
Here in Illinois we have to have a harvesting permit and sell only to liscenced dealers for instance.

thx folks, I think I'm just going to try and plant the seeds not too far away

Ginseng seeds will do fine close to the mother plant. No need to take them elsewhere. Plant spacing is important for air flow and disease prevention.

In a woods setting, ginseng will grow again, although it's best to get a soil sample to see what nutrients need to be added. It is also wise to wait a few years but it will grow again. In field cultivated operations such as you have in Wisconsin, I would wait several years before replanting.

Soil type, amount of sun and shade, moisture, and nutrients in the soil are all important to ginseng. Adding gypsum to the soil is very beneficial for root growth.

Phytophera fungus causes root rot and can quickly spread and devastate ginseng. Planting too close together and in heavy clay soils can cause the root rot to appear.

Alternaria blight will quickly spread across a patch of plants but it only kills the tops. The roots survive but root growth stops once the top dies down.

I find that to be very true. I have never had much luck replanting roots to a different area. I wouldn't recommend it.

Replant the berries in the same area you found the plant. Let the plant grow. Only plant the berries about a half inch below the soil and cover with a layer of leaves. I do a lot of ginseng digging and have over 8lbs of dry roots now and still digging. I purchased 2lbs of stratified seed and replant all of it in the wild, so I've planted a few seeds. I've ALWAYS planted back in the same area and the seeds ALWAYS grow ( not every seed naturally)
It grows slow and doesn't produce a plant every year. Not sure of Wis. laws but in Minnesota legal plants have to have 3 prongs to be considered legal.