Ginseng Seed & Supplies Australia Pty Ltd. Importers of Korean Ginseng seeds, ginseng farming and processing equipment. The therapeutic value and popularity of ginseng is well documented. For thousands of years it has been used as a tonic for maintaining good health, alertness and stamina. Eastern health philosophy places emphasis on balance. Ginseng helps with this regime. As a consequence, those aware of ginseng’s health benefits, are prepared to pay well for quality product. Commercial growing of ginseng is challenging. Obtaining seeds for sowing, knowledge and equipment can be difficult and quite often prevents would be growers from making a start in a potentially lucrative business. Ginseng Seed & Supplies Australia (GSSA) is committed to providing a service that can deliver seed, equipment and practical advice to support you with your purchase. Our seed stock is of the Korean Ginseng variety (Panax Ginseng). When grown under favourable conditions, good quality Panax Ginseng is well regarded for having large quantities of saponins, the active ingredient of ginseng. The equipment shown on our website is that used by South Korean Ginseng farmers and the ginseng industry. The South Koreans are respected as leaders in the production of fresh root and value added products such as Red Ginseng, dried root, dried root powder, ginseng extract, ginseng food products and teas.

Complimentary Stratification & Growing Guide pdf.

We understand that you need to be informed and prepared. The guide will take some of the mystery away and give simple, practical advice. Please study more about growing ginseng. As with any project of this nature, there are always variables to consider.

Please feel free to download from the link above.

Stratification is a three phase process.
The warm cycle after seed harvest (clean seed) 3 months at 15-20ºC ( develops the embryo).
The cold cycle (0-5ºC range is OK) 4ºC recommended triggers the germination mechanism.
The warm period 15-20ºC following will start the germination.

Some seeds may wait until the following year to germinate!

All of your seeds should be mixed with river sand 1:3 (seed:sand) and stored at 4ºC , 10% moisture, until the end of december to make the stratifying process final by next spring ( 2008). Pebbles in an onion bag keep the top seeds from drying when covering the seed sand mix. Plastic buckets in the refrigerator work well.

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Ensuring Quality Seeds

Our Fresh Panax Ginseng (Korean Ginseng) seed imported from South Korea.To maintain high standards and ensure swift quarantine processing, the seed is graded at 4mm and above seed size, It is then prepared to AQIS specifications of purity and cleanliness. A phytosanitary certificate is issued by MAF-Plant Quarantine Service Seoul on our commercial quantities over 10kg. An independent seed test is performed by Seed Services Australia in South Australia.

A seed sample can be arranged when ordering 25kg or above.

Prices and availability vary.

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About Ginseng seed

As with any type of seed there is a procedure to encourage ginseng seeds to germinate. This is called Stratification. Ginseng grows best in certain soil types and climatic conditions.

The ginseng plant is not a short turnaround cash crop. For the saponin content to be high enough, the plant must grow for at least six years. Growth occurs during the warm seasons. The plant goes into dormancy during winter. In Korea and the United States, temperatures reach below freezing. Even though the ginseng plant stops growing during this period, it survives the harsh winter. When the warmer weather returns, the growing period resumes.

About three years into the plants maturity, seedpods can form. The seed requires the warm season to stratify. The cold season lets the seed know that spring is coming. When the next warm season arrives, the seed germinates.

In countries where the climate is differs to this, artificial means are deployed to emulate the seasonal changes.

Seed can be purchased unstratified or stratified, however we do not recommend the purchase of stratified seed. It is much more of a challenge to manage. Cold storage is required even through transportation. There is a high risk that the seed can germinate out of season due to the change in season and climate zones. Some seeds may become unviable through the stratification cycle depending on how the stratification is handled.

Unstratified seed will not be ready to plant until the next spring. The timing of the stratifying process needs to be extended by approximately five months. The cold period lasts for 100 days.

Seed orders must be placed in May at the latest for planting the following year in Australia and New Zealand.