Development in the Second & Third Years
This photo shows a patch of American ginseng in its second year of growth. The plants are not much taller than a first year ginseng plant. You can see a variety of leaf forms: three leaflets, five leaflets, and two prongs each with three leaflets. In its second year, the color of ginseng is yellower than first year.
The next photo shows ginseng growing in its third year. There are plants in this patch which assume the same forms as second year ginseng. The five-leaflet form becomes more common, and it can be found on two prong plants. In additon, there may also be a three prong plant here and there. Two and three prong plants are able to send up flower heads. they are small at this age, however, with not many blossoms. The leaf area steadily increases with each year of growth. Stem height also increases. The three prong plant seen in the photo stands about 4 inches tall from ground level to the prong. As with first year ginseng, virtually all of the leaf and stem growth occurs in the first week or so of the growing season.
I have never weighed plants early in the season for fear that I might kill the plant by digging it up. I have read that ginseng's growth bud, from which the next year's growth appears, is fully developed in August. So I have waited until late summer and early fall to dig roots for weighing. From a sample of plants dug at the end of the season, here are the average root weights for plants that completed their first, second, and third year of growth:
Age (years) Weight (grams)
1 0.14
2 0.66
3 1.36