Protecting your ginseng crop from poachers
With the high prices paid every year for mature ginseng roots, poachers present far-and-away the biggest threat to your crop. Here are a few tips for protecting your ginseng patch from those who would invade it if given the opportunity (you can spend as much or as little you can afford):
1 - Silence is golden. Never tell ANYONE that you are growing a crop of ginseng.
2 - Locate your ginseng patch in a place that is hard to get to undetected and as far away from the nearest road or hiking/biking trail as possible - the closer to your house the better.
3 - Place "No Trespassing" signs all around your property, and place them at the property lines, not on the perimeter of your ginseng plot. Prosecute any violators to the fullest extent of the law to send a loud and clear message to the community that you are deadly serious about enforcing your "No Trespassing" policy.
4 - If you are growing your ginseng crop using the "Field-Cultivated" method, you can erect a tall, sturdy fence around your patch and have a single sturdy gate which can be locked and unlocked as required. A tall chain-link fence topped with an angled section of barbed wire or razor wire works very well. A fence will also help keep out deer, turkeys and other wildlife that might eat or otherwise damage your ginseng plants.
5 - If practical, secure the perimeter of your ginseng patch with several security cameras. These cameras are very affordable nowadays, and there are even models that transmit the video signal via the airwaves if your patch is close enough to your house to allow it.
6 - Physically monitor your ginseng crop as much as possible, and at varying times throughout the day. Avoid following a set routine to keep any potential poachers who might be staking out your patch from determining a "best time" to encroach on your property and your ginseng crop.
7 - Leave home as little as possible, and when you do have to go out try to leave at least one person at home to serve as a pseudo-guard.
8 - Keep at least one large, ferocious-looking dog who likes to bark at everything under the sun on your property, and make sure his kennel or doghouse is within easy view of your ginseng patch.
9 - Did I mention that silence is golden?