Post by leexrayshady on Feb 16, 2017 10:09:44 GMT -6
Switchgrass
Establishment and management
Switchgrass:
Switchgrass is perhaps the ultimate winter wildlife cover. Nearly all types of Iowa wildlife from deer to quail will use its dense, upright cover for protection from weather and predators. Switchgrass is a warm season grass (growth is during the hot summer months), grows from 4-6 ft. high and will remain upright through out the winter. Heavy snows will cause it to bend, but a warm sunny day will find it shrugging off the snow and standing upright again. Since it grows in clumps, rather then a dense sod, it leaves travel ways for small game such as pheasants and quail. Switchgrass is drought resistant, provides excellent erosion control and will grow on most types of soils, including lowlands.
In states such as Iowa, where switchgrass is more common, several Boone & Crockett bucks have been taken from small stands of switchgrass, where they had eluded hunters for years by hiding in the dense cover. Switchgrass can be somewhat slow and difficult to establish, but once this is accomplished, it will remain a viable stand for 20 or more years. Initial costs tend to be high, but spread over a lifetime is really quite small.
Cave-in-rock, Blackwell, Pathfinder and Trailblazer are varieties well adapted to the mid-west. If possible planting an eco-type from your area will help ensure a longer lived healthy stand. Switchgrass is best managed as a pure stand where the chief use will be to provide winter cover near cropland or food plots. Adjacent stands of Native Warm Season Grass mixes and alfalfa or clover will provide a well-diversified source of nesting and brood rearing habitat for upland game birds and other wildlife.
Switchgrass provides year around cover for whitetails and is a great benefit in helping to slow or prevent poachers. It is very difficult to spot deer in a thick stand of switchgrass and deer of all ages will use it as a secure bedding area.
Switchgrass Establishment:
Switchgrass seed is often dormant and may not germinate unless stratified (exposed to a period of wet chill). It is best seeded in late winter (February or March) although very late fall/early winter will also work well. This allows the seed to stratify as it would in natural prairie conditions. Broadcasting or no tilling on bean ground works best, since there is little ground cover. No-tilling works better in sod or heavy residue, but either method must be done on bare ground (no snow cover.) Switch can also be broadcast over freshly planted corn where Atrazine is used for weed control.
The seed is small, hard seed that is running as water, and easily sown with most any type of seeding equipment from a $20 hand broadcast seeder to a $12,000 no-till drill. In all cases, no tillage is preferred, however the less residue the better. Close mowing/shredding or burning and herbicide, the summer and fall previous will accomplish this.
Preparation for seeding, should be started the summer/fall before seeding. A soil test can determine if lime or fertilizer are needed, however application of nitrogen should be delayed until the 2nd year. Nitrogen tends to encourage competitive cool season grass and weed growth., however mature switchgrass stands will flourish if Urea 46% is applied in early to mid June.
1) Begin by mowing (assuming the area is currently in sod), in mid to late July. Letting someone take hay off the area, is even better. This will remove all vegetation and litter to allow for better seed contact. If it is in crops, such as corn, mow, shred or burn the stalks, but do not disc or till.
2) In late August/early September, spray 1 ½ to 2 quarts of Roundup per acre, on the new re-growth adding 1 quart of crop oil and 2 ounces of Oust XP will ensure a better kill. On larger acreage’s you may be able to hire the spraying done by your local ag-chemical/fertilizer dealer (grain elevator), or a neighboring farmer. On smaller plots, an ATV mounted sprayer, or even a backpack sprayer will work
This process will kill and remove all vegetation, to prepare for seeding. The dead root system, left by the killed sod, will hold the soil and prevent erosion, until the new seedlings take root. This is one of the most important steps, if your new seeding is to be planted on sod.
3) Frost seed anytime from late November to late March, with February and March, being the optimum seeding time. Seed at 5-6# per acre, if using a drill, slightly more if broadcasting.
A) Small plots can be seeded by hand using a small handheld broadcast seeder, such as can be purchased at your local yard & garden center. ATV or tractor mounted
seeders also will work fine. Strive for 50 seeds per sq. ft. or 3.5 seeds per sq. inch. Check by spacing 3” paper cups across the path of your broadcast spreader, after
broadcasting seed across the path of the cups, you should have 2 ½ seeds per cup, more or less will require adjusting the gate on your seeder accordingly.
This rate will apply 2,000,000 seeds per acre. (389,000 seeds per #)
B) Larger fields can be planted using a no-till drill designed for planting Native Grasses. These are available through the your County Conservation Board & Pheasants Forever but require advance notice to reserve one, (contact your habitat chairman) however planting in the wintertime will mean less competition for the drill. Most drills will have two separate seeders - one for small hard seed like switchgrass, clover, alfalfa, etc. and a second hopper for fluffy seeds like Big Bluestem and Indiangrass.
Check the seeding rate by running the drill a few feet on a hard driveway and counting the seeds per inch. It is best to plant when the ground is slightly frozen (morning),
rather then muddy or wet. The drill should barely cover the seed, with 30-50% being left uncovered. The freezing/thawing action will cover the seed and the wet/chill of late
winter will stratify the seed, in the same manner as occurs on a natural prairie.
C) Another option is to plow, till & cultipack in early spring and broadcast or drill seed in using more conventional methods, however you may encounter a host of problems using this method. 1st since switchgrass seed is dormant, most of it may not sprout until the following spring, 2nd - tilling the soil will encourage a flush of weeds and grasses, not encountered with no-till methods. Use of herbicides and a great deal of patience will be in order using this method. If you do till/plant, a firm seedbed is a must, and care must be taken not to plant seed to deep. Pack, broadcast, and re-pack to lightly cover.
4) Weed control - Where possible, apply 2 to 4 quarts of Atrazine or Princep (simazine), early in the spring before weeds emerge. Apply the lower rate on lighter sandy soils, and the heavier rate on heavy clay type soils. Atrazine is a Restricted Use Pesticide and can only be applied by Certified operator (local ag-chem. dealer or licensed farmer) Princep is not classified as a RUP at this time and can be sprayed on with an ATV or backpack sprayer at 2 - 4 quarts per acre (less on lighter ground). Broadleaf weeds can be controlled later in the growing season with 2,4-D, however the switchgrass seedlings must have at least 4 leaves before spraying. Apply 2,4-D at a rate of 1 pint per acre.
Herbicides will enable the switchgrass to be established in one year instead of three! If you are unable or unwilling to use herbicides, mowing is another option. Clip weeds to a
height of 8- 12 inches. Mow early and often, to keep weed cover from getting to heavy. A rotary mower (brush hog) can suffocate the new seedlings if weed cover is allowed
to get to tall.
New switchgrass seedlings cannot tolerate being cut themselves at this point, so great care must be taken to make sure you clip above them. Switchgrass seedlings will grow
VERY slowly using this method and may take 3-5 years to produce a good stand.
Note: Atrazine is very effective weed control when applied at higher rates pre-emergence and switchgrass is very tolerant. Princep is much less effective and should be used
only if Atrazine is not an option, especially on heavier soils.
Establishment costs:
Initial seed and herbicide costs can be high the first year. Seed costs can run $5.00 to $13.00 per lb, or $25 to $65 per acre. If you are a Pheasants Forever member, they may help by providing seed or cost share to help defray seed costs.
Herbicide costs will run $15 to $30 an acre for Roundup and residual’s such as Atrazine $12 to $32 per acre, plus $10 to $30 per acre in applicator costs. The advantage is a solid stand in one to two years.
Mowing (if herbicide is not used) can run $15 to 40 per acre, and you may need the new seeding mowed 3-4 times the first summer. If you own you own your mower and have patience, this can be a more economical method, but do not expect a good stand for 3-5 years.
Management:
Burning - Switchgrass stands should be burned every 3-5 years to maintain a healthy stand. Burn in early April to promote the growth of other forbs and keep the stand from getting to thick for wildlife to use it. Plan your burn for late April to early May if you prefer a thicker pure stand of switchgrass.
Planting a strip of legumes such as clover, around the perimeter of your switchgrass stand, will provide a firebreak and add diversity to your wildlife habitat. Delay mowing this green strip until mid summer, when nesting is completed.
Check township and county burning ordinances, in case permits are required. Contact the local NRCS and local Pheasants Forever chapter for more information on burning. Burning is an important tool, but requires that you have help, tools, and knowledge of how to conduct a safe burn before doing so.
A second option is to have someone take hay off your switchgrass stand, after the nesting season (mid July) This will remove all the litter and let light in to encourage other broadleaf’s and plant diversity, for better wildlife usage. Once established, switchgrass will need little if any fertilizer, especially if the stand is for wildlife use. Burning will release nitrogen, and other nutrients to keep the stand healthy.
2-4D can be sprayed periodically if goldenrod begins to invade the stand. This tends to happen more on poorer ground then on more fertile soils.
Summary:
Establishing a stand of switchgrass can be expensive, challenging, even frustrating at times. Expect to wear out the knees in a pair of jeans the first summer, as you find yourself crawling on the ground looking for the new seedlings! In a few years you will find it was worth it, as you flush a flock of pheasants or watch a buck bound from his bed in the tall prairie grass!
You will find that establishing a stand of switchgrass is the single most important thing you will ever do to promote, top quality pheasant habitat!!!
Remember to ask questions and advice from the staff at the NRCS and your local Pheasants Forever habitat committee. Above all DO NOT consider your switchgrass planting a failure until the end of the second season, and only after qualified people have examined the seeding. Good luck!
Osenbaugh Seeds, Lucas Iowa: www.prairieseedfarms.com/ is a great source for switchgrass seed in Iowa.
Establishment and management
Switchgrass:
Switchgrass is perhaps the ultimate winter wildlife cover. Nearly all types of Iowa wildlife from deer to quail will use its dense, upright cover for protection from weather and predators. Switchgrass is a warm season grass (growth is during the hot summer months), grows from 4-6 ft. high and will remain upright through out the winter. Heavy snows will cause it to bend, but a warm sunny day will find it shrugging off the snow and standing upright again. Since it grows in clumps, rather then a dense sod, it leaves travel ways for small game such as pheasants and quail. Switchgrass is drought resistant, provides excellent erosion control and will grow on most types of soils, including lowlands.
In states such as Iowa, where switchgrass is more common, several Boone & Crockett bucks have been taken from small stands of switchgrass, where they had eluded hunters for years by hiding in the dense cover. Switchgrass can be somewhat slow and difficult to establish, but once this is accomplished, it will remain a viable stand for 20 or more years. Initial costs tend to be high, but spread over a lifetime is really quite small.
Cave-in-rock, Blackwell, Pathfinder and Trailblazer are varieties well adapted to the mid-west. If possible planting an eco-type from your area will help ensure a longer lived healthy stand. Switchgrass is best managed as a pure stand where the chief use will be to provide winter cover near cropland or food plots. Adjacent stands of Native Warm Season Grass mixes and alfalfa or clover will provide a well-diversified source of nesting and brood rearing habitat for upland game birds and other wildlife.
Switchgrass provides year around cover for whitetails and is a great benefit in helping to slow or prevent poachers. It is very difficult to spot deer in a thick stand of switchgrass and deer of all ages will use it as a secure bedding area.
Switchgrass Establishment:
Switchgrass seed is often dormant and may not germinate unless stratified (exposed to a period of wet chill). It is best seeded in late winter (February or March) although very late fall/early winter will also work well. This allows the seed to stratify as it would in natural prairie conditions. Broadcasting or no tilling on bean ground works best, since there is little ground cover. No-tilling works better in sod or heavy residue, but either method must be done on bare ground (no snow cover.) Switch can also be broadcast over freshly planted corn where Atrazine is used for weed control.
The seed is small, hard seed that is running as water, and easily sown with most any type of seeding equipment from a $20 hand broadcast seeder to a $12,000 no-till drill. In all cases, no tillage is preferred, however the less residue the better. Close mowing/shredding or burning and herbicide, the summer and fall previous will accomplish this.
Preparation for seeding, should be started the summer/fall before seeding. A soil test can determine if lime or fertilizer are needed, however application of nitrogen should be delayed until the 2nd year. Nitrogen tends to encourage competitive cool season grass and weed growth., however mature switchgrass stands will flourish if Urea 46% is applied in early to mid June.
1) Begin by mowing (assuming the area is currently in sod), in mid to late July. Letting someone take hay off the area, is even better. This will remove all vegetation and litter to allow for better seed contact. If it is in crops, such as corn, mow, shred or burn the stalks, but do not disc or till.
2) In late August/early September, spray 1 ½ to 2 quarts of Roundup per acre, on the new re-growth adding 1 quart of crop oil and 2 ounces of Oust XP will ensure a better kill. On larger acreage’s you may be able to hire the spraying done by your local ag-chemical/fertilizer dealer (grain elevator), or a neighboring farmer. On smaller plots, an ATV mounted sprayer, or even a backpack sprayer will work
This process will kill and remove all vegetation, to prepare for seeding. The dead root system, left by the killed sod, will hold the soil and prevent erosion, until the new seedlings take root. This is one of the most important steps, if your new seeding is to be planted on sod.
3) Frost seed anytime from late November to late March, with February and March, being the optimum seeding time. Seed at 5-6# per acre, if using a drill, slightly more if broadcasting.
A) Small plots can be seeded by hand using a small handheld broadcast seeder, such as can be purchased at your local yard & garden center. ATV or tractor mounted
seeders also will work fine. Strive for 50 seeds per sq. ft. or 3.5 seeds per sq. inch. Check by spacing 3” paper cups across the path of your broadcast spreader, after
broadcasting seed across the path of the cups, you should have 2 ½ seeds per cup, more or less will require adjusting the gate on your seeder accordingly.
This rate will apply 2,000,000 seeds per acre. (389,000 seeds per #)
B) Larger fields can be planted using a no-till drill designed for planting Native Grasses. These are available through the your County Conservation Board & Pheasants Forever but require advance notice to reserve one, (contact your habitat chairman) however planting in the wintertime will mean less competition for the drill. Most drills will have two separate seeders - one for small hard seed like switchgrass, clover, alfalfa, etc. and a second hopper for fluffy seeds like Big Bluestem and Indiangrass.
Check the seeding rate by running the drill a few feet on a hard driveway and counting the seeds per inch. It is best to plant when the ground is slightly frozen (morning),
rather then muddy or wet. The drill should barely cover the seed, with 30-50% being left uncovered. The freezing/thawing action will cover the seed and the wet/chill of late
winter will stratify the seed, in the same manner as occurs on a natural prairie.
C) Another option is to plow, till & cultipack in early spring and broadcast or drill seed in using more conventional methods, however you may encounter a host of problems using this method. 1st since switchgrass seed is dormant, most of it may not sprout until the following spring, 2nd - tilling the soil will encourage a flush of weeds and grasses, not encountered with no-till methods. Use of herbicides and a great deal of patience will be in order using this method. If you do till/plant, a firm seedbed is a must, and care must be taken not to plant seed to deep. Pack, broadcast, and re-pack to lightly cover.
4) Weed control - Where possible, apply 2 to 4 quarts of Atrazine or Princep (simazine), early in the spring before weeds emerge. Apply the lower rate on lighter sandy soils, and the heavier rate on heavy clay type soils. Atrazine is a Restricted Use Pesticide and can only be applied by Certified operator (local ag-chem. dealer or licensed farmer) Princep is not classified as a RUP at this time and can be sprayed on with an ATV or backpack sprayer at 2 - 4 quarts per acre (less on lighter ground). Broadleaf weeds can be controlled later in the growing season with 2,4-D, however the switchgrass seedlings must have at least 4 leaves before spraying. Apply 2,4-D at a rate of 1 pint per acre.
Herbicides will enable the switchgrass to be established in one year instead of three! If you are unable or unwilling to use herbicides, mowing is another option. Clip weeds to a
height of 8- 12 inches. Mow early and often, to keep weed cover from getting to heavy. A rotary mower (brush hog) can suffocate the new seedlings if weed cover is allowed
to get to tall.
New switchgrass seedlings cannot tolerate being cut themselves at this point, so great care must be taken to make sure you clip above them. Switchgrass seedlings will grow
VERY slowly using this method and may take 3-5 years to produce a good stand.
Note: Atrazine is very effective weed control when applied at higher rates pre-emergence and switchgrass is very tolerant. Princep is much less effective and should be used
only if Atrazine is not an option, especially on heavier soils.
Establishment costs:
Initial seed and herbicide costs can be high the first year. Seed costs can run $5.00 to $13.00 per lb, or $25 to $65 per acre. If you are a Pheasants Forever member, they may help by providing seed or cost share to help defray seed costs.
Herbicide costs will run $15 to $30 an acre for Roundup and residual’s such as Atrazine $12 to $32 per acre, plus $10 to $30 per acre in applicator costs. The advantage is a solid stand in one to two years.
Mowing (if herbicide is not used) can run $15 to 40 per acre, and you may need the new seeding mowed 3-4 times the first summer. If you own you own your mower and have patience, this can be a more economical method, but do not expect a good stand for 3-5 years.
Management:
Burning - Switchgrass stands should be burned every 3-5 years to maintain a healthy stand. Burn in early April to promote the growth of other forbs and keep the stand from getting to thick for wildlife to use it. Plan your burn for late April to early May if you prefer a thicker pure stand of switchgrass.
Planting a strip of legumes such as clover, around the perimeter of your switchgrass stand, will provide a firebreak and add diversity to your wildlife habitat. Delay mowing this green strip until mid summer, when nesting is completed.
Check township and county burning ordinances, in case permits are required. Contact the local NRCS and local Pheasants Forever chapter for more information on burning. Burning is an important tool, but requires that you have help, tools, and knowledge of how to conduct a safe burn before doing so.
A second option is to have someone take hay off your switchgrass stand, after the nesting season (mid July) This will remove all the litter and let light in to encourage other broadleaf’s and plant diversity, for better wildlife usage. Once established, switchgrass will need little if any fertilizer, especially if the stand is for wildlife use. Burning will release nitrogen, and other nutrients to keep the stand healthy.
2-4D can be sprayed periodically if goldenrod begins to invade the stand. This tends to happen more on poorer ground then on more fertile soils.
Summary:
Establishing a stand of switchgrass can be expensive, challenging, even frustrating at times. Expect to wear out the knees in a pair of jeans the first summer, as you find yourself crawling on the ground looking for the new seedlings! In a few years you will find it was worth it, as you flush a flock of pheasants or watch a buck bound from his bed in the tall prairie grass!
You will find that establishing a stand of switchgrass is the single most important thing you will ever do to promote, top quality pheasant habitat!!!
Remember to ask questions and advice from the staff at the NRCS and your local Pheasants Forever habitat committee. Above all DO NOT consider your switchgrass planting a failure until the end of the second season, and only after qualified people have examined the seeding. Good luck!
Osenbaugh Seeds, Lucas Iowa: www.prairieseedfarms.com/ is a great source for switchgrass seed in Iowa.