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Switchgrass

Some 1st year RC Big Rock pics

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I am preparing for a spring planting of switch heavy NWGS next spring. Probably a month ago I mowed the brome where I will plant this. With little to no rain, the brome has slowly greened back up. The forecasted low for Friday night into Saturday is 34 degrees. The bottom where I am planning this usually gets a few degrees colder than the forecast. I have heard that after a frost or two is the best time to spray brome in the fall. Is that cold enough to accomplish my goal? Due to time constraints, this weekend also happens to be a great time for me to get some work done. Thoughts? Also, am I looking at the recommended gly rate on the jug? Should I add 2-4d? There is little if any broadleaf plants in the stand. I have AMS ready as well.
 
Is it possible to get SG established in plot that currently has standing corn? I was going to leave the corn standing through March for cover purposes.

If I am shooting for a mid June drill, what are the steps I need to take leading up to that?

Ph is 5.9, do I need to mess with Ph?
 
StucknAz said:
Is it possible to get SG established in plot that currently has standing corn? I was going to leave the corn standing through March for cover purposes.

If I am shooting for a mid June drill, what are the steps I need to take leading up to that?

Ph is 5.9, do I need to mess with Ph?
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Mow it off and drill away. No need to mess with ph.
 
I know you've stated you're done frost seeding with this new line of RC, and that things need to be planned differently than with the old varieties. Would you say it's an awful idea to attempt to establish just a narrow travel corridor with Big Rock using the old method of frost seeding in Feb? I don't have a drill. I should but I don't. This spot was fall disc-ripped with an 875, making a nice level, clean seed bed. I can still spray all the suitable chemical come spring. Thanks
 
northcedar said:
I know you've stated you're done frost seeding with this new line of RC, and that things need to be planned differently than with the old varieties. Would you say it's an awful idea to attempt to establish just a narrow travel corridor with Big Rock using the old method of frost seeding in Feb? I don't have a drill. I should but I don't. This spot was fall disc-ripped with an 875, making a nice level, clean seed bed. I can still spray all the suitable chemical come spring. Thanks
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No I don't think it is an awful idea. It can be done. These are 30% larger seeds than CIR & even larger than some other varieties. Larger seeds will not incorporate into the soil as well as a very small seed. So I would frost seed it a little earlier. Say February as opposed to March. Or right before a snowfall.
If area is prepped you could even dormant seed it now. Broadcast and cultipack before ground freezes.

As for other considerations, it's going to germinate quicker that we all were use to. So be careful with spring burn down. If prepped I'd just spray your pre (simizone or atrazine) right before green up. From there normal switchgrass establishment practices .
 
I like the look of the switch mixed in with the brush...but I am curious how that works when you burn off the switch.
 
You got me motivated to get some stuff we had seeded to switch back into switch. We thought we had the brome eliminated but after a few years of not burning brome took it back over. Switch 99.9% gone. We burned it late this spring in hopes to set the brome back and it did, some, but it's still there. Just not enough natives to ever "take over" the brome, if that's even possible. Not nearly as much switch came back as I hoped. At one point it was almost pure switch, deer were in there like never before on our farm!

Need to scout the area again and see if it's worth trying to salvage the existing native grasses there or just kill it all and start from scratch.

Planning to do a late spring burn again next spring, may spray with a light dose of OustXP after... not sure yet. But for sure going to try a fall application of Gly (and possibly OustXP mixed in) after switch is dormant and brome still green. Probably in October. Then planning to drill as soon as we can.
 
LoessHillsArcher said:
You got me motivated to get some stuff we had seeded to switch back into switch. We thought we had the brome eliminated but after a few years of not burning brome took it back over. Switch 99.9% gone. We burned it late this spring in hopes to set the brome back and it did, some, but it's still there. Just not enough natives to ever "take over" the brome, if that's even possible. Not nearly as much switch came back as I hoped. At one point it was almost pure switch, deer were in there like never before on our farm!

Need to scout the area again and see if it's worth trying to salvage the existing native grasses there or just kill it all and start from scratch.

Planning to do a late spring burn again next spring, may spray with a light dose of OustXP after... not sure yet. But for sure going to try a fall application of Gly (and possibly OustXP mixed in) after switch is dormant and brome still green. Probably in October. Then planning to drill as soon as we can.
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Good plan of action. One thought that you may consider....

Burn. Spring kill brome (you could even do this twice). understanding some brome will come back. Drill switchgrass. Fall spray when switch is dormant. You can gain a year on process doing it that way. The brome will be "dead enough" to plant switch. Whatever comes back you smoke for good in fall.
 
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