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Switchgrass

I've got close to an acre of moist soil that I've burned down with Gly and 2-4DB over a month ago. Last week I brush hogged the area a couple times and am down to stubble now.

Am I missing any prep steps or post seeding steps for the next year?

*frost seeding this winter
*spray gly and Oust XP in early April
*mow at 8-12" for year 1 as needed
 
Spiider said:
I've got close to an acre of moist soil that I've burned down with Gly and 2-4DB over a month ago. Last week I brush hogged the area a couple times and am down to stubble now.

Am I missing any prep steps or post seeding steps for the next year?

*frost seeding this winter
*spray gly and Oust XP in early April
*mow at 8-12" for year 1 as needed
Click to expand...

Do NOT use oust the 1st spring, either fall before or 2nd spring!!
 
Paul- I sprayed Mid August and then October It looks like I have some seedlings of fescue coming up should I hit them again now or is it to late ? This was a field that was heavy with fescue that's why I sprayed twice with Gly, Crop Oil and 2-4d, Thanks
 
Jbohn said:
Paul- I sprayed Mid August and then October It looks like I have some seedlings of fescue coming up should I hit them again now or is it to late ? This was a field that was heavy with fescue that's why I sprayed twice with Gly, Crop Oil and 2-4d, Thanks
Click to expand...

If the weather warms you could spray again but either way spray again in late April
 
I had decent 1st year growth in my small CIR / Canlow Switch stand after broadcasting into bare dirt last December. A spring dose of Atrazine and things came in pretty well with some noticable thin spots. My challenge is the foxtail that is growing on the edges and in some cases in the stand. I tried knocking it down by mowing but it just grows a seed head lower to the ground. I also tried spot spraying with Gly but that was challenging. So, my questions are, should I broadcast more seed into the thiner spots this winter or just let the existing grasses seed it? And, how do I control the foxtail? Can I re-spray Atrazine again in the spring?

Here are some August photos.

1040-august_2013_1.jpg


1040-august_2013_2.jpg


This is one of the thicker areas...

1040-august_2013_3.jpg


Thanks gentlemen!
 
Paul

I have about five acres of switch in its third year. I notice more non switch areas than switch still. I have been mowing down to 12 inches every year and then in the spring I mow everything down to about 4-6 inches before the switch begins to grow in hopes of a better stand. What do you recommend I do here in year 3 with a thin stand still? Thanks for any tips.
 
It depends on what you have competing with your switch grass. If it were mine I would try to kill the competition with either herbicide or burn and re-seed switch to fill in the bad areas.
 
showstopper said:
Paul

I have about five acres of switch in its third year. I notice more non switch areas than switch still. I have been mowing down to 12 inches every year and then in the spring I mow everything down to about 4-6 inches before the switch begins to grow in hopes of a better stand. What do you recommend I do here in year 3 with a thin stand still? Thanks for any tips.
Click to expand...

Stop mowing for one thing, spray early April with gly and 1 ounce Oust/SFM75, frost seed thin areas the following winter...
 
Well I sprayed 2 times this fall ( September and October) and still had new seedlings coming up I think it is fescue , so I sprayed with 4 qts of gly and 1 qt crop oil per acre again November 25th , sounds crazy doesn't it..Ill keep you posted if it works might have wasted $150.00 but figured it was worth the chance. I read gly will work just slower in the winter as long as the target is still soaking in energy before it shuts down.
 
Jbohn said:
Well I sprayed 2 times this fall ( September and October) and still had new seedlings coming up I think it is fescue , so I sprayed with 4 qts of gly and 1 qt crop oil per acre again November 25th , sounds crazy doesn't it..Ill keep you posted if it works might have wasted $150.00 but figured it was worth the chance. I read gly will work just slower in the winter as long as the target is still soaking in energy before it shuts down.
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Getting a complete kill is extremely important so while 4 qts is overkill, the 3rd spraying is not. Spray again by May 1st, 1qt gly and if possible 2-4 qts atrazine
 
Switchgrass in the drought

I frost seeded cave in rock switchgrass on highly erodible hillsides two years ago.I planned to put it in a govt. buffer program. I decided not to include the govt. in my planting so that I didn't have to adhere to the cp 25 guidelines. I needed not only to protect the watershed but provide more wildlife cover. I do have several acres of mixed native grasses elsewhere on the property.

With two years of serious drought I have surprisingly a decent stand of switchgrass. Entering my 3rd spring do I continue with atrazine, keep mowing or should I burn it? Would there still be seed that has not germinated. By burning I assume I kill any switchgrass seed that was produced last fall? Should I rebroadcast areas of little germination or wii it spread.

Will large pure stands of switch grass take over mixed native grass stands adjacent to them?

I have an acre of mixed native grasses by my house and am nervous about burning. I have an acreease mower that cuts to 10 inches. Is that my second best option to burning or is the mowing too close?
 
sundevil said:
I frost seeded cave in rock switchgrass on highly erodible hillsides two years ago.I planned to put it in a govt. buffer program. I decided not to include the govt. in my planting so that I didn't have to adhere to the cp 25 guidelines. I needed not only to protect the watershed but provide more wildlife cover. I do have several acres of mixed native grasses elsewhere on the property.

With two years of serious drought I have surprisingly a decent stand of switchgrass. Entering my 3rd spring do I continue with atrazine, keep mowing or should I burn it? Would there still be seed that has not germinated. By burning I assume I kill any switchgrass seed that was produced last fall? Should I rebroadcast areas of little germination or wii it spread.

Will large pure stands of switch grass take over mixed native grass stands adjacent to them?

I have an acre of mixed native grasses by my house and am nervous about burning. I have an acreease mower that cuts to 10 inches. Is that my second best option to burning or is the mowing too close?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't do anything this spring, burn the 4th spring. Areas that can't be burned, mow in May and if invasives become a problem, spray early April with Oust XP/SFM 75.

Other NWSG is likely to take over switchgrass rather then vice versa, broadcast more seed in thin areas.
 
Fred sent me pics from his stands of Cave In Rock switchgrass he established a few years back, note the way he surrounded his food sources with the switch...perfect!



Fred followed instructions to a T, killing CSG the fall before, dormant/frost seeding mid winter and applying gly and atrazine in the spring.



The result is beautiful, thick stands of CIR switchgrass that is now a haven for big whitetails...well done Fred! :way:
 
Man that is awesome. Deer and pheasant magnet. I hope our CRP looks like that in a few years. As part of the program we can't use Atrazine because of some forbs that are included in it, so we just have to mow ours for a few years and then do a burn on the 4th year.
 
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