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Switchgrass

Could some post a picture of an individual mature Cave in Rock switchgrass plant. Maybe pull it out or cut it off at the base. Lay it on concrete and take a picture so the rest of us novices have a reference. Thanks in Advance!
 
Brandon Lerette said:
Could some post a picture of an individual mature Cave in Rock switchgrass plant. Maybe pull it out or cut it off at the base. Lay it on concrete and take a picture so the rest of us novices have a reference. Thanks in Advance!
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Here you go.
Screenshot_20211026-030208_Gallery.jpg


Screenshot_20211026-030218_Gallery.jpg


Screenshot_20211026-030227_Gallery.jpg
 
iowathumper said:
Disappointed ! What I thought was great switch grass turns out was Foxtail. (First year ever trying to plant it) I frost seeded it, used pre herbicide kept mowed.

Sure looked like switch. Is it worth seeing what happens next year? Or start over.
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I planted 3 acres last year. It looked like all fox tail. I left it untouched this year and now 50% of the field is 4-5 foot tall switch grass.
 

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I drilled in 6 acres today. It's the first time I've planted switch pre frost. This was a piece I planted last year but never came in due to a hot dry spring.
Part of it was killed and burned off. Part of it I killed but left the thatch and part of it I did not kill out of curiosity to see if any of last year's planting would show up this coming year. I'll use the side by side comparisons to help me make decisions in the future.

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Tons of great info in this thread. Wanted to run my scenario past you all for advice so I get the best bang for my buck. CIR seed is already bought ready to go.
I have a 6A hayfield that I sprayed last fall to convert to switch. It had been baled in July and when I killed the fescue in Oct it was maybe 10" tall so that thatch is still there. My plan was to burn that off late fall and rent a drill from the usda office around now and drill the switch, none of that happened. Now with snow goose season here I probably won't get to the farm till March unless I go now.

My main question, is the thatch that big of a deal? Could I skip the drill since its so wet and just frost seed into the thatch? If so I may run up there this weekend and do it. If I frost seed this weekend, could I still burn the thatch off in April or will that damage the seed?

If the thatch will hurt germination that bad I would have to wait till likely April burn it off then drill once it dries up enough. Downfall here is the seed won't be stratified.

Maybe another plan? Hate to let the seed sit another year as expensive as it is
 
SB3 said:
Tons of great info in this thread. Wanted to run my scenario past you all for advice so I get the best bang for my buck. CIR seed is already bought ready to go.
I have a 6A hayfield that I sprayed last fall to convert to switch. It had been baled in July and when I killed the fescue in Oct it was maybe 10" tall so that thatch is still there. My plan was to burn that off late fall and rent a drill from the usda office around now and drill the switch, none of that happened. Now with snow goose season here I probably won't get to the farm till March unless I go now.

My main question, is the thatch that big of a deal? Could I skip the drill since its so wet and just frost seed into the thatch? If so I may run up there this weekend and do it. If I frost seed this weekend, could I still burn the thatch off in April or will that damage the seed?

If the thatch will hurt germination that bad I would have to wait till likely April burn it off then drill once it dries up enough. Downfall here is the seed won't be stratified.

Maybe another plan? Hate to let the seed sit another year as expensive as it is
Click to expand...
I would frost seed it and move on to herbicide application in April and then again in May. I would not worry about thick thatch because you had it baled. You are in good shape. I would not burn after seeding. Seed away!
 
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IowaBowHunter1983 said:
I would frost seed it and move on to herbicide application in April and then again in May. I would not worry about thick thatch because you had it baled. You are in good shape. I would not burn after seeding. Seed away!
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I was hoping that would be a good option Thanks!
 
Tmayer13 said:
Your only other option at this point would be to burn now and then seed now.
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I am not sure that I agree with that. While that would be an option, could you also not work on stratifying your switch seed "artificially" and then drill it later? In other words...

Burn the chaff off now.

Prepare your switch seed by stratifying it yourself. (Expose it to multiple freeze-thaw cycles while still in the bag, at home, over the next few weeks.)

Let the field green up and hit it one last time with cleth and gly. It should then be dead, dead.

Drill the stratified seed...perhaps even on the same day that you spray it one final time.

I hope that is a working strategy...as that is what I am planning on myself
 
Tmayer13 said:
Your only other option at this point would be to burn now and then seed now.
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Yeah I was hoping to, I tried to burn it a few weeks ago, just to wet then got snow cover and now its wet again. The good/bad with the farm being 3 1/2 hours away, only have so many weekends to get things done.
 
Daver said:
I am not sure that I agree with that. While that would be an option, could you also not work on stratifying your switch seed "artificially" and then drill it later? In other words...

Burn the chaff off now.

Prepare your switch seed by stratifying it yourself. (Expose it to multiple freeze-thaw cycles while still in the bag, at home, over the next few weeks.)

Let the field green up and hit it one last time with cleth and gly. It should then be dead, dead.

Drill the stratified seed...perhaps even on the same day that you spray it one final time.

I hope that is a working strategy...as that is what I am planning on myself
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I was referring to his only other option for this weekend. But i guess that wouldnt be true either

Could so leave the thatch and drill this weekend as well....
 
Daver said:
I am not sure that I agree with that. While that would be an option, could you also not work on stratifying your switch seed "artificially" and then drill it later? In other words...

Burn the chaff off now.

Prepare your switch seed by stratifying it yourself. (Expose it to multiple freeze-thaw cycles while still in the bag, at home, over the next few weeks.)

Let the field green up and hit it one last time with cleth and gly. It should then be dead, dead.

Drill the stratified seed...perhaps even on the same day that you spray it one final time.

I hope that is a working strategy...as that is what I am planning on myself
Click to expand...
The seed is in an unheated garage so it is exposed to the temp swings but stratification involves getting wet/freeze/thaw correct? I'm not exactly sure of the process but that did cross my mind
 
SB3 said:
The seed is in an unheated garage so it is exposed to the temp swings but stratification involves getting wet/freeze/thaw correct? I'm not exactly sure of the process but that did cross my mind
Click to expand...
While I have not actually done this yet any previous time...it is my intent now to do this in the coming weeks in prep for drilling some switch this spring. I have researched and believe that this plan is solid...I just don't have the first hand experience to relate on this subject...at this time. :) See link below.

Don Higgins explains...switchgrass stratification
 
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