Switchgrass

[dbltree]

Originally Posted By: wibohnt
I have a question on 5 acres of CIR I planted last year. It was drilled into field that was beans the prior year. After planting the contractor disappeared, basically went AWOL on me. So nothing elase was done, no mowing or spraying.

I am not sure how to proceed this year, is it a lost cause???

No...not at all, but what are your capabilities? Can you mow, spray or burn or do you need to hire it all done?

I would suggest clipping it this spring perhaps early June for starters and then perhaps burning next spring.

Can you post or email any pics of what it looks like?

dbltree2000@yahoo.com if emailing is easier but your switchgrass should be there...just needs a little TLC

 

[mbow1]

I have 8 acres that I want to frost seed CIR in. My worries is the seed will not make it to the ground with the straw the stray winter wheat that came up after harvest. Should I do just frost seed it? Or should i wait till May and work up the ground and plant corn/SG mixture? I seen the pics of that earlier in the post. Also what about atraxine and Corn does it affect corn growth?

 

[Sligh1]

wiboht- When did they plant it? Spring? Many of that seed might not have germinated SO this spring could be its 1st growing season. Probably, some germinated last year and some this year. I can't think you'd go wrong by spending, say $250 on seed (5 lbs per acre on an area that already has some switch hopefully) and frost seeding it NOW among what's already there. Then, hit it with Atrazine.
Dbltree will obviously guide you from above post he responded to far better than me.

When was it planted, best guess on DATE?
Is there a lot of weeds?
Did you see lines of germinated switchgrass where it was drilled in?

 

[dbltree]

Originally Posted By: mbow1
I have 8 acres that I want to frost seed CIR in. My worries is the seed will not make it to the ground with the straw the stray winter wheat that came up after harvest. Should I do just frost seed it? Or should i wait till May and work up the ground and plant corn/SG mixture? I seen the pics of that earlier in the post. Also what about atraxine and Corn does it affect corn growth?

You can frost seed right now, no worries about the seed making soil contact as snow and heavy rains will push the tiny seed thru the trash to the soil below.

If a no-till drill is available to rent in your area, then you can run the drill over the frozen ground to cut thru the trash but it's not necessary if not available.

If you wait and till the ground, the switch seed will not be exposed to wet chill and will not germinate until the following spring...so you lose a whole growing season not to mention fighting weeds all summer!

Atrazine is a pre-emergence herbicide that controls weeds in corn, sorghum and switchgrass...it's doesnt inhibit growth of corn or switch...only weeds.

 

[wibohnt]

My switch was planted in spring, I do not recall the exact date. I don't have any pictures of the field from last year and I never really looked close enough to see if I could see the rows of planted switchgrass. I am able to mow or spray the fields myself, I would need help burning as I have never done that. As the I looked at the field last year it certainly had its share of weeds but I would not say it was overgrown. I would think I could frost seed now with out worry of seed making it to the ground.

 

[dbltree]

I am able to mow

That's what I would plan on this year but always mow high as possible, just enough to clip weeds at 8-12" above the ground.

Native grasses can't handle being mowed close, especially when young.

These are some pics of some of my switchgrass along with some broomsedge mixed in.

this pic is a little far back but shows Big Bluestem all flat as a pancake in the waterway area while the switchgrass is standing despite ice and snow this winter.

I'm an advocate of ALL native prairie plantings but some straight switchgrass is awesome for never fail winter cover...

 

[wibohnt]

Thanks for the assistance, believe me I need it! So mowing it is, I will keep it above 8". I also plan to frost seed over the top within the next two weeks for insurance. Would it still help to get Atrazine on the fields? If so when should that go down?

 

[dbltree]

Would it still help to get Atrazine on the fields? If so when should that go down?

Yes...it sure would help at 2-3 quarts per acre applied in very early April before weeds emerge. If you do it early enough a quart of Roundup could be added to burn down any early weed growth...but we are talking early April here!

Switchgrass won't emerge until May sometime so you have a little time, but cool season grasses and weed will emerge in early to mid April.

Spray early and then you might not even have to mow at all which is the best bet.

Remember however that Atrazine is a Restricted Use Pesticide requiring a license to buy, so you may need to hire your local ag supply/grain elevator to apply it.

 

[Sligh1]

5 acres of CIR switchgrass SEEDED!!!!

Got the brome mowed and FRIED last September. Went in last night and got my $20 broadcast spreader and spread 10 lbs to the acre (obviously I ended up using my whole 50 lbs bag instead of less). Pretty excited to hit it with Atrazine and Dual!!! Found 2 really nice sheds in the process of seeding!

*I will time my atrazine/dual spraying correctly, I've done all the preparation perfectly. If weather and conditions are good, what's an average stand of switchgrass look like the 1st year that's been frost seeded pretty heavy and had proper spraying???

 

[dbltree]

Originally Posted By: Sligh1
If weather and conditions are good, what's an average stand of switchgrass look like the 1st year that's been frost seeded pretty heavy and had proper spraying???

Like this...

the switch next to the corn was sprayed with Atrazine and Bladex (Bladex has been banned) while the far right had not and took three years to amount to anything. This picture is late summer, first year after frost seeding.

 

[whitetailnut]

just a question on location. im in sw michigan a little ways further north than you guys. I have 2 acres killed and ready for frost seeding but still have over 18 inches of snow and no signs of much thawing very soon. Should I wait or get it out there fairly soon. Also, would atrazine and round up dates mentioned be the same up here. Thanks for the help, like sligh, I am anxious to get started!!!

 

[dbltree]

still have over 18 inches of snow and no signs of much thawing very soon

Better wait..that's a tad too much snow! A few inches is one thing but that much snow will move seed if it melts rapidly.

You have time yet, hopefully you'll get a mid-winter thaw soon, then get it put on.

It might be a few weeks later before you can spray but most likely by mid April in your area.

Soon as it barely starts to green up...nuke it! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif

 

[Sligh1]

Someone expressed a concern to me about spraying Atrazine onto brome grass that was mowed and killed with round-up the earlier fall. They claimed that if you frost seed on dead brome and go to spray it in the spring- the Atrazine will not reach the soil good enough because it gets stopped from saturating the soil by the dead grass.

They said their method was to only spray on bare dirt OR otherwise weeds will come through because the dead grass keeps the Atrazine from saturating the soil and keeping weeds at bay. What do you think? I might just spray a bit slower so I saturate the ground. In my killed brome I can see soil pretty well because I fried it so bad- so maybe it's not a concern with me, should anyone be concerned? Thanks!!!

 

[wibohnt]

Another Atrazine question. I was just thinking about where I am spraying this Switchgrass, I have a two acre foodplot almost adjacent to it that I would like to put into corn. Would it make sense to have those two acres sprayed at the same time? Would it matter whether the seed was in the ground at the time of spraying?

 

[dbltree]

Originally Posted By: wibohnt
Another Atrazine question. I was just thinking about where I am spraying this Switchgrass, I have a two acre foodplot almost adjacent to it that I would like to put into corn. Would it make sense to have those two acres sprayed at the same time? Would it matter whether the seed was in the ground at the time of spraying

?



You can spray atrazine on corn and switch at the same time...as long as weeds haven't started to emerge.

If you till the corn ground then weeds might not be emerged yet while the untilled switchgrass ground weeds might be coming up.

Won't have any affect on the seed of either corn or switchgrass no matter when you spray atrazine. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[WhitetailWarrior]

I have one for you.....So lets say that I have a few areas that I would like to put switch in and I haven't done anything yet to prepare them...Thinking hypothetically here....lol.. What would be my best option. The ground had brome grass and maybe some weeds growing in it last year. Should I frost seed over everything and spray with atrazine/roundup when it starts to green up...? or should I kill and till them seed with switch? What do you think will work the best?

 

[dbltree]

So lets say that I have a few areas that I would like to put switch in and I haven't done anything yet to prepare them

Hmmmm...I always get asked this question and no one likes the answer...

Killing brome after switch has been seeded is a very "iffy" proposistion. In the spring, dormant grasses don't all come to life and start growing at the same time which makes it tricky and difficult to kill before switchgrass germinates.

This is why I prefer to prepare in late summer by mowing, waiting roughly 6 weeks and then nuking the growing grass with Roundup. If anything is missed a second shot can be given in October.

You don't have that option in the spring...it's a one shot deal and if you don't get a good kill you have brome suffucating your new switchgrass seedlings.

Having said all that and you are determined to do it anyway...

Frost seed asap, then try to get the roundup/atrazine cocktail on by late April. Hopefully the brome is growing well by then and you will get a good kill.

Don't spare the horses however! Apply the gly at full strength along with surfactant, ammonium sulfate (AMS).

It can work...but it can also fail if weather doesn't cooperate..........

 

[PYBucks]

Drill in RR Soy Beans this spring, spray 2 or 3 times this summer and frost seed next spring.

 

[dbltree]

Originally Posted By: PYBucks
Drill in RR Soy Beans this spring, spray 2 or 3 times this summer and frost seed next spring.

Best advice ever!

 

[WhitetailWarrior]

With the cost of CIR seed I may just have to wait until this fall and do it the right way as this is a 25-30 acres of river bottom ground. I was just hoping that I would have a shot in the dark at getting it established this year...Thanks for the help.