Miscanthus x Gianteus

[OneCam]

Check out this Warm season grass.

Comparing switch grass on the left and 12' Miscanthus x giganteus on the right

This would be incredible screening and cover!

http://www.miscanthus.uiuc.edu/wp-content/uploads/growersguide.pdf
http://miscanthus.uiuc.edu/index.php/researchers/rich-pyter/
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/AG201.pdf

Does anyone have any experience with this??

 

[muddy]

Good Lord... you could almost hang a stand on that stuff.

 

[OneCam]

Here is a nice growth and standability sequence ...

 

[Fishbonker]

Isn't that the same stuff Travis (Central Iowa) posted awhile back?

You could hide a huge tribe of Fugarwees in that stuff.

The 'Bonker

 

[JNRBRONC]

Re: Miscanthus x Giganteus

I think the following excerpt from the ISU pdf basically throws cold water on it.

Establishment:
• Miscanthus x giganteus produces no
seed, so it must be established vegetatively
by planting divided rhizome
pieces. This process results in high
establishment costs relative to crops
established from seed.
• The planting rate is one transplant
per three square feet or about 4,000
plants per acre.
• As with other vegetatively
propagated crops, dry soil moisture
conditions at and following planting
greatly decrease establishment
success.
A miscanthus stand, shown above center,
takes three to five years to reach full production
during which time the yield increases
each successive year.
• Establishment success may be
limited by death of plants in the first
winter after planting. European
research suggests new plantings of
Miscanthus x giganteus may not survive
where soil temperatures fall below 26˚
F at a depth of one inch, as they do in
Iowa during the winter.
• M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus
plantings have overwintered the first
year in northern Europe where air
temperatures have been as low as 0˚
F. Winter survival is not a problem in
the second and subsequent years.

 

[OneCam]

It has been successfully grown in Illinois for years for biomass fuel research. I have been told to expect up to a 25% winter kill rate the first of planting. I agree it would be cost prohibitive if planting for cover but for screening it could be the ticket.

I thought I would share a picture taken this weekend of our Miscanthus - this was planted around May 1st.

This is one of the more impressive clumps in the bunch

 

[Fishbonker]

How does it stand up to a snow load? Won't provide much screen if it is flat after the first snow. I don't know if there has been any research on that aspect. Isn't most of it cut in the early fall for biomass?

The 'Bonker

 

[JNRBRONC]

A thread from the Garden web forum.

 

[dbltree]

Originally Posted By: JNRBRONC
A thread from the Garden web forum.

Answers to some questions in that link for sure. Interesting possibles if it can survive here.

Anyone find out where to buy the stuff? We need to come up with a name that I can pronounce too...

 

[Fishbonker]

Good link. Sounds like it stands in winter.

On a related note, I'm thinking of planitng a screen next to my neighbors fence. If it spreads to his side of the fence, and I'm sure it will, if he spays the fence line with weed/grass herbicide of some kind will the plants on my side of the fence die? My concern is the rhizomes connecting all the plants. I suppose if I think about clover and round up it only kills the clover it is directly sprayed on. But what about 24D or other herbacides? Will they flow through the rhizomes and kill the entire patch?

The 'Bonker

 

[JNRBRONC]

Originally Posted By: dbltree


Anyone find out where to buy the stuff?

Southwest Sod Farm Item #30

They are calling it an ornamental, so hang on to your wallet.

 

[dbltree]

hang on to your wallet.

She's been "hanging" onto it for 30 years Randy...I don't think she's going to give it back either...



I think I need Bonker to teach me how to be a real man

Now I'm interested to see what the spacing is of this stuff and what type of soils it does best in.

Bonker...roundup will kill anything that it contacts the leaves but 2-4D shouldn't affect it. Any grass herbicide that would be absorbed thru the roots would be a problem.

 

[JNRBRONC]

Originally Posted By: dbltree

Now I'm interested to see what the spacing is of this stuff and what type of soils it does best in

.




Paul,
See the ISU pdf (third link in Chris's post). On page one, third column, it talks of soil. This stuff grows best in "corn soils" and biomass yield is diminished in "poor and droughty soils". Granted I don't think we are looking for maximum biomass yield, but I'd guess the more tonnage it produces, the taller the stand is.

I think I saw where they recommend planting on a three foot grid pattern.

 

[dbltree]

This stuff grows best in "corn soils" and biomass yield is diminished in "poor and droughty soils". Granted I don't think we are looking for maximum biomass yield, but I'd guess the more tonnage it produces, the taller the stand is.

Sounds a lot like Eastern Gammagrass which, like corn really loves nitrogen for optimum growth.




I did find this from a nursery in England however:

Mammoth Miscanthus
Miscanthus x giganteus
This magnificent screening plant, similar to Bamboo in appearance, forms a thick impenetrable barrier and an excellent wind break that due to the flexibility of its growth actually filters or breaks up the wind unlike rigid physical barriers.

Within 15 months can be 15ft in height!

Rich green Summer foliage is topped by beautiful arching sprays of silky russet pink flowers like a fine pampas grass - have no worry though, these won't seed themselves all over the place! Neither is it invasive like pampas or bamboo. In Winter the foliage takes on a russet gold colour. This really makes a splendid thick bushy screen.

Plant 2 feet apart from mid May - September.
Ultimate height 15 feet. Can be trimmed to any height above 4 feet.
Ultimate width 4 feet. Can be trimmed to any width over 2 feet.
Grows well in most soil types (including chalky and clay) except those prone to laying very wet.

Suitable for most aspects from full sun to partial shade. Does not perform well in dense shade.
Suitable for coastal areas.
Performs well in windy positions.
Plant Spring / Summer (generally available mid May - September).
Due to the reduced growing season, Mammoth Miscanthus will not achieve its full height in Scotland and Northern England.

Links:

[URL="http://miscanthus.uiuc.edu/"]Miscanthus studies [/url]
What is Miscanthus?
Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus)
Miscanthus x giganteus Miscanthus X Giganteus Propagation Studies Performance of 15 Miscanthus Genotypes More on Miscanthus

 

[Central Iowa]

They have planted 30 acres a day in Europe using potato planters! Think about that stand! The neat thing is you can satrt small and start splitting them to fill you screening needs with your initial investment. I think I may order a small amount and experiment for a year or two.

Here are some pictures showing how the Miscanthus is doing so far. We planted the rhizomes on April 16 and we have an average of 6 inches of growth on most in one month. Here is the definition of a rhizome (they are a under ground stem: a thick underground horizontal stem that produces roots and has shoots that develop into new plants.) The first picture shows what they look like.

I planted the rhizomes 3 foot apart and 2-3” deep. Hopefully this should form a nice wall that could be as tall as 12 foot and add a secure feeling to the plot as well as screening for access to and from stands.

Stay tuned for future updates. It appears now the biggest hurdle will be winter survival as the first winter is supposed to be the hardest.

Most of my plants are in the 3 to 3 1/2 foot range, and few are over 5 foot. I didn't spray mine untill this past weekend with a mix of 24d and atrazine I will update again in 2-3 weeks.

While at work today I found one of those hidden treasures that your around all the time and don't even know it's there. I have drove by this Miscanthus for all 5 years of it's existance walked by it probably half a dozen times but while on the phone today I picked up a brochure while standing in the lobby of Reiman Gardens in Ames and was reading about their biofuel tour of grasses, etc. and noticed they had Giant Miscanthus listed. So to truck for the camera I went then talked to one of the staff about it. They have never been split and are 5 years old. This stuff is thick and tall (well over 12 foot). If mine ends up even close to this in a few years I will be very happy. They had some that was older that looked great as well but not in the best spot for pictures. If you are driving past Reiman Gardens in Ames North of highway 30 next to Jack Trice stadium you can't miss it if you are looking for it.

 

[Skully]

As a volunteer fire-fighter all I can think about what a hot sum-a-benchin' grass fire that stuff could produce! Holy blazes! I bet the critters would love it though!

 

[bowhuntr311]

Skully,

I never thought about the fire aspect till you mentioned it. That would be worse than lighting a good dry cat-tail slough (sp?) on fire.

With it planted in rows as in the pictures. I bet that would really make some good cover. Broadcasted probably be so tough to get through that a deer would go around it than through it.

Dean

 

[JNRBRONC]

Originally Posted By: Skully
As a volunteer fire-fighter all I can think about what a hot sum-a-benchin' grass fire that stuff could produce! Holy blazes! I bet the critters would love it though!

Being the victim of two arson fires when I had switch grass CRP, I think this is a very valid comment! If some low life is PO'd because he can't see through it from the road, all it takes is a match.

I was thinking earlier that some type of shrub would be a much more cost effective screen. Even though it might lose it's leaves in fall/winter, branches should deflect bullets from road poachers.

So I guess plant BOTH.

 

[Critter]

As a volunteer fire-fighter all I can think about what a hot sum-a-benchin' grass fire that stuff could produce! Holy blazes! I bet the critters would love it though!



Being the victim of two arson fires when I had switch grass CRP, I think this is a very valid comment! If some low life is PO'd because he can't see through it from the road, all it takes is a match.

I was thinking earlier that some type of shrub would be a much more cost effective screen. Even though it might lose it's leaves in fall/winter, branches should deflect bullets from road poachers.

So I guess plant BOTH.



Funny this topic popped up today.......I've thought about it numerous times when I'm thinking ahead about planning some cover seeding or a "road block" seeding. I wonder how often it happens. Probably wouldn't just be road poachers you'd have a problem with........cut off the visuals to your adjacent landowners and they might accidentaly flick their smoke at your bedding area. I doubt most would do it, but I'd be willing to bet it happens more than we know of.

 

[JNRBRONC]

Critr

One grass fire was shortly after I busted two guys for trespassing, so I think it was retaliation.I recovered the Molotov cocktail "someone" threw into my field in an attempt to set the place on fire, but no finger prints were ever taken off of it. It had luckily landed in a bare area that they couldn't see from the road as they threw it. Thus, we were able to get the fire out and recover the device. CSI does not exist in rural Iowa! Don't expect "dusting for prints".

The second fire happened while we were asleep. We looked out the window in the morning to see 4 charred acres. The local fire department had put it out or it would have been more. At that point, we decided that we needed a LARGE buffer between the CRP and the house.