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Switchgrass

Anyone successfully transformed RCG to switchgrass in waterways? Little scared of window of erosion from termination of one to establishment of next. Maybe with adding rye....
If u think u need to do extra…. Winter rye. Or if u wanna get nuts…. Transform from RCG to a waterway mix without RCG. Kill and drill that.
Now- RCG is very aggressively rooted and matted. That has a very good chance of holding for a year. U may have some issues but probably not major. Unless it’s very steep - which usually RCG doesn’t grow in that anyways. I think good chance of converting.

last 2 cents…. I might only do this on a farm really needing cover. Add switch to other areas. Leave waterways if it’s holding soil. In SOME cases, the small gain of cover with waterways is not beneficial enough to off-set the risk of having any issues of NWSG’s not holding the soil as well as a sod forming grass… I leave most of mine in brome, or western wheatgrass. Or ideally- a mix like fescue, brome, red clover, etc. having a strip of switch on both sides of waterway would also be pretty cool.
 
Here are some pics . The plant is rigid and has the purple stalk. Mowed a section tonight. Grow baby grow. Need rain .
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U found moisture!!!! That root is going DOWN!!!! Great!!!!!
 
Mowing another section before work. Ill have it whipped with a few more sessions. The last section I sprayed i must have had some sort of better coverage or possibly made extra passes to finish out my tank cause its smoked and very few broadleafs emerging
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Things have really started to grow now with the rain. I am seeing allot of grasses as well mix in with the switch. Best strategy now would be to mowing only?
 
Do you see any switchgrass in these pictures? Seems really tall but I think some fertilizer was added to the planting.
 

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Any foxtail coming in hard….. MOW!!! CLIP!!!!! Don’t let get too big. IF anyone is seeing this. Or large crabgrass.

Or get quinclorac & meth seed oil on it when u have switch coming in small but steady & the foxtail or Crabgrass is over top of it. Free it one way or other.
*or sure- later on…. Slightly lighter labeled rate 2,4-d, oil or ams & atrazine.
 
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I drilled some Switch this year and had varying results. The ground was beans last year and I disced and packed it before drilling with my Van Brundt 7 row drill. I had the depth as shallow as I could go and left the furrows open afterwards and let rain cover the seed. 2 of my plantings popped up in about 2.5-3 weeks, (planted in the 2nd week of May). The 3rd planting was done the same way and planted a month later. Granted rainfall was a little different, the 3rd planting has yet to sprout. Thoughts? All areas were treated with Simazine prior to drilling.
 
I drilled some Switch this year and had varying results. The ground was beans last year and I disced and packed it before drilling with my Van Brundt 7 row drill. I had the depth as shallow as I could go and left the furrows open afterwards and let rain cover the seed. 2 of my plantings popped up in about 2.5-3 weeks, (planted in the 2nd week of May). The 3rd planting was done the same way and planted a month later. Granted rainfall was a little different, the 3rd planting has yet to sprout. Thoughts? All areas were treated with Simazine prior to drilling.
As long as it didn’t germinate & then not rain for a LONG time…. It’s likely coming. It’s either coming in now - you should see now or very soon….. or it’s still dormant where the seed didn’t stratify enough to germinate. Keep an eye on it. Post results in another couple weeks. If you don’t see it…. Plan B…
 
I'm still skeptical whether my switch survived our very hot and dry June& early July but I'm trying to remain optimistic.
Recent rains have kicked the foxtail into high gear so I hit it yesterday in hopes of releasing some switch
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What rate are you applying at? Nobody seems to have and answer. U of Nebraska says 8oz/acre with Simizine immediately after drilling...but I'm not sure why they apply right after drilling. I usually take a wild ass guess with my 25 gallon sprayer.
 
Has anyone successfully seeded switch with a nurse crop? Thinking frost seeding switch followed by a spring application of oats? May help keep weeds at bay... may also keep switch at bay too :rolleyes:
 
I was actually thinking about drilling some areas with Rye this late summer, killing it off in the spring, and then drilling switch into it. The dead Rye would at least control erosion on the hills.
 
I was actually thinking about drilling some areas with Rye this late summer, killing it off in the spring, and then drilling switch into it. The dead Rye would at least control erosion on the hills.

That was another thought I had, broadcasting rye this fall, then discing under in late spring and seeding then.
 
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