Miscanthus Gigantus....for bedding?

[tynimiller]

I will say this subject has sent my mind into "what if" mode.

I currently have a "X" project in some natural weeds with some switch out of cedars, but the MG would grow much faster. I also liek the idea of mixing in some shrubs to maybe define edges or even travel paths. The MG can certainly be used for screens for deer and people and help make that smaller area feel so much larger. Then snake in a winding clover or fall annual plot with small "orchards" along the way and you could build a personal deer island where the deer may just never leave. Just realize that the cover closest to the food will be taken by does and bucks prefer an elevated view further away.....so you may just build a doe factory, but even then....the boys will come looking when the time is right.

Yeah the topography of my personal acreage is that of a pancake...as is the general surrounding areas in every direction. Just gentle sloping areas. Bucks have taken over the bedding area on our place which consists of more bushes with open understory but THICK at head high to a human and up. I think my property sees more bucks than does because the large 100 acre destination food source to my properties SE has a winding creek and fairly wide thicket right by it. I sense the doe families reign the roost there and the bucks like to stage back more so on mine. However with introducing 3 acres of food plots since last March, I finally this year have decently consistent visits from does...however I really don't see the families move in till crop harvest and that field becomes void of food.

 

[j-bird]

Yeah the topography of my personal acreage is that of a pancake...as is the general surrounding areas in every direction. Just gentle sloping areas. Bucks have taken over the bedding area on our place which consists of more bushes with open understory but THICK at head high to a human and up. I think my property sees more bucks than does because the large 100 acre destination food source to my properties SE has a winding creek and fairly wide thicket right by it. I sense the doe families reign the roost there and the bucks like to stage back more so on mine. However with introducing 3 acres of food plots since last March, I finally this year have decently consistent visits from does...however I really don't see the families move in till crop harvest and that field becomes void of food.

Are you seeing more doe bedding as well? My concern would be the plots drawing does and thus doe bedding and thus displacing those bedded bucks..... This is where you need to look at how and when you hunt and what you are after and target that time ad method for that animal and let the rest fall where they may, because you can't have your cake and eat it too on smaller properties. If you prefer early season bow and looking for a buck then it sounds like what you had may have been ideal.....bucks bedding on your property. If you hunting with a gun later in the season....then having food and does may be the ticket, but the bucks may bed outside your property. I'm not saying either way is right or wrong, but sometimes trying to get the best of both world s leaves you somewhere in the middle....and stuck. Again, just some things to consider.

 

[tynimiller]

Are you seeing more doe bedding as well? My concern would be the plots drawing does and thus doe bedding and thus displacing those bedded bucks..... This is where you need to look at how and when you hunt and what you are after and target that time ad method for that animal and let the rest fall where they may, because you can't have your cake and eat it too on smaller properties. If you prefer early season bow and looking for a buck then it sounds like what you had may have been ideal.....bucks bedding on your property. If you hunting with a gun later in the season....then having food and does may be the ticket, but the bucks may bed outside your property. I'm not saying either way is right or wrong, but sometimes trying to get the best of both world s leaves you somewhere in the middle....and stuck. Again, just some things to consider.

It's crazy you should bring this discussion up j, this being a brand new to me property (bought last march) I myself have continued to grow and change and change again my thoughts on it all. I've been meaning to for a while now to layout out an extensive illustration map/pictures of the property layout, surrounding properties and just discuss with fellas here on a separate thread of course. Long story short IF the destination food source stays in ag to my SE I never have to worry about providing tonnage outside of mid-November onward really...now should it get developed....the food burden shifts really to only what is growing and/or bait piles behind houses of people watching the deer (subdivision to south a bit I know has multiple). It definitely is not a country setting, more rural/development but that will all make more sense when I lay it out. Keep an eye out for it and let me know thoughts. Oh and for what it is worth I'm 95% bow only type guy...rarely do I grab a gun.

 

[j-bird]

It's crazy you should bring this discussion up j, this being a brand new to me property (bought last march) I myself have continued to grow and change and change again my thoughts on it all. I've been meaning to for a while now to layout out an extensive illustration map/pictures of the property layout, surrounding properties and just discuss with fellas here on a separate thread of course. Long story short IF the destination food source stays in ag to my SE I never have to worry about providing tonnage outside of mid-November onward really...now should it get developed....the food burden shifts really to only what is growing and/or bait piles behind houses of people watching the deer (subdivision to south a bit I know has multiple). It definitely is not a country setting, more rural/development but that will all make more sense when I lay it out. Keep an eye out for it and let me know thoughts. Oh and for what it is worth I'm 95% bow only type guy...rarely do I grab a gun.

Well you certainly understand that the only constant is change. So yes, as that food source changes....and you may even see changes from when it is corn vs beans or cover cropped and the like as well. Being mostly bow only - that means having to get fairly close and thus stand access is even that much more important. I just know lots of guys like to think their property is an "island" and that in fact isn't true.....especially on smaller properties. The nice thing with grasses is they will grow quickly and you can essentially totally redesign the layout in just a few years if you so choose. I look forward to your thread on the property.....let me know if I can help in any way.

 

[tynimiller]

Well you certainly understand that the only constant is change. So yes, as that food source changes....and you may even see changes from when it is corn vs beans or cover cropped and the like as well. Being mostly bow only - that means having to get fairly close and thus stand access is even that much more important. I just know lots of guys like to think their property is an "island" and that in fact isn't true.....especially on smaller properties. The nice thing with grasses is they will grow quickly and you can essentially totally redesign the layout in just a few years if you so choose. I look forward to your thread on the property.....let me know if I can help in any way.

Yup, last year that ag field was corn...this year wheat which was cut and out August and beans drilled in and irrigation still running there to get beans to viable crop...meaning essentially right now the deer are pounding it. Last year the corn drew em out more. I'll share more and start that thread in the next couple days and it all will crystalize visually at least for you and others. Can't wait for that discussion.

 

[alldaysit]

How does a guy plant 2000 of these..... easily?


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[alldaysit]

How does a guy plant 2000 of these..... easily?


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[Bill]

How does a guy plant 2000 of these..... easily?


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Still haven't figured out how to really easily take my photo bucket hostage pics back. This is the best I can do..
Tractor supply sells a sub soiler? I spray the area I want to plant in early spring with gly and atrazine or (simazine). Run the sub soiler forward and backward a few times. Walk along and drop the rhizomes. Kick or rake dirt over them and then run the row over with the tractor tire or a 4 wheeler. I've planted a few thousand in few hours this way.

 

[tynimiller]

Me personally...all done with a shovel, a bag of rhizomes and some time.

However, I know one client used a single bladed blow and basically did what is illustrated above. He threw the rhizomes in and then dragged over to cover. He said he rolled over a section then as well to see if he had any better germ and he didn't so he isn't sure the pressing of the soil makes a sizable benefit.

 

[Honker]

I always thought a 3pt tree planter would work pretty well to do this too.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Thats interesting^^^^^

Who makes that?

bill

 

[Honker]

That was a stock photo I grabbed off the web. In Wisconsin just about every county has one for rent from the DNR. I know some states the NRCS has them for rent.

 

[John-W-WI]

That was a stock photo I grabbed off the web. In Wisconsin just about every county has one for rent from the DNR. I know some states the NRCS has them for rent.

Yep Honker, our county (Chippewa) has several available for VERY minimal rental charge. Usually charged by the acre planted. When you use it to plant a screen that really only covers an acre the cost is nearly nothing.

I think the last time I rented one it cost me $50 and I had it for the whole weekend. I only used it for a few hours though.

-John

 

[alldaysit]

Yep Honker, our county (Chippewa) has several available for VERY minimal rental charge. Usually charged by the acre planted. When you use it to plant a screen that really only covers an acre the cost is nearly nothing.

I think the last time I rented one it cost me $50 and I had it for the whole weekend. I only used it for a few hours though.

-John

Well isn’t that just great to know! Now I want to order more than a hundred rhizomes lol


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[Honker]

I think the last time I rented one it cost me $50 and I had it for the whole weekend. I only used it for a few hours though.

Yes, if memory serves me right from this year's tree planting they rent them for $5-$10 an acre. I know Oconto County has 2 or 3 tree planters. My recommendation for planting would be to only drop the three point hitch as deep as you need to get the rhizomes in, 5 inches would be plenty. You can plant them as fast as the person on the tree planter can get them in the ground. You could plant a hundred in no time. Treat the planting site with herbicide ahead of time and it would be a pretty painless process.

 

[John-W-WI]

Yes, if memory serves me right from this year's tree planting they rent them for $5-$10 an acre. I know Oconto County has 2 or 3 tree planters. My recommendation for planting would be to only drop the three point hitch as deep as you need to get the rhizomes in, 5 inches would be plenty. You can plant them as fast as the person on the tree planter can get them in the ground. You could plant a hundred in no time. Treat the planting site with herbicide ahead of time and it would be a pretty painless process.

Just thinking out loud here... But what would be better, oust before or after planting them?

Seems like if you planted then smoothed it out a little and applied oust as the last step the weeds would be kept to a minimum because you wouldn't be disturbing the soil after you sprayed. Hopefully the MG would still come up through the soil profile with oust on top?

Never tried it but I would like to experiment a little (with cuttings as well).

-John

 

[TreeDaddy]

Is oust safe for miscanthus?

bill

 

[Bill]

Is oust safe for miscanthus?

bill

I'm not sure. Paul Knox felt that it would be. So much so that he either did or was planning to test the theory. He may have posted the results but I honestly don't remeber if he did. I may have to poke around outreach outdoors and see if posted anything about it there. Great wealth of Lickcreeks info on that forum by the way.

 

[Frosted brassica]

I'm not sure. Paul Knox felt that it would be. So much so that he either did or was planning to test the theory. He may have posted the results but I honestly don't remeber if he did. I may have to poke around outreach outdoors and see if posted anything about it there. Great wealth of Lickcreeks info on that forum by the way.

What is the oldest MG plants you have growing? I read lots about how great it is for fast screening but haven't seen much about long term growth and maintenance. How easy is it to control or remove 15 years later?

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[Bill]

What is the oldest MG plants you have growing? I read lots about how great it is for fast screening but haven't seen much about long term growth and maintenance. How easy is it to control or remove 15 years later?

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Honestly don't remember but my oldest plants have to be at least 7 years old. They are the biggest in regards to width. Easily 5 to 6 foot wide.

It's main purpose is use as a biofuel that will produce much more than switchgrass. Everything I read on the biofuel information gives it a 20 year life. That may just be 20 years of producing top tonnage for biofuel. It will probably continue be useful longer to us habitat guys.

3 applications of gly will kill it. Spray June, July and August and it's done. I didn't say this but I would think 1 application of gly and diesel would get it done.