Fighting RCG (Reed Canary Grass)

[chucker66]

My plan here is to get TRY to kill the RCG and get some switch grass (CIR Probably) going. I started with the fun stuff, burning it. I plan to track my proigress on this thread and any advise given will be appreciated. My plan is that once it greens up I will spay it with Gly 2 or 3 times and then broadcast some Buckwheat for this summer and then frost seed early next spring (2020) Here are soem pics.

 

[scott44]

Sounds like a good plan, good luck!

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I hate the stuff. I dont have a ton of "first hand " experience with it but I think your plan of spraying 2-3 times and planting a "smother crop" should work.

 

[sandbur]

Is the area seasonally flooded where RCG seed washes in year after year?

RCG usually has a tremendous seed bank in the soil. I would try to work with it rather than battle it year after year.

Kill strips or circles in it and plant spruce.

Staple down heavy black plastic(cheapskate me used pieces of old silage bag from the neighbor) and put native willow cuttings in it. Leave the plastic in place for years until the willows take off.

Anything that breaks the wind can help RCG to keep standing. You might even drag in down trees to create bedding pockets.

If it is a wet area, can you dig waterholes and bedding mounds?


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[chucker66]

This area is by a pond and it does get high water in the spring. This year it is higher than I have ever seen it but it is an area I can get to fairly easy and the deer really like this spot. It was a pine plantation but this spot did not have any pines and I think has been RCG for years. I'm going to give it a whirl and see what shakes out. If I fail I can go back in with some spruce and try to help the grass stay up. With the snow we had this year it was flat as a pancake so it was real fun to burn. I have some other areas on this 80 with RCG and am going to try a few different things like you mentioned but woudl really liek to get soem small 1 acre areas of switch grass going.

Chuck

 

[SD51555]

I've never seen anyone beat RCG. Short of removing the soil and turning it into a pond, or burying it with more soil, I don't know you can best RCG. That stuff grows in one type of spot, and doesn't lose. I've gone after it with chemical, mowing, and fabric. When I sprayed it, every roundup resistant weed in the countryside took over until the RCG recovered and snuffed them back out.

 

[sandbur]

I've never seen anyone beat RCG. Short of removing the soil and turning it into a pond, or burying it with more soil, I don't know you can best RCG. That stuff grows in one type of spot, and doesn't lose. I've gone after it with chemical, mowing, and fabric. When I sprayed it, every roundup resistant weed in the countryside took over until the RCG recovered and snuffed them back out.

Canadian bull thistle likes the sprayed areas.


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[chucker66]

That's why I think if I come back with something like Buckwheat I might have a chance. I have a food plot where there was a good amount of RCG and have used Winter Rye and it has kept it at bay for 2 years.

Chuck

 

[sandbur]

Is the area seasonally flooded where RCG seed washes in year after year?

RCG usually has a tremendous seed bank in the soil. I would try to work with it rather than battle it year after year.

Kill strips or circles in it and plant spruce.

Staple down heavy black plastic(cheapskate me used pieces of old silage bag from the neighbor) and put native willow cuttings in it. Leave the plastic in place for years until the willows take off.

Anything that breaks the wind can help RCG to keep standing. You might even drag in down trees to create bedding pockets.

If it is a wet area, can you dig waterholes and bedding mounds?


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I look for patches of shorter grass like this in the RC and plant a circle or string of spruce in them.

Smaller spruce will work. For planting IN the reed canary I need knee high spruce and about a 5 gallon bucket of root mass. Plan on half not making it in the RC.

These are the smaller spruce I planted in the short grass areas.

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[sandbur]

Spruce can get winter burn. Note the difference of those planted on the north side of willows versus an exposed site.

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[sandbur]

Here I attempted to link a short grass area with some spruce plantings to existing cover with a string of willows through the RC.

Think of a tennis racket and the picture was taken at the base of the handle . The willow cuttings grew the thickest where I left the black plastic in place. I did see a nice buck sneaking behind this line of willows last July.

(My daughter got the buck in Nov.!)


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[John-W-WI]

On my farm RCG only grows in areas that are often wet. I would wonder if switch would make it on that moist soil?

I have absolutely beat RCG. It took 10 years and a fair amount of effort, but I now have both pines and spruce taking the area over. Not 100%, but it's turning from mostly RCG to mostly evergreens. It can be done, but it isn't easy!

-John

 

[ksgobbler]

Kanlow switch likes wet areas.

 

[sandbur]

On my farm RCG only grows in areas that are often wet. I would wonder if switch would make it on that moist soil?

I have absolutely beat RCG. It took 10 years and a fair amount of effort, but I now have both pines and spruce taking the area over. Not 100%, but it's turning from mostly RCG to mostly evergreens. It can be done, but it isn't easy!

-John

Please give us suggestions.


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[sandbur]

I have a client that worked for a prairie restoration project and then for the government on the same restorations. His goal on his small farm was to convert the RC in a low area into native grasses.

I have driven by his farm for 15 years or more and can not see any permanent difference. He might have given up.




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[chucker66]

Thanks for all the advice. I might try some of these suggestions but I do have my heart set on getting some sort of switch going combined with some different pines and spruce.

Chuck

 

[chucker66]

So I did my first spraying on Friday May 17th. We will see what happens I went with 3oz gly per gallon to start. One problem is the pond is the highest since i have owned the land and we are getting more rain today. Hoping to spray again in 2 weeks and then see if I want to plant Buckwheat then or wait 2 more weeks and spray again.

Chuck

 

[Freeborn]

One thing about RC is the incredible seed bank it produces. When you plant your switch you can't disturb the soil you need to drill it. If you till the soil the RC will out compete the WSG.

 

[chucker66]

Right. My plan is to frost seed it. I don't have a drill but I am not going to disturb the surface either.

Thanks again

Chuck

 

[John-W-WI]

Please give us suggestions.


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I don't have any silver bullet. I planted pines and spruce, dug the RCG off of them for the first few years because they get smothered in the spring and have trouble growing. I simply stayed after it and now I'm winning. I'll try to find a before and after picture and post it. The area I've converted went from 99% RCG to more like 30%. But it's taken a LONG time.

-John