Miscanthus ... as a screen

[OakSeeds]

In order to avoid high-jacking Bill's excellent thread on propagating Miscanthus, I thought I'd share my experiences to the extent they may help others. I'll start by showing how I prepare them in the spring for new growth AND what I believe are the 2 most important things (competition and sufficient moisture) to remember when growing Miscanthus. I use loppers or a chain saw to cut the old stalks off within a few inches of the ground; and, I install a heavy wood mulch (I get it free from the city) extending 18-24" away from the plant. Why is the mulch so important; 2 reasons ... it chokes out competition and it helps keep the plant hydrated. With regard to competition, Miscanthus doesn't start growing until the soil temp reaches 55-60 degrees; other cool weather grasses/weeds can get a big head start and really restrict the growth of your plants (if you raise them BIG, it takes fewer plants to create a screen). Although Miscanthus won't tolerate wet feet very well, it loves water and thrives best when it gets an ample amount on a regular basis (again, the value of mulch). If, later, you decide to subdivide one/some of your existing plants, remember to plant the subdivided plant so that the crown of the plant is above the surrounding soil line to avoid crown rot in the plant (water can also be it's nenesis). ransplant is slightly higher than the surrounding soil line (avoid crown rot if the plant can't shed excess water - it loves water but water can be it's nenesis). The second photo and last photo are pictures of transplants I made last week (they are yet to be mulched).. You will also notice my plants are not real close to one another; with a good competition-eliminating-water-saving mulch, I believe less is more with regard to Miscanthus.

 

[scott44]

Looks good! What do you use to divide them? Do they have to be dormant to divide them? Thanks

 

[OakSeeds]

Here is that same line of Miscanthus in July; 11 plants that provide about 75 feet of pretty good screen along a lane. The attached photos will show a volunteer Miacanthus plant (photo #1 .. the small plant is located just to the left of the middle oak tree planted in front of the Miscanthus). Photo #2 shows the small volunteer plant, photo #3 shows a volunteer that was transplanted earlier this spring and photo #4 show what 3 plants can do. . The last photo shows how nice a 3-plant screen can be!





The newspaper around the small transplant is a barrier to protect it when I sprayed the weeds adjacent to it with Gly three days ago.

 

[OakSeeds]

Looks good! What do you use to divide them? Do they have to be dormant to divide them? Thanks

Scott/all .. the transplants in photo #2 above (1st post) were made 10 days ago when it was above 90 degrees; if you keep them moist these things are tough as nails. These two transplants were part of 5 mature plants I got from a neighbor who no longer wanted them. I used a hand axe and a framing hammer to split them in half when I dug them. I have never transplanted any when they were dormant; however, I have always been able to keep them well watered. If cone could not water them on a regular basis during the warmer months it would probably be better to make all transplants during early spring before they begin to grow (late April / early May in central Ohio).

 

[scott44]

Scott/all .. the transplants in photo #2 above (1st post) were made 10 days ago when it was above 90 degrees; if you keep them moist these things are tough as nails. These two transplants were part of 5 mature plants I got from a neighbor who no longer wanted them. I used a hand axe and a framing hammer to split them in half when I dug them. I have never transplanted any when they were dormant; however, I have always been able to keep them well watered. If cone could not water them on a regular basis during the warmer months it would probably be better to make all transplants during early spring before they begin to grow (late April / early May in central Ohio).

Most of mine are not going to be able to be watered other than rain, I think I'm going to try and split some of mine next spring. Thanks

 

[Bill]

Today I had a Sconnie stop by. He has a farm not far from me and needed to know what that grass screening was :D

I gave him all the info I could and told him to check out HT for more info. That's my second visitor to stop and inquire about it. It just flat out performs better that native grasses.

 

[OakSeeds]

Different varieties of Miscanthus ... most folks would probably plant Miscanthus Giganthus ... however, there are other varieties that make reasonably good screening material. The first photo shows 3 Miscanthus plants (gracillimus / aka maiden grass and zebra grass) used as a temporary screen between a chestnut tree and a Norway Spruce ... as the trees get larger, the Miscanthus plants can easily be transplanted to other locations.
There are 6-7 varieties of Miscanthus that grow to 6-7 feet before adding blooms (sterile seed heads); add a little color and variety to your plantings (watch for them on sale at the end of the growing season.

 

[j-bird]

How well does this stuff stand up in the winter against snow and ice? I have a need for a screen where I am transplanting cedars now, but this stuff looks like it would be a faster solution for me.....IF it stands well in the winter time. I actually have a couple places this would be of interest to me. I have some places where I think it could screen hunter access to stands, screens from a road and the like. My switchgrass gets 5 feet tall roughly, and hides a deer well, but not a 6' tall hunter.

 

[Bill]

j-bird,
I have two plants at home that fall over in sept. I've never figured out why. My suspicion is heavy shade or to much water.

I've got 100's at the farm and I've never had one fall. They have to be cut in the spring. Over the winter the blades of grass fall over but the stalk remains.

A 2 inch ice storm might get them but other than that thier pretty bullet proof.

This is a single plant in late February.

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[j-bird]

j-bird,
I have two plants at home that fall over in sept. I've never figured out why. My suspicion is heavy shade or to much water.

I've got 100's at the farm and I've never had one fall. They have to be cut in the spring. Over the winter the blades of grass fall over but the stalk remains.

A 2 inch ice storm might get them but other than that thier pretty bullet proof.

This is a single plant in late February.

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That's awesome. The more I look into this stuff the more I think it may be something worth trying for me. I know there are a few places on the web to buy them. I may give a few a try and see how they do. I got a few places where i think they could really help me with some screening...some on plots, others from the road, some others yet around stands. If I do - I may pick your brain as to how best go about it. If I wanted a solid wall - what sort of spacing should I target (single row). This will help me determine how many I need to order.

 

[Bill]

Pick away.

Here some useful info. All is in the other thread but it's probably spaced out.

It can be planted on 3 foot spacing and provide good screen after a few years. I like to plant at 18 to 24 inches for a wall. I also like two rows because like anything we plant some don't make it and there are holes.

This is a single row planted on about 12 inch spacing.


Giving it some N in year one doesn't hurt but isn't necessary.

MG does not like competition. Oakseeds likes mulch. I have way to many for that so I go the herbicide route.
MG is Atrazine and Simazine resistant. Simazine 4-L is not a restricted herbicide so you don't need a permit to buy it. (Not saying you can legally us anywhere) but you can buy it. For purposes here atrazine and Simazine are interchangeable. Keystonepestslutions.com is one supplier.

Pre planting I spray with gly 2+ Qty's/acre and atrazine 2-4 Qty's/acre

Post emergent MG can be sprayed directly over with 2,4-DB and Atrazine combined to control broadleaf and some annual grasses. DO NOT use crop oil as the label states. Crop oil will burn and stunt your MG. I replace the crop oil with dish detergent. A few large squeezes per 25 gallons of mixture.

Not sure about Simazine but the Atrazine label says to limit the amount used in any growing season and not to use on corn over 12 inches. This is to reduce the chance of residual damage to the following years crop. Since there is no follow up crop with MG a bit heavy won't hurt. But it is bad for aquatic life so be mindful of runoff.

I've always found the best rhizome price from mapleriversfarm.com

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[j-bird]

Oakseeds - sorry for the brief hi-jack.....

 

[IkemanTx]

This looks like a great way to carve out small "secluded" food plots out of a larger field... I will have to try to remember, because it looks much easier that EW in the long run.


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[OakSeeds]

Oakseeds - sorry for the brief hi-jack.....

Your helping others (and yourself) to learn .... no problem my friend :-)

 

[scott44]

Oakseeeds, how hard is it to dig the whole football up?

 

[OakSeeds]

Oakseeeds, how hard is it to dig the whole football up?

I like to try and get 10-12 inches of soil/roots when I dig a plant for transplanting. With a mature plant (24+ inches across) that can add up in weight. Consequently, cutting a mature plant in half before digging not only gives you twice as many plants, it makes the "heavy" problem a little lighter (bad pun). Attached is a photo of a transplant; you can see I attempt to get soil-encased roots if possible.
Attached are photos of a transplanted volunteer mg; although it is not 1/2 of a separated mature MG plant, it (hopefully) gives you some idea of the type of root ball I attempt to capture with any transplant. Hope this helps! :-)

 

[scott44]

Thanks! I have some I want to split next spring and was wondering what I was going to get into, just about what I thought.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

I'll try to get some pics in the upcoming weeks, but I don't do anything close to the prep work you guys do using M X G. I either spray once with gly and slap them in with a tree planter or simply disc in the spring, not having sprayed anything.

Now, my screens don't look anywhere near as pretty as those pictured here (which is why I need to get/post some pics), but they do the job and I put almost no effort into establishing it. I was plant 2 3'x3'x3' staggered rows. Bill and some of the others here helped me fine tune the spacing to where I'm pretty darn pleased.

 

[Bill]

Steve
Please do post some of those pics. I'm curious to see what a once and done does. I'd also like to see the contrast between the way you have done it and one single spraying in the spring on second or third year plants. Based on growing habits I would think there would be a huge differance in those that got a 3 - 4 week head start.

 

[OakSeeds]

Do they have to be dormant to divide them? Thanks

Scott ... the attached photos show transplants that were planted during the hottest part of the summer. Photo #1 taken about mid/late-July shows a couple of green - with leaves bent over- plants that had just been transplanted. The second phot (#2) is around Aug. 2 or 3 and the temps were 90+ at that time. The third photo - taken a few days ago - reveals hearty plants that - have some growth - and will soon begin to go dormant with the cooler fall weather. If you can water, I believe you can transplant any time you can dig a hole in the ground.