Giant Miscanthus

R.E. Gould

5 year old buck +
FYI, there's an article on giant Miscanthus in the April 2021 issue of Deer and Deer Hunting. Definitely looks like a great option for full sun screening.

I will be planting some Thundercloud switchgrass, which they say can get up to 8 feet. I got the plugs the other day and potted them up so I can give the area where I'll plant them a few whacks with glyphosate. https://hoffmannursery.com/plants/details/panicum-virgatum-thundercloud-pp20665 It's patented and a lot more than the miscanthus though.

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I have had great success with Miscanthus Giganteus. Very easy to plant and pretty much zero maintenance. Cut it down every year or two and let it grow. Forms a great screen that lasts all winter.
 
I just planted 4500 rhizomes mid April. Hope it turns out. Will be back to properly mid may but doubt much if any growth at this point
 
How fast does it grow? It doesn’t spread then either it sounds like, so do you have to buy a lot to get the desired effect?
 
I’ve been interested in this stuff. Does anybody know if it will grow around black walnuts? I’m having a hard time establishing a screen in this area
 
How fast does it grow? It doesn’t spread then either it sounds like, so do you have to buy a lot to get the desired effect?

Very similar growing characteristics to native grasses. Year one barely there, year two you can see it. Year three it’s coming into its own. (Two rows will form a screen in year 3). After that it just keeps growing a larger diameter footprint. Miscanthus Giganthus is a sterile form of grass. It will not grow by seed only via rhizomes or live cuttings.

You have to buy a lot or be willing to wait and take your own rhizomes or cuttings. I’m far to impatient for that, I buy them.

Not sure about the black walnut.
 
Very similar growing characteristics to native grasses. Year one barely there, year two you can see it. Year three it’s coming into its own. (Two rows will form a screen in year 3). After that it just keeps growing a larger diameter footprint. Miscanthus Giganthus is a sterile form of grass. It will not grow by seed only via rhizomes or live cuttings.

You have to buy a lot or be willing to wait and take your own rhizomes or cuttings. I’m far to impatient for that, I buy them.

Not sure about the black walnut.
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This is less than two years of growth for the Miscanthus. The ones on the right I planted into pots for the first four months. I also got some Miscanthus cuttings last year from the one and only @Bill. They are mostly on the left side of this photo:
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Here is a row of miscanthus that I planted back in Late April of this year. They are about 3-4 feet tall now and will probably resemble the ones in the above images at the end of next summer:
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I can't speak to how they will do around black walnut. They are grasses so they love full sun. If you do try and plant them within the drip line of the black walnut, I would recommend planting them into pots as rhizomes for most of the first summer and then transplanting them to the field in Autumn. That will give them a leg up to get established. Bill has a great thread on Miscanthus that I highly suggest reading a time or two.
 
Does anyone have any experience with MG in zone 4b? It seems to be on the edge of its range. A few companies out there advertise that their variety grows up to Canada, but I’ve heard of some people having issues in colder climates (zones 4 and colder). I have a few growing right now as a test in an unprotected area and I don’t plan on pampering them. While they sound appealing and my test strip looks good for its first year of growth, it’s concerning to drop a big chunk of money into something that might get frozen out before it’s established.
 
Does anyone have any experience with MG in zone 4b? It seems to be on the edge of its range. A few companies out there advertise that their variety grows up to Canada, but I’ve heard of some people having issues in colder climates (zones 4 and colder). I have a few growing right now as a test in an unprotected area and I don’t plan on pampering them. While they sound appealing and my test strip looks good for its first year of growth, it’s concerning to drop a big chunk of money into something that might get frozen out before it’s established.

I wouldn’t drop big $ on it next year.

Wait and see what happens with what you have planted.

I find it really odd that that the biggest commercial supplier to the world is in Canada……. yet?

Guys have a hard time with it up north.

I can’t explain that.
 
View attachment 37523
This is less than two years of growth for the Miscanthus. The ones on the right I planted into pots for the first four months. I also got some Miscanthus cuttings last year from the one and only @Bill. They are mostly on the left side of this photo:
View attachment 37525
Here is a row of miscanthus that I planted back in Late April of this year. They are about 3-4 feet tall now and will probably resemble the ones in the above images at the end of next summer:
View attachment 37527

I can't speak to how they will do around black walnut. They are grasses so they love full sun. If you do try and plant them within the drip line of the black walnut, I would recommend planting them into pots as rhizomes for most of the first summer and then transplanting them to the field in Autumn. That will give them a leg up to get established. Bill has a great thread on Miscanthus that I highly suggest reading a time or two.
for the middle picture, how many did you have to buy for that length?
 
RE - Where did you get your thundercloud plugs?

I bought some Alamo plugs from Nativ, doing decent so far..
 
for the middle picture, how many did you have to buy for that length?
This is actually less than 100. I bought them from Real World Wildlife Products. I didn't get the full length in the photo of the wall I built with the 100 because I wanted to make sure I gave some props to Bill for helping out with cuttings. They should be spread about 18-24 inches between rhizomes when planted. I did two rows per the recommendations on this site.
 
I planted some this year and it's doing alright. I'm in Minnesota so we'll see how it does next spring. I'm hopeful
 
Does anyone have any experience with MG in zone 4b? It seems to be on the edge of its range. A few companies out there advertise that their variety grows up to Canada, but I’ve heard of some people having issues in colder climates (zones 4 and colder). I have a few growing right now as a test in an unprotected area and I don’t plan on pampering them. While they sound appealing and my test strip looks good for its first year of growth, it’s concerning to drop a big chunk of money into something that might get frozen out before it’s established.

I am in 4a hardiness zone. Below is a pic showing a MG in year 4, around 9' tall. Key is to make sure you kill weeds and let sun all day hit them to warm up soil. In shady areas with only full sun 4-5 hours a day I have poorer success. Below gets full sun all day.

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Central Wisconsin, zone 4b/5a here. I bought 200 rhizomes and planted them every 18 inches, 4 years ago. They grew very well that year and I ordered another 200 to plant a second row. That winter we got down to -30 temps a couple nights in a row. The following spring I planted the second batch, but that first batch never came back up again. That second batch has hit year 3 now and is about 6 foot high with seed heads.

Kind of like chestnut trees for me. I'll let the ones I have grow for as long as they survive, but won't be buying any more.
 
I am in 4a hardiness zone. Below is a pic showing a MG in year 4, around 9' tall. Key is to make sure you kill weeds and let sun all day hit them to warm up soil. In shady areas with only full sun 4-5 hours a day I have poorer success. Below gets full sun all day.

View attachment 37912

I should also note that behind this screen and in front of it, I have 2 rows of Norway & Blue spruce for the long term screening & thermal cover for bedding.
 
I also like Egyptian wheat for a good screen but you have to plant it every year.
 
Technically I am in zone 5A but winters are a lot colder than what 5A is rated at. I planted 100 MG from Maple River farms this spring. Most of it grew to around 4-5 feet tall in its first summer, but had one go to 7’. Amazing growth for my crappy rocky soil.


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I’ve been interested in this stuff. Does anybody know if it will grow around black walnuts? I’m having a hard time establishing a screen in this area

Black walnuts put jugulone into the soil with is toxic to many plants, shrubs, & trees. Only way to tell is to plant some MG.
 
I planted 100 MG from Maple River farms this spring. Most of it grew to around 4-5 feet tall in its first summer, but had one go to 7’. Amazing growth for my crappy rocky soil.


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TT...beautiful looking hillside in the background!
 
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