Switchgrass questions

[BuckSutherland]

Can you successfully manage a switchgraas field long-term without burning? Also, will deer bed in a 2 acre field of switch? Or is that just too small?

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I dont think you need a certain amount of acres for deer to bed. Almost every encounter that I have had with a mature buck in a bedding area has been in some awful skinny tight areas with good escape routes in all directions. A big monoculture of switch wont be as good as switch with water and browse close by (edge and diversity).


I put switch into 3 areas. None of them are bigger than 10,000 sq feet, and maybe total 25,000 sq feet (irregularly shaped). I have mine ringed in a horseshoe shape with conifers to prevent the coldest winds for our area (N, NW and NE) and then trails of conifers planted in the direction I want them to move. Next year will be year 3 for the conifers and year 1 for the switch. I wanna become the neighborhood bedroom. I have been lacking quality bedding areas for too long.

 

[buckdeer1]

Yes you can mow and drag the thatch off to a pile and leave or burn.I have some areas that I mow and then use an old hay rake and windrow so my fire isn't so big.I am going to strip disc some of mine this year to get some weed growth.I told the FSA today that I wanted to cancel my re enrollment for the 13 acres of CRP.I wasn't going to invest 700.00 every 3 years because they have a rule that forbs have to be planted in a wetland.

 

[j-bird]

When I planted mine the key was to kill EVERYTHING else first....I killed in the fall and then again in the spring. Then the best areas we drilled the seed in early summer. The ground temp needs to be fairly warm for switch to grow/germinate. Most of my areas got invaded with the smaller foxtail as well....but the switch survived because it wasn't enough to shade it out. In areas where I have added it to existing "weeds"....I mow and burn those "weeds" in the early spring and then broadcast the seed and let the rain do the rest. This isn't as successful as drilling but it prevents a monoculture as well. I have found that in my case the switch is a nice buffer between the woods and my plots and field edges. I don't see a lot of bedding in the switch but instead on the edges of it or near some sort of tree top or the like in it. I also allow many native "weeds" to grow in mine...I like the diversity it provides. Biggest issue I have is dealing with invasives...in particular johnson grass.

 

[Bassattackr]

Has anyone tried to plant switch with one of the wild rye varieties? Cooler season native might help keep weeds at bay perhaps? Might tinker with this strategy this the coming winter..

 

[buckdeer1]

Spray plateau on that JG will kill dead and not harm NWSG,double check label to check what switch you are planting.We seem to always see more beds in areas that have a different plant than the switch such as weed of some kind just something to break and tree tops are good also.I fact I may drag some out in mine since contract is up.It will be first place to have bird deposited seeds