Don Higgins blend or CIR Switch

[Hoytvectrix]

I've been trying to develop an easy access, low impact spot the past few years. It was mostly intended for getting our does at, without having to put extra harvest pressure on the interior. Turns out bucks like the location of the plot also. Deer can filter in from an untouched piece of sanctuary woods of ours, but can also choose to filter in from a bit of cover belonging to the neighbors. I'd like to keep as many on ours as possible, and putting in another acre of switch will help I think. It's a travel corridor. I'll take 1 acre out of ag production to accomplish this. I ordered 10 lbs of RC Big Rock. Starting to wonder if it'd be a little safer to cut the rate and add a little of something else. In looking at Ernst, it seems maybe Kanlow is going by the wayside, and they mention 3 or 4 others that "replace" Kanlow. Has anyone tried any of these? Independence, Liberty, Timber are 3 of them. I know a few have questioned the RC lineup, not having many years of observation behind them yet. Or am I overthinking this, for just a small strip of travel corridor?

Were you able to get your RC Big Rock in the ground? I mentioned Kanlow a few times in this thread for another project I completed in 2021. I converted a mostly pure field of reed canary grass to Kanlow and Cave in Rock. The Cave in Rock was drilled in one section of the field in 2020 and the Kanlow drilled in the summer of 2021. My only complaint with this project is that I likely planted at too high of a rate. Here is what the Kanlow looks like 3 years later:

A five foot Miracle Tube for reference:


This is a wetter site and the Kanlow is marketed as one of the lowland switchgrasses. I am currently prepping another site on another farm that is more upland like and am considering RC Big Rock. It seems to be getting quite a bit of attention online. Despite the price tag of RC Big Rock, Kanlow is still $6 more per pound.

 

[mtholton]

MY RC Big Rock has done well. Very sandy soil. First picture is of a screen I planted this spring, around 4 feet now. Started slow and came on strong. Should be a great screen by next year. Second picture is a screen I planted last year. I didn't get as good of prep on that one and wasn't sure if it would outcompete the weeds in the second year. First year was weedy. It beat out the weeds and is now over 7 feet in many areas and I have to mow some paths through it just to get into the plots its so thick... I had had great success with CIR as well in prior years, but RC seems to be a bit taller for sure at least for me.

 

[Brian662]

12-15' wide screen of RC Bigrock planted last March. Ground was tilled, packed broadcast seed and packed again. Sprayed with atrazine. Last year was thinner but 4-5' tall. This year is 6-8' tall mostly in the 8' range. Screen is ~170 yards long and there are two spots where you could see if someone else was standing 15' away. Unreal product compared to unimproved varieties. Planting 5 or 6 more acres next year on my new property.

 

[Mortenson]

I did get the RC Big Rock down, and up. Haven't seen it since early summer, so not sure what it's looking like. I don't anticipate laying eyes on it 'til after we get the corn out, hopefully in 6-8 weeks. I snapped these pics when we were arrowhead hunting on 5/29. I imagine it will have strong weed pressure, but it should be there.

 

[cbw]

12-15' wide screen of RC Bigrock planted last March. Ground was tilled, packed broadcast seed and packed again. Sprayed with atrazine. Last year was thinner but 4-5' tall. This year is 6-8' tall mostly in the 8' range. Screen is ~170 yards long and there are two spots where you could see if someone else was standing 15' away. Unreal product compared to unimproved varieties. Planting 5 or 6 more acres next year on my new property.View attachment 68048View attachment 68049

Looks amazing! Nice job!


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[homegrownbucks]

If I had to guess, I would say rw switchgrass is the cultivar “Liberty”. It seems to fit the description better than anything else in my opinion

 

[Mortenson]

Finally got to see the RC Bigrock after it's infancy. A few spots were thin, guessing due to overlapping chemical. But overall pretty pleased. Mostly 5' high, with seed heads a little taller.

 

[buckdeer1]

I like to plant wheat and then spray with RU early in spring the same day or close to when I plant.I would check to see what your local NRCS is using as that usually is meant for your area.I have planted Blackwell,Kanlow and both grew well.Thing I really like about switch over NWSG is I can plant with my regular dril