Don Higgins blend or CIR Switch

[Brian662]

No experience with any improved varieties except RC Bigrock, which is a rock star variety on my soils. Gets 1-2' taller than CIR does and has much improved winter standability.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I planted my NWW HD sorghum screen a little early this year and its been cool/wet since and things are not looking good. I'm getting quite tired of dealing with annual screens on poorly drained soil where the sorghum doesn't really want to be and about ready to replant but this time with some kanlow switch mixed in. Upon looking to purchase it seems there are some improved varieties now, Independence seems like the one I should go at. Anyone tried independence yet?

The other thing is when the ground is disturbed prepping for this stuff, it seems to just perpetuate my growing horsetail problem. Having something like switch to compete with that crap would be nice.

I couldn't find anything on Independence because it seems relatively new. I'd be curious to hear from others that have tried it.

I did find this paper that compared Independence with Kanlow and Liberty among others. This looks like it would be a pretty good cultivar. The only issue that I can see is that the in the two years they tried studying it in northern climates, it winterkilled once. You can read about it in the paper.

I would check out Liberty. I skimmed a couple of research papers and it looks like it is an improvement on Kanlow, has been tested in northern WI (and does better there), and works pretty well on lowland and upland sites. I also found a source for the seed with more reasonable prices.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I couldn't find anything on Independence because it seems relatively new. I'd be curious to hear from others that have tried it.

I did find this paper that compared Independence with Kanlow and Liberty among others. This looks like it would be a pretty good cultivar. The only issue that I can see is that the in the two years they tried studying it in northern climates, it winterkilled once. You can read about it in the paper.

I would check out Liberty. I skimmed a couple of research papers and it looks like it is an improvement on Kanlow, has been tested in northern WI (and does better there), and works pretty well on lowland and upland sites. I also found a source for the seed with more reasonable prices.

Dang on the winterkill.. What i read said that it was made to be more winter hardy than kanlow (which i didn't know was susceptible to winter kill either previously). They do advertise it's increased vigor which makes it sound more like big rock in first season emergence.

This is just a 1/2 acre at most screen so I ordered 4# of independence already. We'll see how that does.

My dang spruce screen that i started planting in '22 is finally jumping too which gives hope for less need for a grass screen eventually.

 

[Foggy47]

I put my money into RC Sundance variety which is new this year and is said to be hardy to zone 3. Gets as high as big rock and does not require as much rain. I’m still waiting to see germination, but I’m told to be patient. Some guys get pretty good results in year one. My jury is out.

 

[Brian662]

Dang on the winterkill.. What i read said that it was made to be more winter hardy than kanlow (which i didn't know was susceptible to winter kill either previously). They do advertise it's increased vigor which makes it sound more like big rock in first season emergence.

This is just a 1/2 acre at most screen so I ordered 4# of independence already. We'll see how that does.

My dang spruce screen that i started planting in '22 is finally jumping too which gives hope for less need for a grass screen eventually.

How many rows on the spruce screen? If you have room, adding another row would theoretically shorten the time before a viable screen was established, even if they're a few years behind. I've had great luck planted 2 gallon potted spruce in August.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

How many rows on the spruce screen? If you have room, adding another row would theoretically shorten the time before a viable screen was established, even if they're a few years behind. I've had great luck planted 2 gallon potted spruce in August.

They are just 2 rows right now 12' spacing and i got a start on a row of hybrid willows behind them. There's also some (sandbar?) willows and alders naturally coming up near/behind them that i'm letting go. Might have to trim some a bit to make sure it's not overly competitive but the spruce seem to do well with them thus far.

From the high point where there’s less willow/alder growth. Note the uncaged ones to the right not getting as vertical because the leaders get chomped.. That'll get fixed.


A common sight with willows/alders crowding the spruce but the spruce seem to be doing pretty decent with it actually.



The poor sorghum emergence.



To the UGLY (that is a green mat of horsetail)

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I put my money into RC Sundance variety which is new this year and is said to be close hardy to zone 3. Gets as high as big rock and does not require as much rain. I’m still waiting to see germination, but I’m told to be patient. Some guys get pretty good results in year one. My jury is out.

I've been looking into the lowland varieties for reasons illustrated in the pics i just posted.. Wonder how the "upland" varieties do in the wet? Maybe i shoulda given that one a try?

 

[omicron1792]

Sleep. Creep. Leap. Those spruce are getting ready to explode, but I bet it’s still a few more years before a solid screen.

My Thuja are in year three this year and I’m expecting big things.

 

[omicron1792]

I've been looking into the lowland varieties for reasons illustrated in the pics i just posted.. Wonder how the "upland" varieties do in the wet? Maybe i shoulda given that one a try?

View attachment 78907

Def want lowland if it’s wet area. Could mix in a couple of varieties to hedge.

If you call roundstone they have a variety that is imi herbicide tolerant. May be good in that area with horsetail to spray some imazapic at planting.

 

[Brian662]

You know SD would recommend gypsum for the tight soil and horse tail.

If it makes you feel any better WG, I planted some plot screen Memorial weekend that looks horrible at the moment as well. It was some leftover Domain stuff I had that was a few years old but I had better expectations than what I've seen so far.

 

[SD51555]

If it is always wet, you may need to create some elevation with an excavator, like dig a shallow ditch and berm up your soil a foot or two and one strip wide so u can pass over it with your equipment. It’s not cheap, but that would fix it. The exposed low spot would help with evaporation too.

Digging in wet clay is awful, but it can be done. Just don’t push your material all the way to the back of the bucket, and it shouldn’t stick too bad.

If you’re short on material, you can cut some logs to make land bridges across your ditch as well, and then just smear a little clay on top of them to make the deer comfy using them.

You can do a lot with a mini in one day, pull back all the topsoil first, then build up the clay base 12-18”, then put all the topsoil from that spot and the ditch on top. Just be careful it isn’t so wet you bury your equipment. Might need to wait for a dry period and get it fixed once and for all. That’s the story of my place, creating high spots and low spots to manage water. Soon as I started working on that, it quit raining 5 years ago.

I got an inch yesterday and almost started crying at the sight of it. When I was digging this week, I went down three feet and the clay was powder dry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wind Gypsy]

If it is always wet, you may need to create some elevation with an excavator, like dig a shallow ditch and berm up your soil a foot or two and one strip wide so u can pass over it with your equipment. It’s not cheap, but that would fix it. The exposed low spot would help with evaporation too.

Digging in wet clay is awful, but it can be done. Just don’t push your material all the way to the back of the bucket, and it shouldn’t stick too bad.

If you’re short on material, you can cut some logs to make land bridges across your ditch as well, and then just smear a little clay on top of them to make the deer comfy using them.

You can do a lot with a mini in one day, pull back all the topsoil first, then build up the clay base 12-18”, then put all the topsoil from that spot and the ditch on top. Just be careful it isn’t so wet you bury your equipment. Might need to wait for a dry period and get it fixed once and for all. That’s the story of my place, creating high spots and low spots to manage water. Soon as I started working on that, it quit raining 5 years ago.

I got an inch yesterday and almost started crying at the sight of it. When I was digging this week, I went down three feet and the clay was powder dry.

There is some little ditches already out there. Could certainly make them deeper and non ditches higher though.

 

[SD51555]

Are you in the bottom of the bowl, or could you drain it with some savvy ditching?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Are you in the bottom of the bowl, or could you drain it with some savvy ditching?

The existing ditches takes it to surrounding low ground and the river to the east. Clearly doesn't drain as much as a guy would like though.