Fall switchgrass seeding?

[Mattyq2402]

I heard Jeff Sturgis mention broadcasting switchgrass now going into fall after a kill with gly/24D. Is this a practice anyone does? I do not have access to a drill. He called it frost seeding… just wondering if there’s a window of opportunity to get it down now or should I frost seed in late winter?

 

[Mortenson]

Did he say what the benefit would be vs waiting til late winter? Seems you'd run the risk of getting seed scavenged for many more months.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I would wait at least until soil temperatures freeze (likely early November for most of Midwest). People mention seed predation all the time. I'm not sure how much that takes place in smaller seeds like switchgrass.

I think a bigger risk is spreading it now and some of the seed Imbibing water and then winter killing. Some of the seed will still need to be stratified, so getting it out in the elements would help, but only after germination is unlikely. Think about a normal switchgrass stand. It will be dropping seed all winter. I would want to take advantage of as many rains and snow events as possible to get the seed down to the soil surface.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Paul Knox threads on NWSG are classics( aren't they all?)

Anyone looking to plant them should start there

bill

 

[Mattyq2402]

Copy these, appreciate the info. Believe the video was on Friday or Saturday, I’ll rewatch to get his reasoning. With sturgis, can’t argue his switch looks good…. I feel like waiting for those frozen ground days make more sense tho.

 

[Tree Spud]

Copy these, appreciate the info. Believe the video was on Friday or Saturday, I’ll rewatch to get his reasoning. With sturgis, can’t argue his switch looks good…. I feel like waiting for those frozen ground days make more sense tho.

Broadcasting on frozen ground with some snow on it late winter really helps in seeing your distribution pattern density. Getting seed 7"- 8" apart is a good spread.

This also is good timing wise as snow melts, and soil thaws then freezes, this will actually suck the seed into the ground making very good soil contact.

 

[Mattyq2402]

Broadcasting on frozen ground with some snow on it late winter really helps in seeing your distribution pattern density. Getting seed 7"- 8" apart is a good spread.

This also is good timing wise as snow melts, and soil thaws then freezes, this will actually suck the seed into the ground making very good soil contact.

Should I get a spray in of gly now ahead of first frost?

 

[Tree Spud]

Should I get a spray in of gly now ahead of first frost?

Plants are in their die/dormant phase so gly will have little to no effect. Remember SG is a warm season grass and will need warmer ground than weeds or cold season grasses. You can always spray the broadleaf weeds with 24b herbicide next spring when the broadleaf weeds appear without harming the SG. On any cold season grasses, you can consider a grass selective herbicide like clethodim; however, will need to be very careful with the SG. Maybe someone with more knowledge can jump in here.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

You will want to make sure you kill any perennial plants that are still alive going into the winter. I have several areas that I'm still spraying out that I will frost seed with switchgrass over the winter.

 

[omicron1792]

I like fall planting of NWSG and forbs

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I would mow the area off now and hit with gly in a couple of weeks to take out the cool season grasses.

Wait for daytime highs that are below freezing to broadcast your seed in front of a snow fall.


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[Mike O]

I did switchgrass three years ago and can say this, the most important thing is to suppress/kill whatever is growing there now (roundup). I spent the whole 1st year doing this and then broadcast my switch late winter onto bare frozen ground after that summer of weed control. Remember switchgrass is a warm season grass and won't really get going that first summer until late June or even July. I also sprayed roundup again the following spring when the first cool season weeds appeared in late April (I would not do this any later than that) before the switch had germinated. You might also want to spray simazine in the spring as it helps suppress new weeds that first year. Switchgrass is a slow starter and I did not really notice it until about July and it didn't even get waist high in year one but by the end of year two it was over six feet tall and thick. By your third growing season the stuff is so thick it suppresses all weed competion on its own. I would say I sprayed the areas I wanted to plant four times that summer before frost seeding the following late winter.