No-till drill into corn stubble for Switchgrass or NWSG’s

[KDdid]

I’ve had good luck frost seeding switchgrass into cornstalks in February/March, with very little time and money invested. If anything, I wished I had seeded a little less thickly.


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The switch to the left of this white clover/tree strip is about 4-5 feet tall, was sprayed with dicamba once in July of the establishment year, and is only in the second growing season. I used a local cultivar that maxes out at about 6 feet tall, and plan on planting some cave-in-rock seed along the edges for some more screening.

 

[KDdid]

Here’s a young buck scent checking the edge on the downwind side-they walk the clover firebreaks because they can’t readily see over the grass.


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[MickT]

You will have a chance to change cover types to something better for wildlife once your current contract expires, but you are obligated to maintain what is in the contract until the end of it.

Changing midstream can cause eligibility issues and get your ground kicked out of CRP.


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[buckdeer1]

I have broadcasted switch on bare ground right before a snow and you are right you will get better first year growth.I like switch also because I can drill with my kasco versa drill where the bearded NWSG seed has to have a special drill.There is one broadcaster called a seed slinger that you can use with NWSG.I have even just walked along and thrown in air in a 30mph wind for several acres.It's all about ground prep for the method you chose.Ont the old QDMA site there was a thread about planting in winter instead of spring

 

[Wintomatic]

Many of the local NRCS have no-till drills you can rent. The one in my county has a special box for planting fluffy NWSG’s. They deliver it and set it up for you for $25, then charge $10/acre (10 acre minimum). You can even have them plant it for you using their equipment if you don’t have a tractor.
I am going to stop in and talk to them about it for this coming year.

 

[JFK52]

When I plant RR corn I leave it up for the deer to eat during the winter months. As such, I take the brush hog and mow it down as low as possible in early spring before any no till planting the next season. It is just a better way to get rid of standing stalks. The mowed organic matter decomposes better.
I am sure you could plant through the left over corn if you wanted to go that route. I planted my 12 acre prairie in September using a special drill for that purpose as some of the prairie seed is very tiny. The field had been sprayed with Roundup and burned before that fall planting.