Switchgrass in SE Ohio

[Mattyq2402]

Anyone have any success with switchgrass in Southern Ohio? I am looking into the RC blends, likely bigrock.

I have roughly 12 acres of tillable but unfortunately a good portion butts up to a sloppy neighbor. In talking with him he's a train wreck in all aspects. He hammered his stands leading up to my trip last week and my last daylight buck pic was on Oct. 29th. Does are coming in right at dark. He has 18 stands on his 50 acres and uses the bedding ridge as access and runs the entire spine where deer would be bedded.

I am unable to do any tsi of any size due to family. I am only hoping/thinking that a good switch stand with few browse pockets in the 3 to 5 acre range may support refuge when he starts his pressure. Any thoughts? I've attached a couple ballpark ideas to this. I'm looking at 5 acres of food left over to include 30 fruit trees that are still young.

Proposed switch is in the red. Plots are and will get a ribbon of switch and EW as well as sectioned with screen to break up sight lines.

Any thoughts? This general area within a mile each way has produced booners and plenty of 150 +

 

[Mike O]

I am in southeast Michigan and just finished second growing season of Switch, here is what I learned---------Focus on suppression of whatever is growing there the first season, 3 or possibly more sprayings that spring, summer. Secondly frost seeding works, put seed down mid to late winter when there is no snow on ground. Thirdly the next spring, when the cool season stuff starts to grow but still to cool for switch to germinate hit it again with roundup. I also put down Simizine that first spring. 1st year I was certain that my switch was a failure until sometime in July I started to notice it. It never got real tall that 1st year but boy did it grow the second growing season, summer (this year). I have a mix of Cave in Rock and Kanlow and the stuff is over six feet. Its not as much work as it sounds but getting it started those first few years is the real trick. Now its soo tall and thick it can stand on its own. Good luck and remember there is no shortcut with this stuff, take your time and in 3 years you will have a great swtich stand.

 

[Telemark]

I think it's a great idea, and it's probably what I would do. I would also intersperse the 3.5 acres of switch with several quarter acre patches of conifers, likely white pine intermixed with Norway spruce or Black Hills spruce. That should give you a really nice secure area for deer to take refuge when the neighbor scares them off.

 

[roymunson]

I'm in NE Ohio and I could take you to a couple established switch stands that you couldn't shoot a deer staring at you 15' away

 

[Thetrooper]

I'm in highland county. Southern Ohio. I planted around 8 acres of real-world switchgrass in Feb 2021. Some of it in linear strips to partition a large field and a couple 1-2 acre blocks. So this is year 3. Stuff is incredible had sufficient cover on the second year but year 3 it's insane. 7-9' tall. I can't add anything to your habitat plans but as far as growing switch in southern Ohio it does very well. As others say don't give up on it. Year one it was visible but looked like crap year 3 you can't see through a 5 yard strip of it. Have heard guys say it's insufficient for screening but I'm not seeing that being the case in Ohio. Maybe on poor sandy soils it won't thicken but definitely not an issue on my farm. I can drive my white Tacoma behind a 5 yard wide strip of switch and you won't see it. I'm going to be planting some more this year and will might try out RC big rock although I'm thoroughly impressed with real-world. PM if you have any questions

 

[blueKYstream]

I would imagine you wouldn't have issues with big bluestem standing up through most or all of the winter as another option.

 

[Thetrooper]

 

[Thetrooper]

 

[Thetrooper]

 

[Thetrooper]

 

[Thetrooper]

 

[Thetrooper]

Matt here's some southern OH realworld switch