When is too late for switchgrass

Shearwood Forest

5 year old buck +
When would you say it's too late into spring to try and establish a switchgrass plantings vs waiting to frost seed next spring.

Zone 5a

I didn't have any fields areas prepped for frost seeding this year. My father wants to spray/disc/plant this year and I think we should do the spray and ground prep but plant but with annual screenings anywhere we want the switch. I'd mow and disc those areas after the season next year in prep for early spring frost seeding.

I'm worried once I have the ground worked I'm going to be in the prime weed and grass growing window offering too much competition for the switch even if I get a good kill on my spray application.

I have a miscanthus source that will be getting planted next year behind annual screenings this year for road screening. Switch will be used in some foodplots shaping buffers and travel areas and eventually will convert a few old hay fields to switch to add some depth of cover for travel. it's not going to be intended as bedding anywhere so these aren't large areas.



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When would you say it's too late into spring to try and establish a switchgrass plantings vs waiting to frost seed next spring.

Zone 5a

I didn't have any fields areas prepped for frost seeding this year. My father wants to spray/disc/plant this year and I think we should do the spray and ground prep but plant but with annual screenings anywhere we want the switch. I'd mow and disc those areas after the season next year in prep for early spring frost seeding.

I'm worried once I have the ground worked I'm going to be in the prime weed and grass growing window offering too much competition for the switch even if I get a good kill on my spray application.

I have a miscanthus source that will be getting planted next year behind annual screenings this year for road screening. Switch will be used in some foodplots shaping buffers and travel areas and eventually will convert a few old hay fields to switch to add some depth of cover for travel. it's not going to be intended as bedding anywhere so these aren't large areas.



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What kind of grass is there now?
 
Do you have access to a no-till drill? We drilled in switchgrass July 4th weekend in Northern MO and had awesome success. If you can get the seed into the soil with the drill and there isn't too much residue on the surface, you can seed it at anytime. The most important thing with switch is limiting competition from weeds. If you don't have a drill and are planning on broadcasting the seed, I would do like you are planning and wait for next spring.

I had another area that was almost entirely a pure stand of reed canary grass. I mowed, then sprayed it out a few times in May and then another time at planting in June. Despite there being a decent amount of residue on the surface, this is what it looked like this past weekend - almost two years after drilling into the dead residue.
g6nHu3JAIQ5MTBEQKzzvNYVFO3SgHHtuRD4xce_Mn3OpvgJ2ahQbs1zH1T21xAlTkwENStnSzH52NFlwwGRXCPWpfjDtyB1pSQ3Q5DsyIMDFzffg3LEqscpfGZV5MDTtqLXRVjImbQ3GRVOWTW2jlnXjLjLRmxGmJgYtk4pJnh3BO1heG47GaoxT_tolZx8Rk5IbKRfHdlfbSK1_jHZGF6jPwucTtapl7Tcnb4nGjz5bJzz0HQvvxyijmBOzH_urI2pmPBm0k1rNDGp6qH4hwSjRYDkog2-Fb3ezQXfRTUsQeZuGHTUIDJL7t1S7OhCi5fpknfqoJUj7I3-Xmo6Cou2enjZlsfwMlpDPhwVoS1NW6FtYsIGIMenwdBHDVdXRY0TdAsPguSi_gXJLMSaqMbpmz6pNyzDdC-EVvFBeWqQb4ySVVJ1_sTp0g8eg4GO0WK41gF4TAV8X1mG9uprF5HJAlqT8XF_CHJtpdZKHBVvOpZJbMSZKPAt4euf-kDB4yZEbaZqSSEIz-cb8Ygm74_3YXpZAJUUUa6RnlpkLkzyavTab0LI1kfn0VdNjsZaLy-dgqP4qE-t0u_2j5iUy8yDv7ji5sj3ZOi6EWPIxYsznxZqCCLusHo9BmDlTnq4REzMuvtx7vhWc3_pbLn_984DQdLUZJ3J3NpFw37wSjkgt5Jqt3SMftAm7mZesjyS6vuCbBGox7WL1USf8_Kt5jkg-NKSvDJskQdzIQS_BmildMX4VUrPAjmpSDMxtjEJV3O9n0M84PFIsEGdSyMbKRAKyH3i6XYYWfoH4uAzpTZ_wbHSpyA22KaZmFBRvmuWVHJ9V7sW2EBgGja76tm2nt05_HBzHrriwmi9BIgM47TRlkZN40kkOIWNuyCmBGo3fTq4KeNfPG42QGkzXCoH84ct5eKx4nbU3SDafrywc2QPR8A=w1723-h969-s-no

Site prep is key, and if you don't already have a somewhat clean surface, you are going to struggle just broadcasting onto the surface.
 
My fields are made up of old hay fields, old cattle pasture, and old old brushy pasture ground that was shaped up 2 weeks ago with a dozer. So plenty of grass and fescue in the pastures. The old fields, one is more broadleaf weeds and the other is reed canary that had some hawthorn and honey scuckle.

Equipment, I don't have a drill and likely won't rent one this year but next year I talked to a neighbor about splitting one for a weekend. I have discs and a tiller along with cultipacker and those standard implements.



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My fields are made up of old hay fields, old cattle pasture, and old old brushy pasture ground that was shaped up 2 weeks ago with a dozer. So plenty of grass and fescue in the pastures. The old fields, one is more broadleaf weeds and the other is reed canary that had some hawthorn and honey scuckle.

Equipment, I don't have a drill and likely won't rent one this year but next year I talked to a neighbor about splitting one for a weekend. I have discs and a tiller along with cultipacker and those standard implements.



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Then def spray with Roundup plus 2-4d or roundup plus liberty three times this summer. Early fall before dormancy spray with oust xp at 3ounces per acre.

In early spring spray again with roundup and atrazine or Simazine at 4quarts/acre and plant.

Beautiful field you will have.
 
Going from a grass to another grass means you have to kill old grass well first. If not then you will have a hard time killing one grass while saving another.
 
Do you have access to a no-till drill? We drilled in switchgrass July 4th weekend in Northern MO and had awesome success. If you can get the seed into the soil with the drill and there isn't too much residue on the surface, you can seed it at anytime. The most important thing with switch is limiting competition from weeds. If you don't have a drill and are planning on broadcasting the seed, I would do like you are planning and wait for next spring.

I had another area that was almost entirely a pure stand of reed canary grass. I mowed, then sprayed it out a few times in May and then another time at planting in June. Despite there being a decent amount of residue on the surface, this is what it looked like this past weekend - almost two years after drilling into the dead residue.
g6nHu3JAIQ5MTBEQKzzvNYVFO3SgHHtuRD4xce_Mn3OpvgJ2ahQbs1zH1T21xAlTkwENStnSzH52NFlwwGRXCPWpfjDtyB1pSQ3Q5DsyIMDFzffg3LEqscpfGZV5MDTtqLXRVjImbQ3GRVOWTW2jlnXjLjLRmxGmJgYtk4pJnh3BO1heG47GaoxT_tolZx8Rk5IbKRfHdlfbSK1_jHZGF6jPwucTtapl7Tcnb4nGjz5bJzz0HQvvxyijmBOzH_urI2pmPBm0k1rNDGp6qH4hwSjRYDkog2-Fb3ezQXfRTUsQeZuGHTUIDJL7t1S7OhCi5fpknfqoJUj7I3-Xmo6Cou2enjZlsfwMlpDPhwVoS1NW6FtYsIGIMenwdBHDVdXRY0TdAsPguSi_gXJLMSaqMbpmz6pNyzDdC-EVvFBeWqQb4ySVVJ1_sTp0g8eg4GO0WK41gF4TAV8X1mG9uprF5HJAlqT8XF_CHJtpdZKHBVvOpZJbMSZKPAt4euf-kDB4yZEbaZqSSEIz-cb8Ygm74_3YXpZAJUUUa6RnlpkLkzyavTab0LI1kfn0VdNjsZaLy-dgqP4qE-t0u_2j5iUy8yDv7ji5sj3ZOi6EWPIxYsznxZqCCLusHo9BmDlTnq4REzMuvtx7vhWc3_pbLn_984DQdLUZJ3J3NpFw37wSjkgt5Jqt3SMftAm7mZesjyS6vuCbBGox7WL1USf8_Kt5jkg-NKSvDJskQdzIQS_BmildMX4VUrPAjmpSDMxtjEJV3O9n0M84PFIsEGdSyMbKRAKyH3i6XYYWfoH4uAzpTZ_wbHSpyA22KaZmFBRvmuWVHJ9V7sW2EBgGja76tm2nt05_HBzHrriwmi9BIgM47TRlkZN40kkOIWNuyCmBGo3fTq4KeNfPG42QGkzXCoH84ct5eKx4nbU3SDafrywc2QPR8A=w1723-h969-s-no

Site prep is key, and if you don't already have a somewhat clean surface, you are going to struggle just broadcasting onto the surface.
Looks great my man. You gonna burn it this next winter?
 
Then def spray with Roundup plus 2-4d or roundup plus liberty three times this summer. Early fall before dormancy spray with oust xp at 3ounces per acre.

In early spring spray again with roundup and atrazine or Simazine at 4quarts/acre and plant.

Beautiful field you will have.
What are your thoughts on spraying this year and planting an annual (place holder) over continual spraying. I thought about doing the strips areas in things like Sudan sungrass, Egyptian wheat, millet for screening that's should help control the remnants of the existing grass after spraying. In larger blocks I have a bunch of sunflower, sun hemp, sorghum seed already that I was going to plant this June with a few other things. my thought was let these quick growing annuals mess with the grass this year, and brush hog it after season for either frost seeding or drill next spring.



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What are your thoughts on spraying this year and planting an annual (place holder) over continual spraying. I thought about doing the strips areas in things like Sudan sungrass, Egyptian wheat, millet for screening that's should help control the remnants of the existing grass after spraying. In larger blocks I have a bunch of sunflower, sun hemp, sorghum seed already that I was going to plant this June with a few other things. my thought was let these quick growing annuals mess with the grass this year, and brush hog it after season for either frost seeding or drill next spring.



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So there are lots of ways to do it. Yours would be less good than the way I said.

Established pastures have thick roots and it takes multiple Spraying’s to kill all those where they won’t come back.

You “could” do a spraying, plant an annual, then do another spraying at end of summer and do oust xp at same time. Then do spring spraying and plant.

If you want to frost seed you have to have mostly bare ground.

Some do roundup or liberty tolerant plants (RR beans) so they can have something growing while spraying multiple times over the summer. Than is an option. Then spray oust xp In fall and frost seed into been stubble late winter early spring. Then atrazine right before spring green up.

Just know, I and many others have tried to skimp or find a way around doing the long method. Almost to a tee i and others have ended up with less than stellar results.

There is a good thread on Iowa white tails with years of experience on switch establishment.
 
There is now imitolerant wheat which you could plant this fall. Instead of oust xp for fall spraying spray roundup plus 6oz of imox. Works on a good bit of pasture grasses and cool season grasses, and would have nice field of wheat for this fall/winter.
 
Looks great my man. You gonna burn it this next winter?
Wasn't really planning on it for a few different reasons. I planted a number of fruit or nut trees within the switch but towards the perimeter. Also, I don't really want the switch to come in any thicker than it is. I actually think I planted it too densely and may struggle to keep deer in it. For now, it works to allow their comfortable transition through it. It is in the dead center of this property and we are hoping it will serve as a hub for traffic.
 
Well it looks great. You could consider light discoing this fall, and throwing a couple pounds of forb mix on top after disc. Only need about 2lbs/acre. The light discing in fall will favor forbs and knock grass back a hair.
 
So there are lots of ways to do it. Yours would be less good than the way I said.

Established pastures have thick roots and it takes multiple Spraying’s to kill all those where they won’t come back.

You “could” do a spraying, plant an annual, then do another spraying at end of summer and do oust xp at same time. Then do spring spraying and plant.

If you want to frost seed you have to have mostly bare ground.

Some do roundup or liberty tolerant plants (RR beans) so they can have something growing while spraying multiple times over the summer. Than is an option. Then spray oust xp In fall and frost seed into been stubble late winter early spring. Then atrazine right before spring green up.

Just know, I and many others have tried to skimp or find a way around doing the long method. Almost to a tee i and others have ended up with less than stellar results.

There is a good thread on Iowa white tails with years of experience on switch establishment.
That's what I feared and appreciate the experienced advice. My father hates gly and always wants to find ways to cut or not use chemicals so I had hopes I could find a way around the multi spraying and cover crop/smother my way out of the grasses before attempting to plant.

I really just want some strip, buffers, and edging around plots so anything like RR corn or beans won't be enough to even grow and would end up bare ground anyways but I have more costs into those seeds.

The pasture ground blocks aren't big, I just want something to do with roadside hay fields, I don't really want bedding or food in those spots but based on topography the deer travel them frequently so I figured switch would at least offer more cover for that travel.



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That's what I feared and appreciate the experienced advice. My father hates gly and always wants to find ways to cut or not use chemicals so I had hopes I could find a way around the multi spraying and cover crop/smother my way out of the grasses before attempting to plant.

I really just want some strip, buffers, and edging around plots so anything like RR corn or beans won't be enough to even grow and would end up bare ground anyways but I have more costs into those seeds.

The pasture ground blocks aren't big, I just want something to do with roadside hay fields, I don't really want bedding or food in those spots but based on topography the deer travel them frequently so I figured switch would at least offer more cover for that travel.



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I’m in the process of putting some strips around fields now too. I had some kudzu so I sprayed it last June, planted annual grasses (Milo and millet). Spot sprayed it august and planted fall crop. Then this spring I sprayed roundup and imazapic and planted.
IMG_0736.jpeg
I use regenerative ag a lot. Native grass is tough without chemicals. Maybe in an old forest area. But in an old hay pasture, i think it’s impossible. Maybe repeated tillage over a year or two, but then erosion issues creep in.

If you do it right then native grasses may never need a herbicide again.
 
Planting Alamo switchgrass on a lowland ROW this spring

Will be nuking ~ 1 acre with gly/simzine today in preparation

My first effort with native grasses

bill
 
Planting Alamo switchgrass on a lowland ROW this spring

Will be nuking ~ 1 acre with gly/simzine today in preparation

My first effort with native grasses

bill
Good luck my man. Be patient. Use 4quarts/acre on Simazine.
 
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