# switch grass from a field long idle....



## sadworld (Aug 4, 2003)

if i can swing the funds i'd like to establish switchgrass on a small 4 acre plot on the back of my property.... currently its crp that is or was mostly weeds but i burned it a couple years ago and quite a bit of clover did come up. anyways i would like it to be switchgrass and since i do not have any equipment i will have to hire someone to help me with this. i plan on approaching a local farmer (or someone) about what i need done. from my research i think this is what i need to tell him i need done. i need confirmation please if i got this correct. remember this field has been idled for a long time and in crp... anyways. i think this is what i need done: field needs to be plowed and disked. when it starts to green it needs roundup.... when it starts to green again, another shot of roundup. then i need the no till drill for planting switch seed a week or so after that. at some point then i'll need the plot to be sprayed with atrazine (not sure when this would take place) an then another shot of atrazine for the second time... again not sure of the timing of this....after that, hope and pray.
so do i have this close guys? id love some comments. thanks. matt.


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## Taxidermist (Jan 3, 2002)

sadworld said:


> if i can swing the funds i'd like to establish switchgrass on a small 4 acre plot on the back of my property.... currently its crp that is or was mostly weeds but i burned it a couple years ago and quite a bit of clover did come up. anyways i would like it to be switchgrass and since i do not have any equipment i will have to hire someone to help me with this. i plan on approaching a local farmer (or someone) about what i need done. from my research i think this is what i need to tell him i need done. i need confirmation please if i got this correct. remember this field has been idled for a long time and in crp... anyways. i think this is what i need done: field needs to be plowed and disked. when it starts to green it needs roundup.... when it starts to green again, another shot of roundup. then i need the no till drill for planting switch seed a week or so after that. at some point then i'll need the plot to be sprayed with atrazine (not sure when this would take place) an then another shot of atrazine for the second time... again not sure of the timing of this....after that, hope and pray.
> so do i have this close guys? id love some comments. thanks. matt.


Get in touch with your local pheasants forever chapter and ask them for help.


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## sadworld (Aug 4, 2003)

Taxidermist said:


> Get in touch with your local pheasants forever chapter and ask them for help.


i've been told they don't like to deal in such small parcels.


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## bishs (Aug 30, 2000)

That plan will work, I would skip the plow and just disc. The Atrazine is not requried, but is a real bonus to get the grasses growing faster. You only need one spraying of Atrazine. If a lot of weeds are still present the end of summer, you can wait for the switch to turn yellow, and spray round-up in the fall. You can also spray the next spring before switch starts growing. 

If your a Pheasants Forever member, you may be able to get seed free. My PH chapter gives away Switch seed, RR corn,


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## StoneyCreekOutdoorProp (Jun 28, 2005)

Skip the plowing. IF you can safely burn the field before it starts to green up in April, do so. Contact your local FD and see if they will help with this. This would be the first step. After a potential burn, things will green up quickly and you could get a couple sprayings in before doing a no till planting in late May or early June.


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## sadworld (Aug 4, 2003)

ok, no plowing... would burning eliminate my need to disc as well? if so i'd burn then round up a couple times, no till afterwards?


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## StoneyCreekOutdoorProp (Jun 28, 2005)

sadworld said:


> ok, no plowing... would burning eliminate my need to disc as well? if so i'd burn then round up a couple times, no till afterwards?


It should eliminate the need to disc. Unfortunately there are no set rules to follow or step by step instructions. You need all the info you can get your hands on and then apply that info as you go. If the fire does not burn hot enough and does not burn all the trash and expose the proper amount of soil that you want, then I would suggest a light discing immediately after the burn. Then let things green up and do your spraying. If at this point you have enough exposed soil to get good seed to soil contact, you could broadcast the switch and then cultipack once or twice. If your soil is real fluffy before the seeding, then cultipack once before broadcasting. Now if the burn does well enough to expose the soil, then spray a couple times and no till.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

sadworld said:


> if i can swing the funds i'd like to establish switchgrass on a small 4 acre plot on the back of my property.... currently its crp that is or was mostly weeds but i ...........


From our experience, a 4 acre plot is too big. I think 2-4 islands of irregular shaped switchgrass areas would give you better results. Each island maybe 1/4-3/4 of an acre. Both pheasants and deer will use these set-ups more. Turkeys don't seem to use our switchgrass much.
It would be nice to burn these areas in the future. You'll need some decent size breaks between islands if you go this route.

L & O


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## November Sunrise (Jan 12, 2006)

Liver and Onions said:


> From our experience, a 4 acre plot is too big. I think 2-4 islands of irregular shaped switchgrass areas would give you better results. Each island maybe 1/4-3/4 of an acre. Both pheasants and deer will use these set-ups more.


Can you give a few examples of the shapes that you've found to be most desirable for deer bedding?


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## StoneyCreekOutdoorProp (Jun 28, 2005)

Liver and Onions said:


> From our experience, a 4 acre plot is too big. I think 2-4 islands of irregular shaped switchgrass areas would give you better results. Each island maybe 1/4-3/4 of an acre. Both pheasants and deer will use these set-ups more. Turkeys don't seem to use our switchgrass much.
> It would be nice to burn these areas in the future. You'll need some decent size breaks between islands if you go this route.
> 
> L & O


I could see smaller islands being more beneficial for buck bedding areas.

From a standpoint of creating fawning, nesting and broad rearing cover these small island areas are a bad idea. Predators (skunks, possum, ****, fox and coyotes) can penetrate all of these little islands without much effort and get to the nests or the young. If you have blocks of cover the predators will put in only so much effort to penetrate one large block, thus giving your other wildlife a higher percentage of survival.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

November Sunrise said:


> Can you give a few examples of the shapes that you've found to be most desirable for deer bedding?


I don't think the shape makes any difference. Let the terrian, soil and existing plants tell you what to make.

sadworld, 
If you have a low spot, a watering hole would be a big plus. Theres nothing wrong with a chisel plow.

L & O


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

stoneycreekhabitatspecial said:


> .......From a standpoint of creating fawning, nesting and broad rearing cover these small island areas are a bad idea. Predators (skunks, possum, ****, fox and coyotes) can penetrate all of these little islands without much effort and get to the nests or the young. If you have blocks of cover the predators will put in only so much effort to penetrate one large block, thus giving your other wildlife a higher percentage of survival.


I guess we have just been lucky then.

L & O


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## Bear Creek (Feb 9, 2003)

sadworld said:


> if i can swing the funds i'd like to establish switchgrass on a small 4 acre plot on the back of my property.... currently its crp that is or was mostly weeds but i burned it a couple years ago and quite a bit of clover did come up. anyways i would like it to be switchgrass and since i do not have any equipment i will have to hire someone to help me with this. i plan on approaching a local farmer (or someone) about what i need done. from my research i think this is what i need to tell him i need done. i need confirmation please if i got this correct. remember this field has been idled for a long time and in crp... anyways. i think this is what i need done: field needs to be plowed and disked. when it starts to green it needs roundup.... when it starts to green again, another shot of roundup. then i need the no till drill for planting switch seed a week or so after that. at some point then i'll need the plot to be sprayed with atrazine (not sure when this would take place) an then another shot of atrazine for the second time... again not sure of the timing of this....after that, hope and pray.
> so do i have this close guys? id love some comments. thanks. matt.


First off you didn't say wether this field is still in CRP or not?? If its still in the CRP program you can't just go in and replant over whats there without getting approval from the local NRCS. If that's not an issue then the next question is what do you want this area to do? If your looking for nesting cover for pheasants, switchgrass is a bad idea. If your looking for winter cover for pheasants then its a great idea. If your looking for deer bedding area its a good idea. If its part of a larger field and your looking to improve the pheasant habitat, then you need to decide what else is there or lacking in the field before you go and just plant 4 acres of switchgrass?? Lots of questions to be answered in my mind before you go and waste a lot of energy trying to plant 4 acres of switchgrass.

BC


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## sadworld (Aug 4, 2003)

i've mentioned my plans to my local office and they said it shouldn't be a problem, of course i'd mention it again when it comes down to it... it's still crp.
my parcel butts up to an entire section of crp field just like it. some woods but mostly overgrown field in crp. hundreds of acres... i think a large chunk of it, mainly the part that borders mine will be farmed again as early as this year. i figure food is covered if that happens and i'll take care of cover... my main goal is pheasants but i expect deer to thrive there as well. as far as nesting cover or winter cover, haven't thought about it... they wont nest in switch?


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## Bear Creek (Feb 9, 2003)

Well the first thing I would do is ask your local SCS office to approve/amend your CRP contract. Technically you can't do any improvements/planting without their approval. Then I would ask their habitat guy or gal to take a look at your property and give you some suggestions on what to plant. If your going to be losing a large chunk of CRP behind you you may need to do more than just plant a 4 acre planting of switchgrass.

To answer your question about nesting cover NO switch is not good nesting cover. The best is a mix of cool season grass/clovers, next is a mix of Warm Season grasses. Switchgrass is excellent winter cover but thats about it. You can do some quick fixes like light discing to improve your cover, or burning like you mentioned you did in this area you want to replant. Either way I would be looking at a long term plan and looking two and three years down the road and planning now for those upgrades. Good luck!!

BC


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## hehibrits (Mar 10, 2007)

Bear Creek said:


> Switchgrass is excellent winter cover but thats about it.
> BC


 
I do not know if you are referring to Southern Michigan in particular, but I have not found that to be true in my experiences around the more western pheasant states, Iowa in particular. I have seen 500+ birds get out of 80 acres of switch. It is always heavily roosted early in the season and in the wind it is a pheasant magnet. It offers good overhead cover against the ever present hawks also. I would chose nothing else (pheasant wise) than to pull into an 80 of swichgrass next to some cut corn on a morning with a heavy frost and slide a dog down as quietly as possible and dissapear with a vest full of shells. 
The down side is in winter the grass all gets matted flat by the snow and offers little to no cover and is worhtless to hunt. If you are a pointing dog guy, you get to see very little action of any bird work and pretty much just listen for the beeper. Shooting can be difficult when the tops reach 6-8 feet tall. Walking in the high stem density areas can be a work out.
My avatar is of a 30 minute walk through some switchgrass on a particulary warm December day in Iowa in 2006.


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## sadworld (Aug 4, 2003)

hehibrits said:


> I do not know if you are referring to Southern Michigan in particular, but I have not found that to be true in my experiences around the more western pheasant states, Iowa in particular. I have seen 500+ birds get out of 80 acres of switch. It is always heavily roosted early in the season and in the wind it is a pheasant magnet. It offers good overhead cover against the ever present hawks also. I would chose nothing else (pheasant wise) than to pull into an 80 of swichgrass next to some cut corn on a morning with a heavy frost and slide a dog down as quietly as possible and dissapear with a vest full of shells.
> The down side is in winter the grass all gets matted flat by the snow and offers little to no cover and is worhtless to hunt. If you are a pointing dog guy, you get to see very little action of any bird work and pretty much just listen for the beeper. Shooting can be difficult when the tops reach 6-8 feet tall. Walking in the high stem density areas can be a work out.
> My avatar is of a 30 minute walk through some switchgrass on a particulary warm December day in Iowa in 2006.


from all my research on switchgrass, one of the selling points for me was the fact that switch is supposed to be an ideal cover for birds in the winter.... stands up great against the snow... hmmm? anyone care to comment?


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## deerdude (Jan 6, 2009)

sadworld said:


> from all my research on switchgrass, one of the selling points for me was the fact that switch is supposed to be an ideal cover for birds in the winter.... stands up great against the snow... hmmm? anyone care to comment?


 Dude i have had switch grass for 10 years now and alot of wet snow will nock it down but never flat. It will pop back up some when the snow melts off.There is lots of tunnels going though it after the heavy snows.I planted mine like you would plant a yard, spray then work it down wait for green up spray wait till weeds start to die then work it up broadcast seed,then lightly drag it in, then pack it with a roller.


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## Bear Creek (Feb 9, 2003)

hehibrits said:


> I do not know if you are referring to Southern Michigan in particular, but I have not found that to be true in my experiences around the more western pheasant states, Iowa in particular. I have seen 500+ birds get out of 80 acres of switch. It is always heavily roosted early in the season and in the wind it is a pheasant magnet. It offers good overhead cover against the ever present hawks also. I would chose nothing else (pheasant wise) than to pull into an 80 of swichgrass next to some cut corn on a morning with a heavy frost and slide a dog down as quietly as possible and dissapear with a vest full of shells.
> The down side is in winter the grass all gets matted flat by the snow and offers little to no cover and is worhtless to hunt. If you are a pointing dog guy, you get to see very little action of any bird work and pretty much just listen for the beeper. Shooting can be difficult when the tops reach 6-8 feet tall. Walking in the high stem density areas can be a work out.
> My avatar is of a 30 minute walk through some switchgrass on a particulary warm December day in Iowa in 2006.



You must be refering to a different kind of grass. My guess is you were hunting in Reeds Canary Grass, makes good cover in the fall looks some what like Switchgrass but goes completly flat with the first heavy snows. I have never seen a field of straight switchgrass go completely flat in the winter. It may bend over badly in wet snow or ice but once that melts the switchgrass will pop right back up. If I get a chance I will take some pictures of switchgrass stands we have on our property. This winter it has been through 14" of snow and covered in standing water and ice. Today its still standing like it was in Sept.

Never said that it makes poor roosting cover, in fact I would agree with you if I saw a stand of it next to a cut corn field I'd be in there as well. But hunting season is total different then nesting or brood rearing season. You won't find many pheasants around switchgrass all spring and summer, it just doesn't make good bugging grounds or nesting habitat. 

Bear Creek


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