How to grow Switch grass for Whitetail bedding
Posted By
Wisconsin
at
10/31/2009 12:00:00 AM
Switch Grass
I will always be a farmer at heart. I like to grow stuff. Since my other passion is hunting trophy whitetails, managing the food and habitat on my small farms in Southwest Wisconsin has become a favorite pastime between seasons. I feel like I can grow most plants and have experience with everything from field crops to tobacco and even flowering plants. My background as an Agriculture teacher of sixteen years has exposed me to a number of different plants and growing programs from traditional field conditions to greenhouses. However, there is one plant that was about to test my will and cause me to question my agronomic abilities, that’s right switch grass! With my never ending desire to make my land better habitat, I am continuously searching the internet, magazine articles and attending seminars at Deer Classics, trying to find out what works for others. When it comes to building habitat with a short turnaround the most common recommendation I get is switch grass. More specifically, Cave-In-Rock Switch grass or CIR for short. Many of you may have experience with this awesome habitat tool, but until recently, I did not. If you have always wanted better bedding cover, or like me you have farms with a vast amount of open acreage, I would like to share what I have learned so far.
To begin with, preparation is the key for a good stand. You should start my mowing the areas you wish to seed in mid-August prior to the seeding year. When the mowed area grows back green a few weeks later, spray glyphosate (roundup) to kill the new vegetation. In early spring, say early to mid march in the upper Midwest you can
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| Rick demonstrates how tall Switch grass gets. |
Once the seed is down the next step is a herbicide application. Typically in Mid to late April an application of roundup and atrazine will keep the newly sprouted and un-sprouted weed seeds at bay. The Key is to keep the field as weed free as possible until the switch gets a foothold. Once the switch is well established, it will out-compete most weeds during the warmer summer months. Be careful however not to spray roundup after the CIR has germinated, as it will kill most anything that is green and growing. It should be noted that atrazine is a restricted use pesticide and requires a pesticide applicators license to purchase and apply. In some cases you may need to hire a buddy or a professional with a license to purchase and apply the atrazine. In addition, the use of atrazine is prohibited in some areas, and the allowable application rates can vary by state and areas within so be sure to follow state law and label guidelines. I would suggest using the maximum legal dose for best control. If herbicides are not an option your only choice is to mow the weeds. Just clip the top of them 8-12 inches high to allow sunlight in. You will likely need to mow several times during the first year. Switch grass should not be mowed close to the ground or you may harm it. Mowing can work, but it may take 2-3 years longer to achieve acceptable stands as compared to the atrazine approach. Switch grass is similar to corn in that it is not harmed by atrazine. The chemical works best as a pre-emergent treatment but can also work on young, actively growing weeds. While the atrazine will kill grassy weeds, 2-4D can take care of any broadleaf problems you have, just wait until the CIR has 3-4 leaves to avoid damaging it. Late summer of the seeding year is usually a good time to apply 2-4D.
This past spring I seeded two fields to CIR. One was ridge ground and the other was a fertile bottom field. The bottom has areas of switch chest high in mid-September while the ridge field is only knee high and has areas overtaken by weeds with no switch present at all. I am amazed at how thick the vegetation is in the bottom field, and because it will soon allow any deer to vanish in it, hopefully it will deter potential poaching problems as the field is located close to a road. Switch grass is a great scavenger of nutrients, so fertilizer is not
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| Switch grass bottom. |
For further information on growing switch grass or obtaining CIR seed, visit the switch grass forum on www.iowawhitetail.com or contact John Osenbaugh at Osenbaugh’s Prairie Seed Farms www.prairieseedfarms.com . Both sources can provide further information about establishing and maintaining switch grass on your property and both have been very helpful to me. Who knows, switch grass may also someday provide some additional income to your farm in the form of seed stock for ethanol production. Good luck with your land management projects and best wishes on a successful hunting season.
A Hunting Update from Southwest Wisconsin
Justin and I have been hunting hard this season, but overall the action has been slow. We hunted almost every day the season was open in September and Justin harvested an old Buck in that time frame. In October the action was best between the 6th and 10th when we saw 3 shooters during that period. We hunted a little during the herd control doe hunt but for the most part we have been fairly conservative in our approach, hunting the fringes in the afternoon and avoiding our best locations for now. We began hunting mornings on
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Rick Sime
ProStaffer, Midwest Whitetail-Wisconsin
