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Post by thebellcompany on Jun 18, 2019 9:07:48 GMT -5
Hunters!!! This is switchgrass. Can you see a deer in this picture? Didn’t think so! I plan to use it along trails and around food plots to make the deer feel more secure AND give me screening cover to get to my stand! Who else is preparing for this years hunting season? What are you doing to your property?
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Post by parkerbow on Jun 18, 2019 12:36:55 GMT -5
Where are you getting your switch grass seed? I thought a few times about planting some of this.
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Post by jbird on Jun 18, 2019 18:43:35 GMT -5
I have switchgrass...I have the same switchgrass in the picture (that is Don Higgins I do believe). 1 thing to keep in mind is YES, it works great for a screen for the deer. However....it doesn't make a tall enough screen for an averaged height man. The seed head height may reach 6 to 7 feet into the air, but the blades of grass are roughly only 5 feet tall. If you want a screen tall enough to hide YOU...then you want to look into something like Miscanthus Grass. Switch will make a nice plot buffer and I would suggest allowing other native weeds to grow in it as many weeds are deer food. Switch also tends to stand better in the snow and the like AND retains it's cover value better than many native weed sand grasses as well. But if your trying to screen your movements from the deer...I think you may want something even taller. What I find with my switch is that I can't see the deer in it....but they sure can see me walk by. I have also found that the deer prefer some sort of other "structure" in the switchgrass if your looking for bedding cover as well. Tree tops, cedar trees or other shrubs seem to draw deer to them in a "sea of switchgrass". This pic was taken in early march a few years ago to give you an idea of how well it stands up... Here is an idea of how I use it on my place to create a buffer between the woods and the plots. You can see the green plot and then a mix of the switchgrass and other native "weeds" goldenrod, ragweed and the like. You can't see the deer moving thru it in most cases. But the deer certainly follow the edges of it scent checking....and thus why I am in the stand where this pic is taken from. Here is a good contrast picture as well... Here I have my switch planted and then a natural buffer of "weeds". The thing is that come fall the weeds are a forest of sticks and offer little cover value, while the grass still provides lots of cover....and taller too! This was taken in June a few years ago and there was at least a foot or more of difference in height. This area is a buffer between a wooded bank and my crop field. This is in a CRP program so the government pays me not to farm it AND I can create wildlife habitat at the same time. Cover is a very limiting factor in my area, so the more the better.
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Post by dbd870 on Jun 19, 2019 8:41:17 GMT -5
Hunters!!! This is switchgrass. Can you see a deer in this picture? Didn’t think so! I plan to use it along trails and around food plots to make the deer feel more secure AND give me screening cover to get to my stand! Who else is preparing for this years hunting season? What are you doing to your property? I’m looking into buying a boat!
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Post by steiny on Jun 19, 2019 15:27:51 GMT -5
I've got a bunch of switch grass, but wet snows and winter weather tend to flatten it down, and this often occurs before the end of deer season. For a grass "wall" a nice strip of Egyptian wheat is hard to beat.
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Post by thebellcompany on Jun 19, 2019 23:40:57 GMT -5
Where are you getting your switch grass seed? I thought a few times about planting some of this. I ordered mine from my local Ag Plus. They quoted me $8/lb
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Post by throbak on Jun 20, 2019 9:26:47 GMT -5
ALAMO SWITCHGRASS I’ve said it time after time sits taller than what’s shown Snow and ice will beat it Flat but when it melts it will stand right back up It was developed for biofuel so it’s tougher than forage types I have planted Acre after acre and a lot for screens I get my seed from Tom Applegate in Brook Indiana Call Him Tell Him Dale sent you his number is 219-275-3664 or 219-863-2136 I’ve drilled Hundreds of pounds of seed from Tom Never a problem Lot of fobs from him too I started using Forbs for my fire breaks when mowed they won’t carry a fire and lots of benefit for everything It’s still ok to plant now too if rain stops I’ve done ok planting as late as 4 /July
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Post by jbird on Jun 20, 2019 11:23:13 GMT -5
I planted switchgrass from Real World Wildlife Products (the pic in the OP originates from their website). What I actually planted was a product they call "bedding in a bag" but the only thing that I had success growing was the switchgrass....Bedding in a bag is 1/3 Indiangrass, 1/3 big bluestem and 1/3 switchgrass. I drilled mine and the switchgrass has done pretty well for me (there is no sign of the other 2 grasses). Like was mentioned a wet snow and ice will bend it over...but once it melts it stand up real well. They have their switchgrass at 10lbs for $150.
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