Dec 14, 2018 - Although the "end goal" should vary greatly from parcel to parcel, don't underestimate the power of easy switchgrass plantings for deer on your land. We understand that not every plot is the same. Creating Hunting Strategies Based on Thermals, Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Archery Practice: Aim for the Lower Third, New Hidey Hole Food Plot At Edge of Bedding Area and Timber, The Key to Success for this Kentucky Hunt: Food Plot Design, See the Difference In Two Thinned Pine Stands: One Burned the Other Not. I typically plant Cave-in-Rock switchgrass as a buffer around properties because it grows tall and stands up well to winter wind/snow/sleet. Switchgrass can be successfully established using several seeding practices. *It's not about fancy blends and deer cover mixes! Mature lowland types will tolerate long periods of flooding. There are few definitive comparisons on whether a seedbed prepared using clean tillage or some form of minimum tillage is the better method for establishing switchgrass. It has also proven to be one of, if not the best, trees to plant for wildlife, deer included. Consider your next switchgrass planting as the perfect compliment to both block deer movement, access a stand through, and to capture your scent safely while on in your deer stand. Be sure to consider the location of where to establish cover in relation to existing or planned travel corridors, food sources, and hunting locations. Cave-n-Rock switchgrass is a perennial, warm season native grass that grows an average of 3-5 feet tall, but in some regions, can reach up to 6 feet tall at maturity. The best time to plant switchgrass is in the winter. I absolutely love cedars, shrubs and scrubby trees mixed with natives, I think it's the best cover known to man. And we offer common sense solutions to most planting situations. [question] On our 250 acre Iowa farm, we have 100 acres in CRP. I personally prefer CIR switchgrass when creating deer bedding areas mainly because of the height advantage that it provides. Share this post on social media: February 12, 2008. IA CP25 30-10 Standard However, it is not competitive when establishing. Thank you for the kind words! I am thinking of adding 5 acres of Cave In Rock switchgrass to a brome field on the far edge of the farm. In addition to screening a property from poachers it also serves well as bedding and fawning cover. Cattle love to eat switchgrass, so it's a great sustainable food source. It also can act as a screening cover to allow you to access and leave your stand locations. The Bullet that Leaves All Its Energy In the Deer, Native Browse: Ragweed – It’s Extremely Nutritious, Velvet Bucks, Fawns, Turkey Poults: Trail Camera Videos | May and June 2020, Archery Practice Tip 2: Square Up to The Shot, Focus on the Waist Up, How to Identify Red Oaks Vs. White Oaks by Their Leaves. Check out the full blog on this setup, as well as hunting considerations: Small Soybean Food Plots 101 PLANTING SWITCHGRASS. But, short term, 10-20 years, it's some of the best deer cover a guy could get. In Michigan, my best stands have been created using the switchgrass variety of Cave in Rock (CIR). You can plant switchgrass, or a mix of native warm season grasses, to produce bedding cover within two years. Make sure the switchgrass has grow at least a foot high before you graze it, so the plant's roots don't get damaged. Buy now . It’s one of the dominant species of the tallgrass prairie, and can grow up to six feet tall. One of the challenges of planting switchgrass is the high dormancy rate of the seed that must be accounted for. Switchgrass is categorized as either upland or lowland. Planning a Switchgrass Planting By Tom Peplinski A switchgrass planting (warm season grass) is the fastest way I know of to create a visual barrier or security cover. It is a good windbreak and screen plant and provides excellent nesting, brood rearing, and cover for ground nesting birds and small mammals as well as bedding areas, fawn concealment sites, and travel lanes for deer. Switchgrass is an important forage plant … By Dr. Dave Samuel. Upland types are typically shorter and generally found on upland sites with lower fertility and drier conditions. I planted a crp blend fifteen years ago, and it seems the big bluestem has lasted the best. And unlike other plantings, it is long lasting. Dr. James Kroll has conducted trials in which he discovered that deer choose chestnuts over acorns at a rate as high as 100 to 1. Overview. Switchgrass is a warm-season perennial bunchgrass native to much of the United States. It is a good windbreak and screen plant and provides excellent nesting, brood rearing, and cover for ground nesting birds and small mammals as well as bedding areas, fawn concealment sites, and travel lanes for deer. Real World Switchgrass is offered in a 10 lb. Instead I prefer to plant forage legumes, such as soybeans, cowpeas, lablab, alyceclover, and jointvetch during the summer months and … The Bullet that Leaves All Its Energy In the Deer, Native Browse: Ragweed – It’s Extremely Nutritious, Velvet Bucks, Fawns, Turkey Poults: Trail Camera Videos | May and June 2020, Archery Practice Tip 2: Square Up to The Shot, Focus on the Waist Up, How to Identify Red Oaks Vs. White Oaks by Their Leaves. In the best of conditions, it will take at least two years to establish a stand. Then, when switchgrass was recognized as having the best … Better Understand Where and How Scent is Carried. Setting Up for a New Season of Trapping Nest Predators! I understand that native grasses have a place in deer management, but they don’t seem to eat it. It will allow the soybeans to make it to grain, exclusively for your late season hunting strategy. Filed under: Ask Grant, Habitat Management. Related products. I would like to increase the holding power of the farm for deer. Deer Creek Seed sells three switchgrass varieties: Cave-In-Rock, Dacotah, and Forestburg. I have planted switchgrass and found that it can be fickle to establish. For white-tailed deer, an area should typically be burned in a rotation every few years depending on the region. There are several varieties of switchgrass available to the grower to choose from but two of the more popular types are Blackwell and Cave-In-Rock or CIR for short. Switchgrass offers excellent winter cover, even in high snow and wind conditions for all wildlife. If you are not convinced, take our “Dare to Compare” challenge and plant Real World switchgrass next to other commonly planted switchgrass varieties and see the difference for yourself. Will Soybeans Grow with a Thick Mulch Layer. We’ve included only the most popular and beneficial cereal grains, legumes, forbs and brassicas. Switchgrass is a very hearty species once established. Best Tall Growing Grasses for Deer Cover Switchgrass. If you are going to plant only one type of shrub for deer cover, then Ninebark is probably going to be your best option. I’m a huge fan of establishing switchgrass to provide cover for wildlife! It grows as much as 9 feet and it’s a very good deer cover. Switch grass is similar to corn in that it is not harmed by atrazine. Stop grazing the area when the grass is six inches off the ground. Switchgrass can be established on a variety of soils including the dreaded sandy soil. "Several neighbors have planted switchgrass for deer, and I read about it all the time. GrowingDeer.tv is a Trademark of Woods & Associates, Inc.  All Rights Reserved. One Of Our Favorite Hunting Tools That Fits In A Pocket! It provides great visual and thermal cover. A switchgrass planting can last for many years, is relatively maintenance free once established, and is fairly inexpensive to establish. It was promoted for its wildlife benefits and all of that years ago. The chemical works best as a pre-emergent treatment but can also work on young, actively growing weeds. Grasses for Deer Cover Native Warm Season Grasses (NWSG), such as Mossy Oak’s Bedding Blend-Cover & Habitat Mix, creates natural cover because of how they develop. Conclusion The northern MI client's switchgrass offered a fairly quick solution: Take the tractor with a disc attached, and create the desired maze and pocket effect within the planting. Congratulations, you have found the absolute best food plot seed offered to hunters and deer enthusiasts. 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. Switchgrass is an important forage plant … They are bunch grasses that grow in clumps and are especially beneficial to ground-feeding birds because they allow mobility between the clumps. For Filed under: Ask Grant, Habitat Management. I remember my blend had big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass, switchgrass, and side oats gamma. Not only are they highly attractive to deer, Dunstan Chestnuts can start producing mast in as soon as three to five years. Creating Hunting Strategies Based on Thermals, Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Archery Practice: Aim for the Lower Third, New Hidey Hole Food Plot At Edge of Bedding Area and Timber, The Key to Success for this Kentucky Hunt: Food Plot Design, See the Difference In Two Thinned Pine Stands: One Burned the Other Not. This is one of the best ways to keep a deer out of a food plot. Big game animals, such as deer, prefer to browse on multiple plant types. Will Soybeans Grow with a Thick Mulch Layer. bag that plants 2-3 Acres and is also available in a … Instead, it's as easy as finding out the variety that works best For Your Area (most likely Cave In Rock), and then buy 8-10#s per acre for screening purposes and 5-6#s per acre for wildlife cover. Switchgrass is a perennial warm season grass that takes 3-5 years to fully establish. You can grow it from the Rocky Mountains of Canada all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, consider predominate wind direction and concealment of hunters approaching stand locations. Their greatest value comes primarily from the fact that their growth structure provides “bunch” grasses rather than sod-forming grasses such as fescue. GrowingDeer.tv is a Trademark of Woods & Associates, Inc.  All Rights Reserved. As opposed to non-native cool-season grasses that grow well in spring and fall, warm-season grasses grow primarily during the warmest months of the year, typically June, July, and August in Ohio. Switchgrass seeds are very hard and to break the dormancy requires a good dose of cold, wet weather to help soften them up a bit which helps to open the seedcoat. We started as a company on a kitchen table and have quickly grown to one of the best seed companies around. Better Understand Where and How Scent is Carried. Prairie Cordgrass I have not seen that the deer use it much in my hunting area, but I assume in areas with limited cover, they would use it more. Setting Up for a New Season of Trapping Nest Predators! Performs well on a wide range of soils. Which switchgrass do you recommend for a buffer? Once established, they also provide excellent cover for larger animals, such as white-tailed deer. The success behind our big game food plots is variety. Switchgrass for Ethanol & Biodiesel Switchgrass is highly adaptive. Depending on the size of the property, you will probably want to break it up into multiple “burn blocks” so you aren’t burning off your entire hunting area at once. MN CP1 $ 50.00 /acre. Dan D. from Kentucky writes to ask about switchgrass. This stratification process is best left up to mother nature to perform. Visit to learn more. Partridge pea has been heartier this year than I remember in a while. In addition to screening a property from poachers it also serves well as bedding and fawning cover. Copyright © 2009-2020 GrowingDeer.tv. You were most informative recently at the National Wild Turkey Federation convention. Our big game food plots are high in protein and … It is best to plant switchgrass in fields where a good seedbed has been prepared and there is no competing vegetation. IA CP23 Standard $ 115.00 /acre. Graze after the switchgrass has reached a height of 12 to 16 inches (30.5 to 40.6 cm). This one is a native to North America and grows well along the roadsides, the prairies, and in native grass pastures too. While these cultivars are upland cultivars and will grow best in the upper Midwest, they will also grow just fine in southern states as well. Most Ninebark shrubs reach close to nine feet in height. Copyright © 2009-2020 GrowingDeer.tv. Best Switchgrass for a Buffer By GrowingDeer, 03/10/2011. I typically plant Cave-in-Rock switchgrass as a buffer around properties because it grows tall and stands up well to winter wind/snow/sleet. Planting switchgrass for deer habitat does make some sense, but I have never been a big fan of it. Although deer readily eat grain sorghum, I do not plant it in a pure stand when managing specifically for deer. It is highly adaptable to a wide range of soils and growing conditions. Switchgrass For Deer. Valuable as livestock forage, wildlife habitat, erosion control and biofuel source. 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