No-Till, No Drill, Low Prep Switchgrass Planting
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- With the gun season over, my mind has shifted into full blown habitat mode. I have a pile of projects just waiting to be done. I spend a good portion of my time in the stand making notes on my phone about what I want to get done once I'm done hunting. The list is long!
One thing that always rises to the top of the list is thinking about ways to add additional screening to the farm. I want to screen everything, from access, to food plots, to bedding areas. The more secure the deer can feel the better. And one of the main ways I screen is by using switchgrass.
Now if you have been thinking about adding switchgrass to your property, but you skipped the prep that is required the year prior, here's a method I used last summer with great success. I did very little prep and got one of the nicest,cleanest first year stands I've ever gotten. It's a method I'll be employing again in the future. Hopefully you find this video helpful!
For more about Purpose-Filled Habitat Management, check out my website at www.pfhabitat....
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Great video. I might try this method next year, but I don't know if I can do the burning part. Fortunately the areas I want to do were formerly foodplots so there's not the thick grasses you were dealing with.
If you have bare dirt you'll be able to avoid the burning piece
I'm really enjoying your content. Great information. What are your thoughts on autumn olive/Russian olive? I have a ton of it and I'm constantly fighting it back in my native warm season grass plot. Thanks for the great videos!
Glad it worked for you too Sam, really an easy method!
@saltytech8380 yah it worked fantastic, couldn't be happier with the results!
Looks like a great stand - congratulations! Where are you located? Only curious because I live near Barron, WI, and late June planting seems late for our property
Thanks! I'm in the northern half of MN, border of growing zone 3
Interesting. I like it. Probably should emphasize this is not recommended for other variants of switch. RC Big Rock is a fast germination variant. Others are not.
Great point. And they tend to have lower dormancies making for better germination with a growing season planting
Could I ask what the benefits of the burning was? Removing all the dead fibers opening up for seeding?
Yes removing the duff helps immensely with germination and seed to soil contact
Great video, looks really nice. Question - have you put up any game cams after you burn a field to see what shows up to the burn area? I hear wild turkeys show up after the burn to look for food in these areas. Not sure what all else shows up.
@@joeschmoe2011 I have not. But my general observation is that turkeys, morning doves, killdeer, and song birds love it right after a burn
we had a burn in the November and the turkeys showed up next spring after greenup in large numbers. It was surrounded by trees on 2 sides and 6 foot tall crp native grass on 2 sides, an area irregular about 2 acres. I thought it was to eat the bugs on the greenest, golf course like area you have ever seen. But now the feds make you disc, burn or spray strips in crp so the young birds can thrive there. Interesting as they used to prohibit that and now they pay you to do it. Didn't notice any there when it was black in the winter, no food?
I believe it's the bugs and young green plants they like to nibble at after a burn. It would make sense they wouldn't touch it in the winter given their wouldn't be life in it yet
What are your thoughts about removing the burn, and instead go:
Gly - week off
Gly - days off
Cut very short and seed before the next rain?
I think you'll get sparse germination. I've tried methods like that where duff is left and it struggles. It likes to be touching that bare dirt
@ the place I need bedding cover is literally touching a marsh and a pine woods - so burning is a scary proposition. Maybe cut and then use a yard sweeper to get down to bare dirt? Thinking outside of the box here 🤣
@uwlhammer that could work. Followed up with a high powered backpack leaf Blower
hey man , thanks for the video, please look at my reply to joeschmoe, I think the turkey thing is a timing thing dealing with food and poult raising,👍
Agreed!