Switchgrass is a warm season grass and will not germinate until soil temps reach 50 degrees. In my opinion, Feb 1 seems a little too early. The planting time is similar to that for millet or sorghum-sudan. Messages: 901 Likes Received: 115 Location: Southern Michigan. When frost-seeding clover you basically do the same thing as when frost seeding switchgrass with one exception; the later in the winter you can frost-seed clover the better. Welters Seed sells Frost Berseem IowaBowHunter1983, Jan 5, 2018 #3. Switchgrass seed can also be ran through any conventional or no-till drill that is suitable for clover or alfalfa seed. Frost Seeding Switchgrass: Discussion in 'Whitetail Deer Habitat' started by millbs, Nov 26, 2017. Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 Next > Nov 26, 2017 #1 . Forestburg Switchgrass is a perennial native grass that grows 3-5 feet tall. Switchgrass can be planted a variety of ways. You could frost seed it once this snow melts IF you killed the weeds this past fall. Kind of splot the difference. If moist seed is maintained at 85öF for 3 days, many of the seedlings will germinate and grow to a height of approximately 1 inch with a 1-inch deep root. It looks like his blend is about 7-8' and much taller than standard CIR. I have roughly 6-7 acres that I want to develop some kind of cover on. wolfgang510. Big bluestem and indiangrass seed are chaffy and will not flow through conventional drills. frost is needed to allow for carbohydrate storage in the stem bases and crown. Regardless of the tillage method, provide a seedbed that will allow good seed-to-soil contact which is essential for the seed to germinate. Oct 30, 2018 - Frost seeding switchgrass could be one if th easiest and foolproof ways to establish an outstanding swithchgass planting! Even with snow on the ground you should broadcast right on top, the Switchgrass will … Birdsfoot trefoil is another option and is often frost seeded in a mix with red clover. Frost-seeding is better done on a little snow cover as it is easier to see the spread pattern on top of the snow—usually mid- to late March is good for much of Michigan. Seeding this warm season grass can vary from region to region and even site to site but there is one fail safe way to get results on your pure stand of Switchgrass, that’s a frost seeding. No soil prep is required, although I find it grows better if you do. Please read these instructions completely before starting your switchgrass planting project! The seed should be no more than ½” deep. Dormant Seeding & Frost Seeding Dormant seeding is a temporary or permanent seeding application at a time when soil temperatures are too low for germination to occur (less than 50oF). Frost seedings are also often successful in bare and disturbed pasture areas. Frost seeding has proven to be an effective way to improve pasture quality and yield. Switchgrass seed lots can vary widely in germination rates and number of seeds per pound. Burn or mow, spray, etc. It can also be planted through most seed drills. Feb 15, 2010 #3 . switchgrass seed during the winter and early spring months can help break seed dormancy and improve stand establishment. I was wondering if it would be worth while to frost seed some switchgrass into a fencerow. When determining the pounds of bulk This non-bloating legume can be slow to establish and is often sparse until the second year. Topic: Best Time to Plant Switchgrass: Hi Bill, I am looking to increase my bedding cover on my property by planting a 5-6 acre patch of warm season grass specifically switchgrass. Darron B, Feb 13, 2010. It is recommended in Ohio to frost seed from Feb 1 through March 15. It can grow from 4’-6’ tall and is adapted to a wide range of soils and climate conditions, and needs relatively little fertilizer, lime, or water. Multiply the total germination rate by the seed purity (both of which are found on the seed tag), then divide by 100. To make sure the seeding rate is accurate, first determine the percent PLS in the seed lot to be planted. Frost seeding legumes can be very successful when performed correctly using the best suited species. Yes, frost seeding switchgrass is the preferred method. On the RWWP website Don has a comparison between his switchgrass blend and CIR. Certain legumes and grasses can be successfully frost seeded. millbs. Switchgrass seed is hard and slick and can be handled without special drills. It is now possible, in some regions of the country, to seed switchgrass in the spring, harvest 50 percent of the yield potential of the cultivar after killing frost in the seeding year, and reach 75 to 100 percent of full production the next year after seeding. When frost-seeding it is important that the site be totally free of established grasses.If frost-seeding is not possible, switchgrass can also be planted into freshly prepared soil by broadcasting and then either culti-packing or lightly dragging. Five inoculated forage legumes and a legume mixture were frost‐seeded into an excellent stand of established ‘Cave‐in‐Rock’ switchgrass in mid‐March of 1991 and 1992. Seeding date: Switchgrass germinates very slowly when soil temperature is below 60öF. Thin sods and bare surface areas are desirable for both freeze-thaw and rain splash coverage. I will be unable to do any maintenance in this location. Would like to establish some additional screening. I know to properly establish switchgrasss it helps to be able to spray and mow. The seed should be no more than ½” deep. Hey guys. I also contacted … In SE Ohio one can frost seed a little earlier than let's say Northern Ohio. Post 2008 flood, a plot of 'Cave -in-Rock' switchgrass produces seed while surrounding vegetation has died . It is still good to get some freezing temperatures on the clover seed that has been spread but ideally clover should be seeded during the last couple of weeks of freezing temperatures. See Dbltree thread. Switchgrass is a perennial warm season grass native to the majority of the eastern U.S. It can be seeded singly or in mixtures for warm season forage production or as a wildlife habitat planting. Ground Preparation – Your planting site should be free of any growing or established plants. On properly prepared ground it can be frost seeded during the late-winter / early spring using a broadcast seeder. flowing, and easily seeded with most grass drills. Switchgrass Planting Instructions. alfalfa will probably go dormant earlier than here and not be there much for hunting season unless you find some colder varieties.There may be better options.Lots of guys from up that way on deerhunterforum.com and allthingshabitat.com It seems that bunch-type grasses and thin sods offer less competition to legume seedlings than vigorous stands of sod-forming bromegrass and bluegrass. I frost seed every year in my spent brassica and cereal grain plots. It could save you a lot of time, money and disappointment. Frost seeding legumes and grasses is common means to improve forage yield or change the species composition of a pasture. It is a sod-forming grass that once dominated the tall grass prairies of the United States. Do you recommend frost seeding only for this product or could I see similar success by planting in the spring on a freshly worked seed bed? I have a four day weekend the weekend before presidents day so I will frost seed sometime that weekend. The seed should be no more than ½” deep. Frost seeding switch right before a snow is good,frost seeding alfalfa will probably work.I like to plant mine in late sept early oct in Kansas.In Wisc. If frost-seeding is not possible, switchgrass can also be planted into freshly prepared soil by broadcasting and then either culti-packing or lightly dragging. Like Darron said, you'll want the existing vegetation to be dead, or pretty much dead. Frost seeding requires the soil to be thawing, freezing and heaving. Frost seeding is the cold stratification process to help germination on a hard seed like switchgrass. Page 1 of 2 1 2 Next > Jul 31, 2017 #1 . Red and white clovers are the most commonly used and establish well with frost seeding. Seed that is less than one-year-old and has not been stratified: When drilling, plant between mid-November and April 15 to allow some stratification to occur. Frost seeding is a temporary or permanent seeding application in late winter when soils are in the freeze-thaw stage. The best stands I have are worked up ground, frost seeded, and then cultipacked when not frozen. This is due to the small-hard-round switchgrass seed which does require the specialized equipment needed to ease the job of planting those fluffy seeds of other species. If you could, you could kill the field this spring with glyphosate, then drill in the sg seed but that may not be an option for you. Switchgrass seed sold by seed companies should be sold by percent PLS in addition to the percent purity, germination and hard (dormant) seed. Messages: 642 Likes Received: 648 Location: Lakeview. Frost seeding typically works best with legume seeds because it is easier for smaller seeds to drop to the soil surface and make contact than it is for the larger, lighter grass seeds. The seeds get caught in the cracks created by the heaving process, and this, is in essence how the seeds are “planted.” When time-lapse photography of this period is viewed, the ground appears to come “alive” because of all the movement from the soil expanding and contracting over and over again. Let the pasture grow up to 8-10 inches tall and graze it down tight. jbrown. In my experience, you have to kill the existing grass cover first before planting/frost seeding switchgrass. Here is a picture of a field I frost seed CIR switch grass this march. 1,701 1 1,421. It provides excellent nesting and winter cover for pheasants and other birds. To ensure the maximum results from your frost seeding, you should broadcast the Switchgrass before February 28th. 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