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What to plant?

K

Kansas30

New Member
A gravel road dissects my property and I would like to plant a tall grass to provide a living fence/barrier. Ideally the grass would need to meet the following requirements:
-Perennial
-minimum 5'
-Preferably unfriendly to trespassers. I get a lot of people that like to dump trash, walk my creek, mushroom hunt, and occasionally road hunt.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
 
Here's what I'd do if it were me....
I'd plant Egyptian wheat which is an annual if you needed instant cover.... 10-12' tall, easy & cheap.
For a perennial, I'd do a combination of Big Blue Stem, Indian and Switchgrass. I'd either do a mix of Big Blue & Cave In Rock Switch and hit with Atrazine OR I'd do a combo of Indian and Big Blue and hit with Panoramic (plateau/journey). I actually prefer BB and indian because it actually does get a little bit taller than switch. BUT.... The downside is it falls down unlike switch BUT... It doesn't fall down until heavy snow SO you have until usually January which really does cover you for when you are trying to screen something. So, I prefer BB & Indian for a screen BUT if you are worried it may fall flat too soon, add CIR switch.

I'd also being doing several rows behind it of cedars & shrubs. that way, 5-7 years from now, the trees will cover you and guys won't be able to see over top of it eventually like they can grasses (say guys with big pick-ups, etc). thick shrubs will be hard to walk through too for someone trespassing. Grasses won't.
 
I really appreciate it. I am planting shrubs, bushes behind it. I just wanted something to block out the property until they took off. I will try the Egyptian wheat for sure.
I've got some tall sunflowers as well as some of the sorghum the Amish plant that is supposed to get 10-14' that I was gonna try in a few areas as well.

Thanks again....
 
BOWDUDE said:
Sligh1,
Any kind of maint. for switchgrass??? Does it need to be cut down, etc..
Click to expand...

Switchgrass is an easy animal..... The biggest thing is to get it established right- which will happen the 1st year.... If you prepped the ground right- u need to hit with 4 quarts of atrazine (or whatever max your state will allow) - after planting in Feb or march- drilling or frost seeding. Read Dbltree's Switchgrass threads. 2nd option would be mowing it appropriately if you didn't have Atrazine or Simizine.
So, skip ahead to your question (which before then, there's more on establishment you can read).. Maintenance... In reality you will either deal with foxtail or broadleaves (which read about herbicides if there is foxtail or broadleaves) or a thinning stand of switch, etc. I will burn mine the THIRD year and usually every 2 or 3 years ongoing in early/mid April. You can clean up weeds with Oust or burning ongoing (again, read thread) timing it correctly. Basically, if you establish correctly, maintenance is not very difficult if you spend the basic amount of time researching how to do it and spend a minor amount of time & work pulling through the needed steps and applications. All those details are in Dbltree corner and very do-able. Have at it and with basic knowledge and effort you will have an excellent outcome
 
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