Switchgrass (cave in rock)
GENERAL USE
Like other warm-season grasses, ‘Cave-In-Rock’ switchgrass is noted for its
heavy growth during June, July and August. It makes excellent pasture during those hot,
summer months, and can be baled for hay. The stiff-stemmed, upright growth is rated
excellent for wildlife nesting, brood rearing and winter cover. Its extensive root system
provides excellent stabilizing cover for soil erosion control. Because of its stiff straw, it
also may have value as a planting for field borders and wind barriers.
HISTORY
‘Cave-In-Rock’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) can be traced to a field near
Cave-In-Rock , Illinois, where its seed was collected by R. K. Lawson and V. B. Hawk in
1958. The two men provided seed to the USDA Soil Conservation Service’s Elsberry
Plant Materials Center at Elsberry, Missouri. There, the plant’s performance was
compared with other field collections and commercially-available varieties of
switchgrass. After many years of testing, ‘Cave-In-Rock’ switchgrass seed was released
in March 1973 from the Elsberry Plant Materials Center for public use.
CHARACTERISTICS
‘Cave-In-Rock’ is a late-maturing, leafy, medium-course, lowland type of
switchgrass. It is outstanding in seedling vigor, seed yields and freedom from disease. It
has good straw strength, and does not lodge in spaced rows. At Elsberry, it reaches seed
maturity in late September. As with other switchgrass varieties, it is a perennial
bunchgrass that grows up to six feet . It and other switchgrass varieties can be
distinguished from other warm-season grasses by the white patch of hair at the point
where the leaf attaches to the stem. The stem is round and usually has a reddish tint. The
seed head is spreading and open.
ADAPTABILITY
‘Cave-In-Rock’ switchgrass is winter hardy, and will grow in all areas Missouri,
Illinois and Iowa. In fact, switchgrass is native to all areas of the United States except
five states in the Northeast. It is adapted to a wide range of soils, but does best on fertile,
well-drained soil. It will withstand droughty soil, but is better suited to moderately wet
soil. Its tolerance to flooding is very good.
GENERAL USE
Like other warm-season grasses, ‘Cave-In-Rock’ switchgrass is noted for its
heavy growth during June, July and August. It makes excellent pasture during those hot,
summer months, and can be baled for hay. The stiff-stemmed, upright growth is rated
excellent for wildlife nesting, brood rearing and winter cover. Its extensive root system
provides excellent stabilizing cover for soil erosion control. Because of its stiff straw, it
also may have value as a planting for field borders and wind barriers.
HISTORY
‘Cave-In-Rock’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) can be traced to a field near
Cave-In-Rock , Illinois, where its seed was collected by R. K. Lawson and V. B. Hawk in
1958. The two men provided seed to the USDA Soil Conservation Service’s Elsberry
Plant Materials Center at Elsberry, Missouri. There, the plant’s performance was
compared with other field collections and commercially-available varieties of
switchgrass. After many years of testing, ‘Cave-In-Rock’ switchgrass seed was released
in March 1973 from the Elsberry Plant Materials Center for public use.
CHARACTERISTICS
‘Cave-In-Rock’ is a late-maturing, leafy, medium-course, lowland type of
switchgrass. It is outstanding in seedling vigor, seed yields and freedom from disease. It
has good straw strength, and does not lodge in spaced rows. At Elsberry, it reaches seed
maturity in late September. As with other switchgrass varieties, it is a perennial
bunchgrass that grows up to six feet . It and other switchgrass varieties can be
distinguished from other warm-season grasses by the white patch of hair at the point
where the leaf attaches to the stem. The stem is round and usually has a reddish tint. The
seed head is spreading and open.
ADAPTABILITY
‘Cave-In-Rock’ switchgrass is winter hardy, and will grow in all areas Missouri,
Illinois and Iowa. In fact, switchgrass is native to all areas of the United States except
five states in the Northeast. It is adapted to a wide range of soils, but does best on fertile,
well-drained soil. It will withstand droughty soil, but is better suited to moderately wet
soil. Its tolerance to flooding is very good.
