Establishing Switchgrass questions

[kleppert]

This may have been covered in another thread but they've gotten so big that I might have missed it.

I'm planning on planting switchgrass next spring in a few areas of an overgrown field next to my house. Probably about 1A total. I have a bunch of young walnut and cherry trees in the field so I can't just plow it all under, I have to work around the trees.

I mowed the areas a few weeks ago and I plan on spraying them with Roundup soon. My question is this, should I wait until spring and burn the areas and then frost seed or do I rototill the areas this fall and seed in the spring? I've never burned and I'm questioning if I need to since I have a 5' rototiller for my tractor.

Also, recommendations on what type of switch to plant and where to get it. Thanks.

TS

 

[dbltree]

Generally we don't till before frost seeding switchgrass, nor do you have to burn it.

Just mow it close now, spray the green re-growth yet this fall and then frost seed on the killed sod this winter on frozen ground free of snow cover.

Cave In Rock switchgrass makes the best deer cover and Osenbaugh's Prairie Seed Farms in Lucas Iowa is a good source.

You can also shoot nannyslayer a PM here on this site as he also carries CIR seed. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[kleppert]

Thanks Tree, you just saved me some work. I'll go that route and try CIR.

TS