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Man standing in a field of tall light tan switchgrass

RWWP Switch Grass

Description

Real World variety switch grass is the same switch grass that we use in our Bedding-In-A-Bag. In our side by side tests this switch grass stood better than any other variety we tested including the popular Cave-In-Rock variety. Our Real World Switch Grass will get 7’-8’ tall. Don’t take our word for it, Dare to Compare!

Planting straight switch grass instead of “Bedding in a Bag” is the best option on wetter sites such as creek or river bottoms where other grasses do not do as well. Many of our customers also use Real World switch grass to create screening cover along food plots or access routes to their stands.

Additional information

Ground Preparation

Your planting site should be TOTALLY free of any growing or established plants. Frost-seeding or no-till drilling can be done with no ground prep on sites free of other live vegetation, particularly cool season grasses which will out-compete switchgrass and hinder its establishment. The only way to get rid of established grasses is with herbicide. If you try just burning, tilling or mowing a site where grasses are growing, your switchgrass project is doomed to fail.

Seeding Rate

Real World Switchgrass should be planted at rates of 4-5# per acre. More is not better! Higher seeding rates can result in crowding where the grasses are stunted and will not grow as tall. Real World recommends that you plant our switchgrass at a rate of 4# per acre. It is often difficult to spread 4# of seed over an entire acre so to make this process easier you can mix the seed with pelletized lime to get more material to spread.

Planting

The best way to plant switchgrass is with a no-till drill in mid to late spring at a depth of 1/8” – 1/4”. Another less desirable option is by frost-seeding in the late winter or early spring. This simply involves broadcasting the seed onto ground (even frozen ground or snow-covered ground) that has either been prepared the previous fall or is bare or in a crop residue such as soybean stubble or cornstalks. When frost-seeding it is important that the site be totally free of established grasses.

A third option for planting switchgrass is broadcasting the seed onto freshly prepared soil and then either culti-packing or lightly dragging. The seed should be no more than 1/4” deep.

Stratification

Stratification is a process of freezing and thawing to loosen the hard seed-coat that some seeds must go through before they will germinate. Switchgrass is one of those seeds. Frost-seeding generally results in good stratification which results in good germination. If you are using another planting method, it is recommended to put your switchgrass seed in a freezer for a week at a time with a week of storage at warmer temperatures in between. This series of freeze/thaw cycles will stratify the seed and result in improved germination rates. Note – Real World Switchgrass can be planted without stratification with good results.

Herbicide

Atrazine and Simazine are pre-emergent herbicides that you can spray onto plots to be planted in switchgrass. This will prevent a lot of weeds from ever germinating. Switchgrass is tolerant to atrazine/simazine and thus the seed will not be affected. Simazine can be purchased from Real World Wildlife Products without a special pesticide applicators license.

Once your switchgrass plot has vegetation growth of 12-18” (both weeds and switchgrass) it can be sprayed with 2,4-D herbicide. 2,4-D will kill broadleaf weeds only without harming any grasses.

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