What is the main use of switchgrass?
Uses. Switchgrass can be used as a feedstock for biomass energy production, as ground cover for soil conservation, and to control erosion, for forages and grazing, as game cover, and as feedstock for biodegradable plastics.
How much does switchgrass cost?
Switchgrass is planted by seed. About 8 pounds of pure live seed per acre should be used. The assumed price per pure live seed is about $10 depending on the vendor. Total seed cost is about $80 per acre.
What is the yield of switchgrass?
Annual yields averaged 12.9 metric tons (14.2 tons) per hectare (2.47 acres) for lowland and 8.7 metric tons for upland ecotypes.
Does biomass include switchgrass?
Switchgrass potential Several herbaceous plants and trees are candidates for biomass crops. Switchgrass is harvested using conventional haying equipment. An annual cutting in fall or winter suffices for biomass production since its value is based on total tonnage, not nutritional quality.
Does switchgrass come back every year?
Switchgrass may die back in winter but the rhizome will remain alive underground, especially if the plants are mulched. You can divide the plant every few years to produce new plants. For the best appearance, the plant should be sheared back to within a few inches (8 cm.)
Is switchgrass easy to grow?
Switchgrass is one of the easiest forms of wildlife cover to plant and if planted correctly, switchgrass can be fully established after only 2 Summers of growth!
How long does it take to grow switchgrass to maturity?
Why should I plant a crop that takes three years to reach maturity? One of the most exciting characteristics of switchgrass is its potential to turn marginal land into productive land. Most people envision planting switchgrass and other native warm season grasses on marginal or currently unproductive land.
How much is switchgrass per acre?
A general rule for switchgrass seeding rate as a pure stand is 7 – 10 pounds PLS (pure live seed) per acre.
Is switchgrass a annual?
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a vigorous warm season, native perennial grass adapted to Wisconsin and planted for many purposes including livestock grazing, wildlife cover, and as a biofuel crop.
Can ethanol be made from switchgrass?
Switchgrass. While corn-based ethanol contains scarcely as much energy as is required to produce it, fuel made from switchgrass, a native prairie plant found in the Great Plains region, contains more than 5 times as much energy than it takes to grow it and refine it into ethanol.
How tall does switchgrass grow?
Switchgrass begins growth in late spring and continues through the summer if moisture is available. It grows 3 to 6 feet in small to large sodded clumps that spread slowly from numerous scaly creeping rhizomes. The leaves have a bluish cast and can attain a length of 2 feet.
How do you maintain switchgrass?
How do you properly manage the site? Honestly, clipping (mowing) is the best way to stay on top of weeds. In the first two years, mow switchgrass stands to a height of four inches in May or about six inches in mid-summer (June or July) to allow enough time to grow back before winter dormancy.
How is the yield of switchgrass related to the soil?
High yields for all crops are dependent on good moisture conditions. As a component of rangeland, switchgrass yields are closely related to its growing conditions and are much lower in low rainfall areas and in shallow soils.
Where can you find switchgrass in North America?
Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) is one of many warm-season perennial grasses native to North America. It is a natural component of the tallgrass prairie, which covered most of the Great Plains. It is also found on prairie soils from the southeastern U.S., westward to the Rocky Mountains, as far south as Mexico, and northward into Canada.
What can switchgrass be used for for wildlife?
Easy to grow and fast to establish, switchgrass can be used to either hide wildlife within the grass itself, or to effectively screen daytime browse sources and early successional growth within pockets of hidden habitat diversity. And the best part about switchgrass?
What’s the best way to plant switchgrass for deer?
This process is called frost seeding, and it is an exceptionally effective method for planting switchgrass, into last year’s food plots, or into agricultural fields that were previously planted in corn or bean fields. *It’s not about fancy blends and deer cover mixes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMiv-gBuvME