grass field

[halfczech]

I have an open field that is fairly wet low ground. right now its just wild grasses which is ok except it doent get real tall or thick. the soil is a heavy clay loam. looking for ideas of what to do with this field. try to plant some type of mast bearing tree or bush or just let it go wild. I already have food plots and select cutting going on with the rest of the property. just wondering if i should be doing something with this field.

[sandbur3]

Maybe you should consider two rows of spruces alternating with two rows of shrubs. This could establish a bedding area.

[halfczech]

Ok that sounds good. Ive read where norway spruce is good for this because it keeps it low branches and deer dont like to browes on it, By bushes do you mean something like autumn olive?

[mike hartges]

I have a field that is heavy clay loam that is somewhat wet. I've planted norways and autumn olive there but they don't do very well. They both grow much better on my drier sites. I planted switchgrass in the clay loam field and it did fabulous. I also planted some islands of trees and shrubs in that field. I planted speckled alders and shrub willows which are doing well. Good luck.

[sandbur3]

Halfczech- I am just learning about autumn olives. Not sure how invasive they would be in my area, or winter hardy. How do they do in USDA hardiness zone 3?

Mike -Did you plant Norway spruce or Norway pines? Norway pines are also called red pines. I feel the spruce will do better in heavy soil, but not the pines. I use white spruce, black spruce, and norway spruce. The norway spruce hold there lower limbs better. You could also mix in some tamarac, white cedar(if you can keep the deer off them until they get started), Hemlock?

Sometimes a mixture of species gives protection against diseases. Shrub species- I have tried seeding ginnala maple and caragana, will add willow and red osier limbs in the spring. This area was seeded last fall, time will tell.

Sometimes I just run two rows of spruce along the edge of a willow swamp. Leave a bare area and then more rows of spruce.

[bishs]

Speckled Alder, Silky dogwood, Red Osier dogwood, Elderberry and High bush cranberry would all grow well in wet areas.
If you have a fair deer population plant Speckled Alder, it will grow the fastest and is not browsed by deer. Unless they are starving.

[SIZE-MATTERS]

I like mike, His idea any way, "SWITCHGRASS" In my opinion is some of the best deer cover you can plant i have 18 acers on my farm and it holds deer and pheasants all year. Does hide fawns in the spring and does hide from bucks in november. Big bucks just hide in it. Its over 6 feet tall. It grows alot quicker than any tree or shrub if you plant it right. jmo.

[halfczech]

The switchgrass idea sounds intriging. Where can switchgrass seed be bought and what is the best way to plant it? Should the ground be rounduped and then roughed up and cultipacked? Also is switchgrass a native plant?

[Tibbs]

I have heard the same about switch grass. - It seems to atract deer quick. Does anyone know if switch grass can be frost seeded into an existing winter wheat field? I have a field I am considering doing this to. I would prefer to frost seed now (Feb- March) and then allow the farmer to harvest the wheat in July like they do with clover. - But will this work?

[farmlegend]

Where can switchgrass seed be bought

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www.stockseed.com

www.sharpbro.com

www.ernstseed.com


All of the above are reputable.

Another excellent source, though they don't have a website, is Osenbaugh Seed, out in Lucas, Iowa. I've purchased their seeds and planted them with great results. Their phone number is 800.582.2788.

Incidentally, I've grown great stands of Indiangrass/Big Bluestem on heavy loam soil which tends to be seasonally wet. If you can grow them, I prefer them over switchgrass.

Switchgrass's main advantage is it remains standing better over the winter months. I noticed you already have stands of conifers which are good winter cover.

Indiangrass/Big Blue provide superb cover throughout the deer hunting seasons, allow for greater diversity (switchgrass becomes a monoculture), and they look better than switchgrass.

As to best way to plant the stuff, there is more than one way to do it; do a search. Key is site prep.

Here's some indiangrass in bloom, pic taken 09/11/2004.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/539/medium/420091104a.JPG

[mike hartges]

Sandbur3, I planted norway spruce. Beneath the heavy, clay loam there is a lot of blue clay. Maybe that's the reason the norway spruce don't thrive in that field.

[SIZE-MATTERS]

Tibbs- one of the best fields of switch grass we ever planted was in july. We had a filure the first time (may) so we tried again. The seed wont germinate till the ground is at least 60 degrees. If it was me id wait till the wheat was off and then no-till the seed into the stuble. They make special drills for warm season grasses. Eaton county PF has one its a truax. I would think the wheat would help with weed control. The ground would be warm enough for immediate germination. You still have to wait about 3 years for a mature stand but its still quicker than anything else.

One thing ive been considering is to plant my switch grass then plant some trees and shrubs through it. This i believe would atract more deer, help the switch stand even better in the winter. Right now we burn all our switch every 3 years for the pheasants. Obviously we would not burn this type of field we planted this way.

I dont think michigan had switch, it did have some small prairie but not switch i believe.

[mike hartges]

Size Matters, I planted some "islands of trees and shrubs" in my switchgrass field. I mowed the areas to be planted, then sprayed them 3 times with Roundup the year prior to planting the trees and shrubs. That helped a lot. The switchgrass has spread back into those areas but my tree and shrub plantings were able to get off to a good start before the switchgrass move back in. I also transplanted some larger norway spruce into that field with a tree spade. In a few more years it should be a deer magnet. I have found that if you lightly disc your switchgrass, burning is not necessary. Good luck with your project.

[Ed Spin04]

Good advice from all. In fact I like the idea of having many types and varieties of forage and cover in the same location.

Warm season grasses are great for the fall and winter seasons while cool season grasses are up and standing tall just in time for the fawning period. Switch grass can be very invasive, (Cave N Rock variety) and become a single monoculture as FL indicates. There are varieties that are less invasive and work well with other warm season grasses in addition to cool season grasses.

I prefer timothy for a cool season grass. It can grow to a height of 4 1/2 feet by fawning time. I like indian grass along with both big and little blue stem warm season grass that is just getting its growth in first gear at fawning time but can be close to 5-6 feet in height by fall.

I like to add a varieity of legumes, (several clovers, chicory and alfalfa) to the overall planting. I call this an (all purpose field or lane).

As mentioned I think it is a good idea to include a variety of trees and shrubs in this planting. Bishs mentioned the right shrubs for a wet area, think about conifers such as spruce, red pine and white pine in the mix. This can be a small field to a very large field used as a bedding area.

I have planted in the past and intend to plant a large percentage of my bedding areas, travel lanes and connecting corridors in the future with the above variety of plants.

Think how deer feel when in cover and what makes them most at ease. When you were a little tot did you hide in a box and didn't that make you fell secure. Think back and wonder why. Was it because you thought no one could see you? Well, that's what a big box made me feel, I was safe from all things dangerous, even monsters called Farm Legends.

I advise the following for all to ponder.

Wheter you have large natural bedding areas or not create a few of these all mpurpose fields of three acres minimum, you cannot make them too large. These large all purpose fields can include fruit and nut trees in addition to other cover and shade plantings. They can become in time a major bedding, loafing and evening forage destination if enough forage and varity of it is present. It eventually should be used as a major bedding area with snacks to boot. This of couse means that this field is off limits to you as a hunting spot.

Connect these large combination all purpose fields with 60 feet wide corridors of the same type plantings to other similar fields or natural bedding areas. You can have your elevated bow or firearm blinds in these 60 feet wide connecting corridors.

Make 60 feet wide travel lanes of the same exact plantings, (the larger the variety of the forage and cover plantings the better) starting from natural bedding areas or your creation of an all purpose field to the most lush and attractant bow or firearm site ever created by man. These sites of lush plantings are small of no more than 1/4 acre in size. Smal plots help the deer stay at ease and enter during daylight, while large is the opposite and deer tend to enter them at night. Make many small lush plots with a differant food source in each one. Connect these lush bow or firarm sites with the same all purpose formula.

You just may see something you have never seen before. Deer feel secure in cover and the thicker and higher the cover the better. If there is preferred forage for deer in this thick travel lane or corridor they will eat and move along without a care in the world. This travel lane stops about 20 -40 yards short of the destination lush bow or firearm plot. If bow hunting you can be perched near the end of this lane, which then becomes a temporay hesitation or staging area, where deer will stop and look for danger before they enter that lush attractant food plot of young soybeans, sugar beets, combination winter wheat and winter peas etc. They may lookfor danger for more than a minute, with you right above them enjoying the moment. You can be also perched in the food plot.

[SIZE-MATTERS]

Yes last year when the state chapter of pheasants forever sponsered there habitat field day on my farm we went all through the pros and cons of discing vs burning.