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© Wilmington College 2005 

 Warm Season Forage Crops

Common Name:

 Switchgrass

Latin Name:

 Panicum virgatum

Variety:

 Cave in Rock

Crop Origin:

 North America

Type:

 Warm season perennial

Date Planted:

 11 May, 2004

Growth Stages in Ohio

Switchgrass Jan 1 06.JPG (2724160 bytes) Switchgrass feb 6 06.JPG (1776676 bytes) Switchgrass March 4 06.JPG (3391823 bytes) Switchgrass Apr 4 06.JPG (3440505 bytes) Switchgrass May 5 06.JPG (2703468 bytes) Switchgrass 3 June 05.JPG (3187126 bytes)
January February March April May June
Switchgrass 1 July 05.JPG (3723470 bytes) Switchgrass 7aug05.JPG (2611877 bytes) Switchgrass 3 sep 05.JPG (2679100 bytes) Switchgrass 1 oct 05.JPG (2662101 bytes) Switchgrass 4 Nov 05.JPG (2657688 bytes) Switchgrass 2 dec 05.JPG (2931966 bytes)
July August

September

 October November December

Donated by Ernst Conservation Seeds

Cultivation in Ohio

Primary Uses:

 Forage, conservation

 Planting:

 Spring plant before June 30th 0.5 inches deep in a firm seed bed.  The hard seeds allow for conventional planting.

 Seeding Rate:

 4 to 6 lbs pure live seed per acre.

Fertility:

 Grows in a pH range between as low as 4.5 and as high as 7.6.  

Insects:

 None reported

Diseases:

 None reported

Harvest:

 Graze no shorter than 8 inches plant height.

Comments:

 Switchgrass is between 5 to 10 feet tall depending on the variety and is a very aggressive species and can take over a mixed planting if not managed properly.  Its extensive root system allows it to tolerate excess water as well as drought.                                                        MVB

Identification

Leaf:

 Switchgrass leaf3.JPG (2768563 bytes) Switchgrass leaf2.JPG (2728715 bytes)

Flower:

 Switchgrass flower.JPG (2134714 bytes) Switchgrass_flower1.JPG (1427689 bytes)

Seeds:

 Switchgrass_seed.JPG (1269146 bytes)

Distribution:

 switchgrass distribution map.jpg (30990 bytes)

  More Information  

Links:

 http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/crops/g04673.htm

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr145/agr145.pdf

http://www.mdc.mo.gov/documents/landown/1_040A.PDF

http://www.farminfo.org/forage/warmseason-m.htm

http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/Range/g1198.htm

http://cropsoil.psu.edu/extension/facts/agfacts29.cfm