Star Seed

Switchgrass is a tall, warm-season grass. It grow with culms from 2 to 5 feet tall and is quite leafy. It is a patchy sod-former. Switchgrass is the earliest maturing warm-season grass.

BLACKWELL is the most commonly used variety of Switchgrass used in the High Plains Regions of the Great Plains. It is used in irrigated pastures and sandhill rangeland. It ranks high in leafiness and total forage production. Blackwell is well-suited for range seedings and pasture plantings in the 20-inch or more MAP zones. It will grow on sandy ranges and favorable lowland sites with 15 to 20 inches of annual precipitation.

NEBRASKA 28 is a relatively early maturing strain which is representative of Nebraska sandhill types. Average plants are semi-decumbent with fine stems of moderate height. They are bluish green and leafy. Considerable variation exists between plant types. The plant is well adapted to diverse soils and is used successfully for pasturage and soil conservation purposes, such as seeded waterways in pure stand or mixtures. It is susceptible to rust in areas with long growing seasons.

KAN LOW is a lowland variety kind that is suited to the southern of the United States. It is especillay well suited to poorly drained sites or areas subject to periodic flooding, but also performs well on upland soil.

CAVE IN ROCK is late in maturity and is well adapted to Iowa conditions because of its rust resistance. It grows 3 to 6 feet tall and is best adapted to lower areas, but is drought tolerant and will grow in a wide range of conditions

AREA OF ADAPTATION: Switchgrass is native to all of the US, except California and the Pacific Northwest. It is more abundant and has its greatest importance as a forage grass in the more humid regions of the Central and Southern Great Plains.

PLANTING: Drill the seed between 1/4 and 3/4 inch deep on prefirmed seedbeds. For rangeland seed, plant 2 to 3 lbs. PLS per acre. If rainfall is ample, seeding should be made in the spring. Dormant seedings after November 1st have proven very successful.

MANAGEMENT: Switchgrass is used for grazing and hay. It is also used for soil stabilization. This species is sometimes seeded in mixtures with Bluestem and Yellow Indiangrass for prairie restoration. To maintain good range conditions, grazing should be either moderately continuous in the summer or done in rotation. Fertilization is necessary for pure stands of high density.

SEEDING RATE: 3 to 8 PLS lbs. per acre

NUMBER OF SEEDS: 280,000 per lb.

Click Here to see the USDA Plant Fact Sheet

IMAGE: Haddock, Michael John. Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas. University Press of Kansas, 2005.