Switchgrass Native Grass Plugs - Panicum virgatum ‘Alamo’

Switchgrass- Panicum virgatum ‘Alamo’

Switchgrass has seen a rise in popularity due to its ability to produce huge amounts of biomass that can be easily transformed into bio-fuels, but we prefer to leave it standing for its ability to hold huge amounts of whitetails on our properties.  If your property is missing a “holding tank,” in the form of super thick cover for deer, then you may want to consider converting some openings to switchgrass or a mix of native warm season grasses.  Like all panic grasses, the seed heads produce palatable seeds preferred by birds and other wildlife.  Clumps or rows of switchgrass can also be planted as human cover to block views to a roadside field, or can be planted to provide undetected access to a deer stand.  Its perennial nature means it will come back every year, so once established you won’t have to re-plant the same areas.  The variety ‘alamo’ is a bottomland type of switchgrass from Texas that in trials has produced taller, thicker stands than others.

Our native warm season grass (NWSG) plugs are grown using the same rapid mast system we use on our highly productive and easy to establish tree seedlings.  NWSG’s can also be established by planting seeds, but using our large plugs can save time and money for applications such as logging decks, screening cover, native landscaping, hiding your favorite ground blind, combating erosion problems near streams, ditches or levees, or simply because you want to raise them yourself and scatter seed collected from these starter plugs.  NWSG’s can be slow to establish from seed, but with a generous root system already in place and some competition control, our plugs can grow to large sizes and produce ample seed in its first year.  For more detailed information on establishment and management techniques for your NWSG plugs, give us a call or email.