Eastern Gama Grass

letemgrow

Well-Known Member
I’ve been going around the area and collecting from the remnant stands that are still going. This plant seems to be fantastic for soil holding and forage for cattle. There’s an area on the farm that needs some more grass to hold the soil and this fits the bill and allows me to save more of the local types of the gama.

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I love eastern gamagrass! In fact, I was just out collecting seed a couple of days ago. It's good stuff.

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I love eastern gamagrass! In fact, I was just out collecting seed a couple of days ago. It's good stuff.

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Seeds are still a couple weeks out in northern MO. I’ve been watching stands (as in a plant here and there)disappear over the last 10-15 years. Most people don’t even know what that grass is back home. The cattle favor it and without rotational grazing they kill it out.


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Hands down, my favorite grass. If it stood up better in the winter it would be perfection. While spraying lespedeza last week, I noticed deer beds all over the place in the Eastern Gamagrass.
 
I keep a couple of different grasses in a flowerbed (switch) as well as purple cone flower and elderberry. I really need to add gammagrass to the list! I use them as a mother source for propagation. The switch I'll clip short while dormant and transplant roots in the winter. Saves a ton of time waiting for it to establish through seed... but you wouldn't do a whole field this way, just a short row or strategic spot or two.
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When did you start them?
Where did you get seed?
Would you describe your technique?

thanks,

bill

I collected seed last year and stored them in the fridge in damp paper towels. You can also store them after rinsing the seeds with water and leaving them damp. I check them every so often for mold and then planted them this spring in the plugs.

Gama seed is ready when the stem turns brown and the seeds pull/ fall off easily. All the seeds don’t ripen at the same time, so you have to go back every few days/weekly to continue to collect if you want more. I’m collecting seeds now from some plants at my house (originally from remnant plants) and also remnant plants I don’t have in the collection yet. I’ll be back up in northern MO in 1-2 weeks to get the bulk when they should be ready.

I have to say, it’s a fun scavenger hunt driving the backroads looking for that plant.





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what type of trays were those?

I started MG rhyzomes in Rootmakers RBII for grins 3 summers ago

I started 10 that grew to 6 ft by watering them in my backyard

Interested to try the same with eastern game grass next spring

bill
 
What about.........starting various cultivars (bluestem,indiangrass,switch) in airpots in spring and transferring to field in fall dormancy?

Similar to chestnuts,acorns grown in containers

bill
 
What about.........starting various cultivars (bluestem,indiangrass,switch) in airpots in spring and transferring to field in fall dormancy?

Similar to chestnuts,acorns grown in containers

bill

You definitely could do that. I’d plant them early as possible so they’re set and won’t frost heave.


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