Sorghum for screening?

[pinetag]

I have a spot on my place that I am interested in screening for the upcoming season so I have been reading up on the various methods/plants everyone has tried. I think the consensus for a fast growing,non-tree type of screen is Miscanthus Giganteus but unfortunately I missed the deadline for it this year. Based on what I've seen it takes a couple years to fill in anyway so I was thinking in the mean time, what could i put in that would make a good screen for this coming fall? Sorghum seems like it might fit the bill as it can be planted later in the spring (May/June) and then I can get some MG next spring to plant for the long term. Any thoughts?
Here is a pic of where I intend to put a fall food plot (green) and I want to screen my walking path (grey) so as not to be seen when going to stands further back in the property. The intended screen (orange) is where I would like to plant sorghum and i might even combine it with some hinge cuts as well.

 

[willy]

I have some color blind issues but from what I see and how you explained it the miscanthus and sorghum will not grow well as the grey line I see is in the cover of tree shade. They won't get enough sun to amount to much.

 

[dogghr]

Do what you want, but I've done the EW/ milo sorghum stuff and its money, sweat, and time. And the first hard storm of fall of wind or rain or ice or def snow, its beat to the ground. I've got a bag of EW I'll give you. Wouldn't waste my time carrying it to the farm.
Just propagate what nature throw out, as golden rod will stand in snow nearly as good as corn, and just as much a screen as you can want....for nothing. Mow and let nature seed.
Can you see the field above this thicket? I'm nearly 6 feet and its taller than me.


Or how about looking down from my upper field? Can you see the road I walk in on directly below? Don't think so. I stand 2+ feet taller than most deer. Manage what nature will hand you and save yourself efforts year after year. But there are those that prefer their own plantings, your choice. But this looks like this till end of hunting season, and yes I am lazy and cheap.

 

[Drycreek]

dogghr is right about the EW. I planted Plot Screen from Frigid Forage two years in a row where I wanted a screen. It came in well, grew well, and just about hunting season the winds associated with thunderstorms laid a bunch of it down. The hogs then discovered it had a seed head and tore the rest of it down.

Now sorghum is tougher than EW, so you might have something there.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I recommend pearl millet, grows like weeds, similar to sorghum, but a bit stiffer and taller, mine got to eight feet tall, and I had to disc the last of it down in the spring.

 

[pinetag]

Do what you want, but I've done the EW/ milo sorghum stuff and its money, sweat, and time. And the first hard storm of fall of wind or rain or ice or def snow, its beat to the ground. I've got a bag of EW I'll give you. Wouldn't waste my time carrying it to the farm.
Just propagate what nature throw out, as golden rod will stand in snow nearly as good as corn, and just as much a screen as you can want....for nothing. Mow and let nature seed.
Can you see the field above this thicket? I'm nearly 6 feet and its taller than me.
View attachment 12006

Or how about looking down from my upper field? Can you see the road I walk in on directly below? Don't think so. I stand 2+ feet taller than most deer. Manage what nature will hand you and save yourself efforts year after year. But there are those that prefer their own plantings, your choice. But this looks like this till end of hunting season, and yes I am lazy and cheap.
View attachment 12007

So since this is in the edge of the tree line would you recommend some hinge cutting instead to let in some more sunlight and let whatever comes up just take over? There is a cattle pasture to the west so some afternoon sun does get in there.

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[pinetag]

I recommend pearl millet, grows like weeds, similar to sorghum, but a bit stiffer and taller, mine got to eight feet tall, and I had to disc the last of it down in the spring.

Thanks mennoniteman! I'll look into that.

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[pinetag]

dogghr is right about the EW. I planted Plot Screen from Frigid Forage two years in a row where I wanted a screen. It came in well, grew well, and just about hunting season the winds associated with thunderstorms laid a bunch of it down. The hogs then discovered it had a seed head and tore the rest of it down.

Now sorghum is tougher than EW, so you might have something there.

I had heard about the EW issues you're describing from some other threads too. I got thinking about sorghum because I saw some in a field I hunted last year that was still standing in mid Nov. Seemed like a good option.

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[dogghr]

So since this is in the edge of the tree line would you recommend some hinge cutting instead to let in some more sunlight and let whatever comes up just take over? There is a cattle pasture to the west so some afternoon sun does get in there.

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Sure enough. Drop trees heavy for a 10-20 yd strip and it will soon grow in a thicket that is best screen you could have. Add some pine plantings and in few years, its perfect. But for a quick fix this fall, do that hinging now and you got a decent screen for this years access. But remember, deer love that new browse, thats the nice thing about GR, only bees love it. Good luck.

 

[Buckeye]

I use EW every year, I get it from Deer Creek seed. That stuff works perfect for screening.

 

[dogghr]

^^^^ And thats why with no matter the advice, we all have to plot and play to see what works for us. One just never knows.

 

[pinetag]

So would the EW or sorghum do ok in partial shade? I am thinking I might do a combination of hinging and planting.

 

[Buckeye]

I planted in shade and full sun both did really good for me.

 

[pinetag]

I planted in shade and full sun both did really good for me.

Good to know. Thanks Buckeye!

 

[suburbhunter]

This is a sorghum Sudan grass mix I planted a few years ago. 10’ tall about 8 feet wide. It lasted into December. Heavy rain storms knocked it back/down a little but it bounced back.

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[suburbhunter]

BTW, it did best in full sun. The picture above was planted the first week of June and this pic is from August 23rd. I tried some in a partially shaded area the next year and it didn't nearly as well as full sun.

 

[pinetag]

Where is the best place to order EW or sorghum?

 

[pinetag]

This is a sorghum Sudan grass mix I planted a few years ago. 10’ tall about 8 feet wide. It lasted into December. Heavy rain storms knocked it back/down a little but it bounced back.

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Wow! That patch looks great!

 

[Buckeye]

Where is the best place to order EW or sorghum?

I got mine from deercreekseed.com

 

[Scott44]

Where is the best place to order EW or sorghum?

I get my EW from Hancock,

https://hancockseed.com/search/results.html?search_in_description=1&keyword=egyptian+wheat