Looking for any wisdom to getting eastern gamma established.

Thanks

Hey TeedaBlackdog, like all native grasses, its important to know where you are wanting to plant it and what is already growing there. Main thing with planting native grasses is seed depth and competition. If you have alot of warm season exotic grasses in tame pasture, then you need to kill if first with some glyphosate. Sometimes it takes several doses to get the job done. Not only do you need to kill the exotic grasses like bermuda or johnson grass, but often you have to deal with a seedbank; especially with johnson grass.

If you are planting in pasture, once the warm season competition is killed gamagrass seed can be drilled in with a seed drill or native grass planter. Unlike other native grasses that can't be planted more than 1/4"-1/2" deep, gamagrass and its big seed can be planted a bit deeper, but no more than 1" Shoot for that 1/2" - 3/4" range. I've planted the seed with a two-row corn planter and it works pretty good.

Gamagrass can also be planted by seed if in small areas. Just find bare areas with no competition and plant no more than an inch deep. You can also dig up gamagrass rhizomes in the winter and plant them as well. They work good, but do like adequate spring moisture to get them going well. Around here, gamagrass will grow in full sun, but I find that it likes partial shade way better. Also, don't burn it when getting established. The rhizomes are pretty close to the top of the ground, and I have found that even a cool winter burn will set it back some.

I planted some for a duck club on their levees with a 4 row corn planter. Worked like a charm.

Clay - Dormant or during corn planting time using stratified seed? I talked to Dan last night and it definitely sounds like to knew what to do.

I have some established and it really shined in the drought last year and I just wanted to thicken up my field.

Keith, just a little history on my limited experience.
A WRP tract owner near my place did some renovation work in his wetland. The NRCS and the contractor decided to spoil a bunch of the excess dirt on the inside of the existing levees. Shortly after the work was completed in mid summer, the NRCS contacted me and asked if I would plant Gamma Grass with my corn planter on the spoiled dirt. I did the planting and swore I was wasting my time! The ground was gumbo clods the size of softballs. Nevertheless I planted the seed and forgot about it. 2 years later I was mowing the levee tops on this tract in late summer and noticed a few scattered clumps of a type of grass I didn’t recognize. I finally realized that it was the gamma. A year later those areas I had planted were a solid stand. So it took 3 years to have a really nice stand. We have burned it pre-green up the last 2 late winters and it has really responded.
Rabbits love it!
Anyway that’s my 1 experience with gamma.
If I had idle or hay ground I would definitely plant it for hay/pasture/wildlife uses.

Excellent insight by everyone. Good soil to seed contact good control of other types of grass and it is like all types of warm season grass .It will not sprout in a few weeks and grow quickly More often that not it will take 3 or4 years to really get established But once that happens warm season grasses are some of the best cover for any types of wildlife

I believe this one is a bit trickier with the higher percentage of dormant seed. My germ test is only 10% with around 50 some percent dormant seed and this is supposed to be "good" seed from an expert. Breaking the dormancy and getting germination before this corn like seed gets eaten or destroyed by fungus looks to be the primary issue. A good stand is considered to be one plant germinating in a square yard. THis was from a man who grew hundreds of acres of it. I will say, this grass has pleasantly surprised me and my cows and sheep love it and I firmly beleive the deer like it as well. Years ago I saw how cattle responded to it on native prairies and knew it is greatly preferred for grazing but it really suprized me in how animals like the dry hay even when put up late. It is rather course and thick and not really fun to cut the big clumps but really tons up. This was with no fertility. Patience is definitely needed with this grass as this year was my third year after seeding it.