I purchased a new property this year and need about 100 yards of road screen. I was thinking hybrid poplar or hybrid willows for a long term screen but I need something that will be ready for this next hunting season? Egyptian wheat? Suggestions and planting times?

Egyptian wheat, sorghum Sudan, sunn hemp. Tropical corn

I’ve done Egyptian Wheat the past couple years. It works well. I’m thinking about doing a custom mix of EW, sorghum sudangrass and grain sorghum this spring.

Eastern Red Cedar - Native species and once it gains height it can be controlled. During the first few years, plant Egyptian Wheat behind it.

Yep. Stays green all year and gets bigger.

I was thinking about switchgrass as it's a perennial. It only grows to about 6 feet though and grows slower I think. How tall do you need it? I was recently looking at doing that around a future plot of mine but for deer cover not human cover.

FYI, and this may be like saying water is wet to most of yall. EW can't stand glyphosate, like not any. I had the prettiest stand of big 8+' tall EW this past fall. I thought I picked a day with zero wind to spray my "greenfield" that I was screening. About 2 weeks later the screen was history.

I thought I had taken all precautions to not have any drift and I stayed what I thought was way away from the screened edge. Negative GR... Live and learn...

Thanks for the info. Just ordered some EW seed. How wide were your rows? Seeding rate?

We planted some sorghum sudan grass hybrid that grew fast and got pretty tall

We have around 35 acres of food plots and let a local cut hay for free in exchange for as many bales we need for screen which is around 20 per year. Have several in front of houses and in roads, just push them into the woods when you need to get equipment into the field.

35 acres of food plots?

Then there is me, struggling to clear an old logging road to drive on, to get to a potential food plot site.

I've never had much luck with egyptian wheat. usually falls over in a heavy rainstorm once it gets tall.

The dove like the egyptian wheat as well.

How wide a strip did you plant? I’ve read where you need a pretty wide strip so it can lean on itself without blowing over. I’m interested in learning more about this. I may need a screen in the future and can’t decide if I would rather use some of these annual plantings or something more permanent like trees.

Long term, cane/bamboo. Many varieties to choose from.

Leyland Cypress is what I used , Cedar grows too slow.

Long term as in an eternity. Yes.

Mix in some sorghum and millet with the EW. I think the shorter stature of those will help support the EW. Otherwise plant at least 10’ wide strips. I did 6’ this year and it’s not wide enough.