It can grow up to five feet in height with an equal rooting depth. It reproduces with short rhizomes and can be aggressive. It is used primarily for hay and pasture. However, switchgrass is also recognized as food and cover for wildlife.
Little information exists concerning the adaptability of switchgrass to western Nevada.
A trial was established in Fallon to determine the survivability and production potential of five switchgrass varieties for western Nevada. The trial was a joint effort between Nevada Cooperative Extension, the Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Lahontan Conservation District. Warm season grasses grow most vigorously during the hottest part of the summer. They grow rapidly when cool season grasses, such as tall fescue and smooth bromegrass are growing slowly, if at all. Warm season grasses are much more efficient at using water to produce forage than cool season grasses.