Miscanthus is an ideal biomass crop for large scale renewable biomass power stations, and demand for the crop in the UK and Europe overall is very high. It’s also used in domestic biomass boilers, and it has other uses such as highly absorbent animal bedding, use as a key component of sustainable construction materials, agri-plastics, and chemicals for the biopharmaceutical industry. We’re only at the beginning of the exciting uses for this wonder crop.

Miscanthus can be grown on less productive land, i.e. arable land with odd-shaped corners, flood prone fields, outlying fields and similar. It is a fantastic option not only for its yield potential, but also for increasing overall farm productivity by allowing the farmer to focus on the more fertile areas of the farm.

The majority of Miscanthus crops are planted on less productive fields which would struggle to produce sufficient yielding food crops. In fact, the UK Climate Change Committee’s 6th carbon budget states that to reach net zero 700,000 hectares of bioenergy crops need to be planted by 2050 – that’s 30,000 hectares a year starting in 2030.

There’s a belief that burning anything for fuel is bad for the environment and akin to burning fossil fuels. This isn’t necessarily true, especially for Miscanthus. It’s scientifically proven that the crop mass you see above ground is carbon neutral – taking in carbon during its growth period and even after being cut, baled, driven to the power station (generating 0.7 t CO2 /ha / year of emmissions) and burnt, will only release what it has taken in. The below ground rhizomes also store CO2 (3.05 t CO2 equivalent per hectare per year), making the crop carbon negative, even when combusted towards our energy needs (net 2.35 t / ha CO2 / year).

Miscanthus is a perennial plant that’s planted in the spring months. It’s harvested annually in the early spring, and it takes two years to establish before the first harvest. The fallen leaf material and the rhizome below the soil surface provide very stable ground conditions for harvesting.

Miscanthus will grow on almost all soil types. The most important factor in achieving a successful crop is creating a good seed bed before planting. Miscanthus is suitable for less productive land and can help generate revenue where other crops have failed. It prefers pH neutral soils.

It’s important to prepare the soil well in the autumn before planting the following spring. It is during establishment that the conditions are set for a successful Miscanthus crop for decades to come. Heavier clay soil needs to be ploughed and subsoiled well in autumn to achieve a nice tilth in the spring, with help from winter frost that will break down the soil further, leading to finer soil for planting. If heavy or light land needs subsoiling, the operation will be far more successful if done during August or September, when the soil is dry. Light, sandy and gravelly soils can throw up a lot of perennial weeds and volunteers. Weed control in the establishment phase of Miscanthus is essential because poor control can hamper the successful development of the crop. It’s vital that fields should be cleared of perennial weeds before any planting takes place. Once established no further deweeding will be required as Miscanthus will outgrown any weeds.

There’s no need to be ordering fertiliser as required for other crops, because there are minimal, and commonly no inputs required. If a soil sample is taken during the summer, nine times out of ten, no additional nutrients such as phosphate or potash need ordering, and the crop doesn’t require nitrogen applications. Miscanthus has little or no need for applied fertiliser, and this can be confirmed by a basic soil test. Some weed control is needed during establishment. Local hoeing between rows is also an option if a machine is available which allows adjustment to the correct row spacing.

The crop has the potential to grow for 25-30 years and still produce viable yields.

It can reach 10-12 feet (3-4 metres) in height annually.

No, Terravesta works closely with experienced contractors in all the countries in which it operates, who can cut and bale the crop at harvest time.

Herbicide application is the cheapest way to remove Miscanthus, it’s also the simplest and the least carbon intensive. For an organic approach, it can be mowed when green several times during its growth cycle to exhaust the plant. Lifting and desiccating the rhizomes is another option, but this releases carbon from the soil.

Miscanthus is unique in that it requires minimal chemical inputs, no fertiliser and no cultivation over a long period of time. The abundant leaf litter produced by the crop encourages biodiversity and provides habitat for a wide range of wildlife, including invertebrates, mammals and birds. Invertebrates in Miscanthus fields have higher species diversity and abundance compared to existing arable crops. Miscanthus field margins contain a rich diversity of flowers not found in arable crops, and the crop also provides a habitat for a wide variety of pollinating insects.

Miscanthus requires no nitrogen fertiliser or inputs and so can be grown organically, with the crop height out-competing any weeds.

Yes, it does. Numerous farms and estates across the UK are planting Miscanthus for game cover. The crop provides great shelter and is particularly effective when planted alongside other cover strips. The crop can be harvested after the shoot season has finished.

Terravesta Athena is a sterile hybrid, it does not produce viable seed and the fibrous roots that look for water are similar to that of wheat. Miscanthus stays in the area that it is planted and contrary to popular belief, does not destroy drainage systems.

The first dedicated, independent study into Miscanthus life cycles shows that the above ground biomass grows annually and recycles all the carbon that’s been produced through planting, harvesting and burning the crop for renewable electricity, and at the same time, the underground rhizome and decaying leaf litter fixes and stores net 0.64 tonnes of carbon (2.35 tonnes CO2e) per hectare, each year as it grows. Because Miscanthus is a perennial, it can store large amounts of carbon over time. The deep root network of the plants allows complex microbial communities to develop and draw carbon further into the soil.