Updated: April 3, 2025
By Sarah Hirsh , Haley Sater , and Jonathan Moyle
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FS-2024-0735  |  March 2025

Growing Giant Miscanthus on Marginal Land: A Sustainable Solution for Challenging Conditions

An area showing Giant miscanthus growing amidst severe deer damage, saltwater intrusion, and waterlogging conditions.
Figure 1. Giant miscanthus can grow on land affected by severe deer damage, saltwater intrusion, and waterlogging. Photo credit Haley Sater.

Giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deu. ex Hodkinson et Renvoize) is a perennial warm season grass known for its high biomass yield and adaptability to various growing conditions. It can grow up to 12 feet tall with roots up to 8 feet deep. This species of miscanthus is a sterile hybrid that does not produce viable seeds and must be propagated by rhizomes. For more information about giant miscanthus production, see FS-2024- 0734, Giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus): A perennial biomass crop (Sater et al., 2025) and for more information about giant miscanthus termination, see FS-2023-0685, Considerations for Terminating Giant Miscanthus on Maryland Farms (Vollmer & Rogers, 2024). Giant miscanthus is used as a biomass crop for fiber-based products and as a bioenergy crop (Jacobson, 2024). Giant miscanthus also has environmental uses such as a barrier in front of poultry house fans. In Maryland, giant miscanthus is primarily used as a bedding material in poultry houses. It is a functionally equivalent material but more sustainable than traditional pine chip bedding. This fact sheet provides guidance on growing giant miscanthus on marginal lands; specifically crop land areas affected by severe deer damage, saltwater intrusion, or waterlogging. Research conducted on Maryland farms has demonstrated the crop’s resilience and productivity under these challenging conditions (Figure 1).

What is marginal land?

Marginal land refers to areas that are less suitable for row crop agriculture due to environmental limitations. In Maryland, common types of marginal lands include:

  • Areas with severe deer damage: These lands suffer from heavy deer browsing, making it difficult to grow conventional row crops, such as corn and soybean.
  • Areas with saltwater intrusion: These are coastal and tidal ditch areas, where high tide events, storms and sea level rise combined with erosion have caused an increased soil salinity to the point where row crop production is limited or no longer possible.
  • Waterlogged soils: These are regions where poor drainage or frequent flooding leads to saturated soils, inhibiting plant growth and health.

Why choose giant miscanthus?

Farmers and land managers with marginal lands are seeking alternative options to row crop production that will allow them to remain profitable while sustainably managing their land. Giant miscanthus has numerous benefits that make it a viable solution, such as:

  • Deer resistance: While deer graze on many crops, giant miscanthus’ tough, fibrous stems make it less palatable, resulting in reduced damage from deer browsing. While deer may browse young tissue, we found they do not damage the crop yield in a significant way (Figure 6).
  • Salt tolerance: Giant miscanthus can tolerate moderate levels of soil salinity (see research below), making it suitable for areas affected by saltwater intrusion (Chen et al., 2017).
  • Waterlogging tolerance: Giant miscanthus has a vigorous root system, and once established, it can survive and even thrive in waterlogged conditions where many other crops would fail (see research below).
  • Drought resistant: While giant miscanthus grows best in areas which receive at least 30 inches of rainfall per year, in drought conditions the robust root system can grow up to 8 feet deep and can effectively scavenge moisture from the ground (Kalmbach et al., 2020).
  • Low input crop: Giant miscanthus is a low input crop that does not require high levels of inputs in terms of nutrient and pesticide application (Kalmbach et al., 2020).
  • Low effort crop: Giant miscanthus is low effort compared to other crops. As a perennial crop it does not need to be replanted for 15 to 20+ years. Furthermore, giant miscanthus that is grown as a biomass crop is harvested between November and March after the stems have dried down and leaves have fallen. The winter timing and long window (November to March) can make growing and harvesting this crop a good addition to existing farm operations.

University of Maryland research on giant miscanthus grown on marginal land

Figure 2: A map displaying the location of the research plots trail in Dorchester County, Maryland.
Figure 2. Research trial location and plots located in Dorchester County, MD.
A bar graph on the average giant miscanthus yield (+/- standard error) from 20 one-meter square quadrats within experimental field after first and second years of growth.
Figure 3. Average giant miscanthus yield (+/- standard error) from 20 one-meter square quadrats within experimental field after first and second years of growth.
A graph showing the correlation between giant miscanthus yields and soil sodium levels from 20 one-meter square quadrats within the experimental field.
Figure 4. Correlation between giant miscanthus yields and soil sodium levels from 20 one-meter square quadrats within the experimental field.
A woman is standing and holding a computer in a waterlogged area of Giant miscanthus.
Figure 5. Giant miscanthus growing in year-round waterlogged part of field; soil moisture data collection from wettest part of the field. Photo credit Sarah Hirsh.

The University of Maryland Extension performed a three-year research trial on marginal land facing severe deer pressure, saltwater intrusion and waterlogging (Figure 2). The marginal conditions of this field resulted in multiple consecutive years of total soybean crop failure. Results of this trial are described below. The giant miscanthus was planted in June 2022. We found that giant miscanthus successfully grew in marginal conditions with some yield reduction. Yield on average in year one (March 2023) was 2.8 tons of dry biomass per acre and yield on average in year two (February 2024) was 4.8 tons per acre (Figure 3)¹. Average first- and second-year yields on prime land for growing miscanthus would be 2.5-3 tons per acre and 6 tons per acre, respectively (personal communication with grower). Giant miscanthus does not reach its full biomass yield potential until the third growing season, where it can ideally yield between 7-12 tons per acre (Kalmbach et al., 2020).

Levels of sodium (Na) in the field ranged from 57-510 ppm Na, with an average of 174 ppm Na². This level of Na would cause crop stress that would result in yield loss to corn or soybean. A normal range of Na in Delmarva row crop land is 5-40 ppm (University of Delaware, 2024). Higher concentrations of Na correlated somewhat with reduced giant miscanthus biomass yield, more so in the second year than in the first year (Figure 4). 

The entire study field stayed waterlogged during the winter months. The duration of waterlogging affected both giant miscanthus growth and yield potential. Areas of the field where the soil stayed saturated throughout the winter and summer months had dramatically reduced giant miscanthus growth compared to areas of the field where the soil was saturated in the winter months but only intermittently during the summer months. In the year-round waterlogged parts of the field, giant miscanthus had shorter stand height, weaker stems and experienced lodging (Figure 5). The miscanthus grew equally well in the parts of the field that were intermittently flooded in the summer compared to the driest parts of the field³ (Figure 5). 

The field had heavy deer pressure based on edge-of-field wildlife camera photos and observed deer tracks and paths in the field (Figure 6). However, no deer browsing of giant miscanthus was observed in the field.

 

An image captured by a wildlife camera at night, depicting three deer grazing among tall giant miscanthus grass (left). A close up of several deer tracks in a giant miscanthus field (right).
Figure 6. Deer image from Bushnell wildlife camera (left) and deer tracks within field (right). Photo credit Haley Sater.

¹ In the 10-acre field where the experiment was conducted, 20 one-meter square quadrats, evenly spaced throughout the field, were harvested to calculate biomass yield.

² Sodium content was measured in the 20 one-meter square quadrats where yield was taken.

³ Soil moisture data was collected using WATERMARK 200SS soil moisture sensors placed in five areas of the field. The areas were selected to span the moisture gradient of the field. At each collection point, moisture was measured at 3”, 6”, 12”, 18”, and 32”.

Challenges to growing miscanthus on marginal land

  • Miscanthus grown on flooded fields may need to be harvested later than on prime land due to winter flooding conditions. Some farmers use equipment on tracks to help access wetter soil.
  • Most farmers do not have large acres of marginal land. Therefore, investing in equipment may be a cost-preventative factor. One potential solution could be shared equipment in areas with abundant marginal land or contract harvesting.
  • There are currently limited markets for giant miscanthus in Maryland. Growers on marginal land may face even more barriers to securing a market. For example, if the buyer is looking for large quantities of material, growers on marginal land may not be able to supply these quantities.

Conclusion

Giant miscanthus is a versatile and resilient crop that can be grown on marginal land where other traditional agronomic crops can no longer be profitably grown. Its ability to withstand deer damage, saltwater intrusion and waterlogging make it a valuable option for farmers in Maryland looking to diversify their crops and improve the sustainability of their operations.

Sources

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Other resources on giant miscanthus

  • Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus): A Perennial Biomass Crop (FS-2024-0734) >

  • Considerations for Terminating Giant Miscanthus on Maryland Farms (FS-2023-0685) >

  • Soil Fertility Recommendations: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Requirements of Miscanthus (EB-443) >