Shattercane

Biological Name:

Sorghum bicolor (Shattercane)

Natural Habitat:

Shattercane: Fields and wastelands, North America

Description:

Shattercane also known as Sorghum is a plant that is native to grassland and prairie regions of North America. It is an annual grass that can grow up to 10 feet tall and it has elongated leaves and small yellow or purple flowers that bloom in the summer. The plant is often used as a forage crop for livestock and it is known for its ability to produce large amounts of biomass which can be used as a renewable source of energy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is Shattercane poisonous?
A: Sorghum-related plants, like cane, sudangrass, shattercane, and milo can be highly toxic for a few days after frost. Freezing breaks plant cell membranes. This breakage allows the chemicals that form prussic acid, which is also called cyanide, to mix together and release this poisonous compound rapidly.
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Q: Are Rattlepods poisonous to humans?
A: The seeds when eaten in quantity (40% of grain mix) may cause acute death. More commonly liver disease results from eating the plant or seeds. All parts of the plant are toxic, even when it is dried.
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Q: Is Inkweed poisonous to humans?
A: All parts of inkweed are also toxic. Inkweed flowers and leaves.
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Q: What plant looks like corn but shorter?
A: Sorghum Facts Grain sorghum is shorter and has been bred for higher grain yields. A grain sorghum plant looks a lot like a corn plant but is shorter and more colorful. The head grows on the top of the plant and is white, yellow, red or bronze. Grain sorghum is also called “milo”” and is a major feed grain for cattle.”
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Q: Is Houndstongue poisonous to humans?
A: Hound’s tongue contains chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). These chemicals can be toxic to the lungs and the liver and should be avoided. People use hound’s tongue for infections, wound healing, and many other purposes, but there is no good scientific evidence to support any use.
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Q: How do I get rid of Shattercane?
A: Shattercane can be controlled in corn and soybeans with a combination of herbicides and cultivation (Table 1). Usually sorghum herbicides will not provide acceptable preemergence control, so it is best to rotate to corn, soybeans, small grain, alfalfa, or set-aside.
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Q: What johnsongrass looks like?
A: Johnsongrass leaves have a large white midrib and a smooth, glossy appearance. Guinea grass leaves have a less prominent white midrib, and the undersides are rough with stiff hairs. Vaseygrass leaves are long and narrow with an indented midrib and crinkled leaf margins.
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Q: Is sorghum a corn?
A: Sorghum, a close relative to corn, is valuable for yielding human food, animal feed and biofuels. Perhaps its most notable attribute is that the grain it produces is gluten free. Credit: Surinder Chopra/Penn State.
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Q: How do I identify Johnson grass?
A: Although it resembles a young corn seedling, a johnsongrass seedling can be distinguished by its football- to egg-shaped, dark reddish-brown to black seed, which remains attached after carefully removing the seedling from soil. The first leaf blade is parallel to the ground.
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Q: What is Columbus grass?
A: A quick growing biannual crop with broader leaves which under good management can be harvested twice per annum. Good for silage making.
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Q: How do you get rid of a Houndstongue?
A: Don’t let houndstongue go to seed. Hand pull or dig up isolated plants and small patches and remove as much of the root as possible. If the soil doesn’t allow for effective digging, spot treat with herbicide.
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Q: What is shatter corn?
A: General description: Erect, ‘corn-like’ plant, up to 8 ft tall. Seedhead is a large, open panicle; large seeds maroon to black at maturity. Base of leaf blade is usually hairy. Key ID traits: Membranous ligule; glabrous leaves, leaf sheaths often covered with waxy bloom.
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Q: What does shatter cane look like?
A: Shattercane resembles grain sorghum and corn. It is a coarse grass that usually grows in tufts and reaches almost 7 feet (2m) tall. Stems are erect, round to slightly compressed in cross-section, unbranched, with solid internodes, and sometimes, purplish spots. Leaves are bright green with a noticeable white midvein.
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Q: Is shatter high quality?
A: Shatter is a high-potency dab or concentrate with roughly 80 percent THC content. It’s semi-translucent, golden or amber in color, and looks like delicate, thin glass with air bubbles trapped inside.
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Q: What are the three types of dabs?
A: Types of Dabs Five of the most common forms are shatter, budder, oil, live resin, and wax. All these dabs have THC levels far greater than the plant material from which they are made.
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Q: Which is better shatter or crumble?
A: Technically, crumble is a type of wax that’s drier and feels like feta cheese. Some people claim waxes are “tastier” than shatter because they’re heated at lower temperatures. Arguably, the higher temps “shatter” shatter’s delicate terpenes. However, there’s no other noteworthy distinction between these concentrates.
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Q: Does the color of dabs matter?
A: It is widely believed that concentrates with a light or clear color are cleaner, while those with darker colors contain impurities—either can be right or wrong. All in all, the effectiveness of the product is not determined by the color; it’s determined by the quality of the cannabis used to make it.
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Q: Is shatter or wax better?
A: Shatter will last longer thanks to its chemical structure while wax will lose potency a little bit faster. Shatter is harder to handle since it’s so brittle while wax was the consistency of thick coconut oil and can be easily manipulated. Wax has more surface area which allows it to degrade faster.
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Q: Is shatter or hash stronger?
A: And when it comes to the various types of cannabis concentrates — among them, budder, wax, bubble melt hash, and honey oil — there are few that are stronger than shatter, which can knock you back with up to 80 percent THC.
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Q: What kills Johnson grass?
A: Dense patches can be controlled by spraying the foliage with 2 percent Roundup (a formulation of glyphosate). Best results are obtained when glyphosate is applied to plants that are 18 inches tall to early flowering stage. During this period the herbicide will be most effectively translocated to the roots and rhizomes.
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Q: Does Roundup work on Johnson grass?
A: For long-term Johnsongrass control, glyphosate (Roundup, others) is another systemic herbicide that works more effectively when applied in the fall compared to spring treatments. Glyphosate is nonselective and should be limited to spot treatments at rates required to control Johnsongrass.
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Q: Is Johnson grass good for anything?
A: Believe it or not Johnsongrass can be just as high in crude protein and energy (TDN) than coastal bermudagrass. Its an excellent grazing and haying forage, you just need to pay attention and manage it correctly. When I was growing up we depended on our Johnsongrass meadows for hay.
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Q: Why is Johnson grass a problem?
A: Under certain conditions, the leaves of johnsongrass (and sorghum) can produce toxic amounts of hydrocyanic acid, which can poison livestock when ingested. It is a highly variable species with some regional biotypes.
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Q: Is Johnson grass toxic after cutting?
A: Prussic acid poisoning potential is very high for johnsongrass forage that is shorter than 18 inches tall, wilted forage or for a new flush of growth soon after a rainfall or after hay cutting.
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Q: How can I control Johnson grass without chemicals?
A: Heat the Soil According to the University of California Integrated Pest Management, soil solarization—heating the soil using the sun—can help control weeds and pests without chemicals. For getting rid of Johnsongrass, this method is most effective if the rhizomes of the Johnsongrass are visibly closer to the surface.
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About the author

Samuel is a gardening professional and enthusiast who has spent over 20 years advising homeowners and farm owners on weed identification, prevention and removal. He has an undergraduate degree in plant and soil science from Michigan State University.