which plants to replace johnson grass?

Hi, I was wondering which plants have the same requirements as johnson grass ( ecological niche) ?

I have a land that when i irrigate it , it get full of johson grass.
I would like to get rid of johnson grass and replace with another useful or multifunctional plant.


any ideas?

What do you want to grow there?

Johnson grass is like any other plant -- keep putting it under stress and competition, and it will give up and the competitors will win. The people that keep losing the fight to Johnson grass just haven't been stressing it enough. In other posts, people have observed that if you keep mowing it close for a couple years or so, it will go away. I don't see it poking up in places overrun with kudzu or blackberries, so those two must have a way to exclude it. I have a small patch of it in the front yard, and it's never going to get very big; when it does, it's time to harvest it and feed it to the animals. When you pull out big clumps of it (after a rain when the soil is loose) and dry it for hay, it takes a while for it to recover.

Not sure where you live, but I like Yellow Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans). Same genus as Johnson Grass.

I live in Peru, in a valley , my climate is arid tropical.

Im starting an edible forest garden and i want to grow fruit trees.

In the book "edible forest gardens 2" it says it important to do analysis and assesment of the actual plants living in the land.
Its important to know which ecological niche is occuping each plant in that way we can substitute with other plant that fill the same niche.

So my question is:


Which useful species can we substitute for joshson grass that will offer us benefits and fill the same niche?


I think i need at this step, plants that generate biomass and generate fertility in the soil.


do you think alfalfa is able to replace johnson grass?
any idea?

I would suggest looking into what grasses are native to your area. Probably many options. These will have the most ecological function as well as biomass. Biodiversity is important so any amount of grasses you can include the better it will grow by filling different niches.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) has been used as a biomass plant in North America. 10' roots, so biomass above and below.

Alfalfa is a nitrogen fixer, that will work in combination with grasses to increase production.

Tarwi, Chocho (Lupinus mutabilis). This will offer nitrogen fixing like alfalfa. Possibly native?