Miscanthus, often referred to as "Elephant grass", is another new industry and energy crop. It is not quite as commercially widespread or well-developed as willow. Like maize, Miscanthus is a C-4 plant, and the growth pattern during the growing season is similar to maize, which means it thrives under mild conditions, with wind shelter being a clear advantage. Miscanthus is established using micro propagated plants or rhizomes (root pieces), and can be harvested using conventional agricultural machinery. Miscanthus is expected to have a production life of at least 20-30 years.

You can obtain detailed plant guides tailored to energy/fibre or thatch production from the Danish Miscanthus Growers’ Association or, for example, from John Amos Ltd.

Questions can also be directed to Nordic Biomass, or to one of the Danish pioneers of Miscanthus growing, Fibre & Energy Crops (Jens Bonderup Kjeldsen).