Things Needed
decorative grasses involve little maintenance , but they eventually need rejuvenation . If your ornamental grass has a large bushed infinite in the center or the grass has been flopping for the last few class , it is probably meter to divide it . You may also desire to reassess the situation your plant is growing in . If the flower plume ( call inflorescence ) are sporadic or nonexistent , the industrial plant probably does not receive enough light and , in accession to being divided , could benefit from being move altogether .
Step 1
Cut back last year ’s foliage before dividing . For small Gunter Wilhelm Grass , such as depressed fescue ( Festuca ) , use garden scissor grip or pruners to burn the sess back to a few inches . With larger grass , tie rope around them to hold them in place . big varieties , specially Miscanthus assortment , require hard pruning tools , from hedge clipper to a dope pruner or even a chainsaw . Cut larger varieties back to 6 to 8 column inch .
Step 2
Lift belittled grasses with a trowel or shovel , digging sufficiently under the clump so that you do not damage its roots . large grasses normally postulate more heftiness . Well - established grasses may demand , as the Proven Winners website attests , " a secure back , or three , " to lift plants out of the earth . Dig down under roots . employ a crowbar , if necessary , to get the glob out of the earth .
Step 3
After the clump is lifted , divide it into plane section with a ripe clod of roots in each . Use a sharp knife for low grasses . orotund grasses may be divided with a shovel or with the spade fork method , a dividing technique Tracy DiSabato - Aust account in her book " The Well - Tended Perennial Garden " ( Timber Press ; 1998 ): withstand two spade forks back to back with the forks interlocked . With a single motion , move the handgrip in opposite direction and separate the clump aside . If more brawn is want , Proven Winners suggest an axe , a concrete saw or even a chain saw as a last holiday resort .
Step 4
Take out any numb sections from the divisions . For smaller smoke , further sectionalization can often be made by gently loosening the root , as long as there is enough of a root system for each planting .
Step 5
labour holes for division in chosen areas . Put planting intermixture into the holes , along with existing soil . irrigate the grime , and then found your division to the depth they were in the original clod . Backfill the jam , tamp down lightly as you take . Water the plant .
Tip
According to the Broadview Gardens web site , ornamental grasses should be cut back every year and into a hill shape , with the center of the clump cut higher , to help keep the works from evolve the dead space in the centerfield . show Winners suggest cutting back coolheaded time of year grasses like feather reed grass ( Calamagrostis ) in other spring . quick time of year grasses such as fountain grass ( Pennisetum ) and miscanthus should be cut midspring or as raw outgrowth is come in . For air division , Proven Winners categorize their road map for forage into cool and lovesome season . nerveless season grasses should be separate in spring ; split up warm season unity while they are rise . Keep an eye on your divisions for the first few years in term of water . Once found , ornamental grasses are rather drouth tolerant . Lightly feed grasses each spring with a garden fertilizer that does n’t have too much nitrogen . Do not overfertilize cosmetic grasses , as they lean to weaken with too much nitrogen . Established plants seldom call for much fertilizing .
