Only utilize sections of the newer, outer growth area for replanting. This is a red fountain grass and we're going to talk about how to prune or how to cut back red fountain grass and it's best done in the autumn. Purple fountain grass is an annual grass in Parker County but sometimes pennisetum is known as fountain grass so make sure you have the true purple fountain grass and not some other ornamental grass. For taller grasses, bind them about a half a foot (15 cm.) Cut off the dead foliage from last season 3-5 inches from the ground. Like most ornamental grasses, purple fountain grass does best when you cut it back drastically to remove old leaves. You can trim the top any time from fall until growth resumes in the spring. Get a sharp shovel and separate the grass into several sections. Comb it with a small, fine toothed rake to easily get your clump back in shape. Fountain grasses are a reliable and pretty addition to the home landscape, adding drama and height, but their nature is to die back to the ground, which causes confusion for many gardeners. Warm-season grasses that are taller than three feet should be cut back to four to six inches from ground level. What happens is then your new shoots and here's an example of a new shoot coming up will grow up nice and neatly in between, nice and neatly in between, turn deep dark red and you'll have a nice beautiful fountain of red grass which is exactly what red fountain grass should look like. Piglet Fountain Grass. I'm also the author of "All the Garden's a Stage". Trimming back the grasses this way makes it much easier to prune, instead of simply hacking away at the unruly mob of dried grass. You want to avoid doing fountain grass pruning in the fall, as the plant has not yet died back all the way. For deciduous grasses like some Miscanthus, the old foliage may be completely removed with a chainsaw or hedge shears. Use a hedge trimmer that's an inch or two longer than your clump of grass is wide, and you'll be able to cut the entire bunch back at once. The steps to trim fountain grass are easy and quick and taking the time to cut back fountain grass will result in a nicer looking “fountain” in the summer. The first step when you trim fountain grass back is to tie up the dead stems. Fountain grass (Pennisetum) is a mound-forming ornamental grass and a garden favorite, as the care of fountain grass is easy. A clump-forming ornamental grass variety, it is … Start by wrapping a piece of rope around the outside of the grass and tie it into a tight column of foliage. This will not stop the ornamental grasses from growing, but it will make the spread of the plant easier to see. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. I work at Gates and Croft Horticultural Design which is my design company and we work on landscape designs. Shorter mature plants can be cut back to about three inches. And what steps are involved in cutting back fountain grass? When do you prune fountain grass? For evergreen grasses like Fakahatchee grass, the ragged, dead leaves can be removed by combing the grass with a pitchfork. If your ornamental grass is large, divide and conquer. This stuff will be gone. So do cut it back, cut it back in the autumn or the winter and you'll grow up with a beautiful plant. I really don't think buzz sawing it is necessary but people will do anything. Keep the plant moist, not soggy, watering it about once a month. Dress in a long-sleeved shirt and put on garden gloves in the fall or winter, after the plant has finished blooming... 2. Do this when you bring it indoors, cutting back both flowers and leaves to about 2 or 3 inches (3-5 cm) high. That’s all there is to it. Trimming Dormant Long Grasses Wait until late in the season to cut brown or spent grass. It can be used alone as a specimen plant or in a border alongside other perennials. Clump-forming grasses grow in mounds or clumps, making them ideal for many areas without becoming invasive. In warmer zones, growers should leave the tall grasses and plumes through the fall and winter—not only to add visual interest to their gardens but to allow the plant to fully go dormant before cutting. Prune cool-season grasses back by two-thirds. Here the ornamental grass is cut off about a hand’s width above the Soil. 1. What you'll find is this plant which has this beautiful burgundy colored foliage, if you don't cut it back what you'll end up with and you see that in this example, is a lot of these older leaves that kind of turn a bit brown, straw colory, not quite as pretty and it kind of well it diminishes that really really strong punch of burgundy deep red color that this plant has to offer in the boarder, in the garden. Tip. Cut the Grass Now that the ornamental grass is neatly bundled, take your pruning shears and cut the grass, either by two-thirds for cool season grass, or to ground level for warm season grass. The Greens Get a Rake The best time when to trim fountain grass back is in the late winter or early spring. 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Ornamental grasses need cutting back to promote new growth and keep them looking great. That's how it's called Pennisetum. With the tape or bungee cords holding the grass blades in place, lean the bundle away from its base as you cut. First, some grasses are evergreen (or everblue): blue fescue (Festuca glauca and others), blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) and most sedges (Carex spp. How to Prune Red Fountain Grasses. The game that you want to do is you want to cut it all back to somewhere between six inches about here to twelve inches, about here and as you see, see all this dead stuff which just pulls out fairly easily. In late winter or early spring, trim the grasses back to stems about six inches from the ground to … This foliage will die back in the winter anyway. Once the threat of freezing weather and frost has passed in spring, you can set the purple fountain grass back outdoors. The cascading leaves on this plant have a fountain-like appearance. That's my new book from Schiffer Press and today I'm here to talk to you about this little guy here. Equipment | What Type of Equipment Do You Need to Maintain a Koi Pond? Once your grass is tied up, use handheld or powered hedging shears to cut the entire grass to about 10 inches tall. Ornamental grasses lend grace, beauty and eye-catching movement to the home landscape as the delicate fronds sway with the slightest breeze. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. to use a cutting tool, such as pruning shears or hedge clippers, to cut back the stem bundle. Prune fountain grass about 4  to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm.) Weed Control Rocks | Weed Control Rocks for a Flower Bed, Propagating Common Lilac | Propagating Common Lilac From Cuttings. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! How to Prune Dwarf Fountain Grass 1. You may also comb with gloved hands. In South Florida, you may wish to cut back or trim ornamental grasses in January or February. Continue reading to learn more about fountain grass pruning. You can cut it back to about three inches or so and then place it either in a sunny window in a cool area of the home or simply place it in your basement. Ornamental Grass Care Tips. The best time for pruning the lamp cleaner grass is in late spring, just before budding. Jab the point of the shovel around the perimeter of the crown of the grass and remove as much as you want to keep the grass in check. Cut all remaining sections down, working next to the section just cut. Another advantage of using hedge trimmers is that it will give you an even cut all the way across a clump of grass. Current cultivars do not seem to self-seed and, unlike other grasses, don’t produce runners. Part of the series: Landscaping & Gardening with Jane Gates. Hameln dwarf fountain grass is a small, clumping ornamental grass that only grows 2 to 3 feet tall and bears ivory to white plumes that wave above the foliage from summer to fall. above the ground. Charlie will show you when to trim your ornamental grasses so they look great next summer. The exact timing is not as important as just making sure that you prune fountain grass back before it starts actively growing. About your ornamental grass. Sign up for our newsletter. Utilization Because of its attractive growth and pretty flowers, the lamp cleaner grass is particularly suitable for single use or … Next step in fountain grass pruning is to use a cutting tool, such as pruning shears or hedge clippers, to cut back the stem bundle. The white fountain grass is another ornamental beauty that is worth our attention. Remove and discard the “dead” center portion to the compost pile. ), among others.Since they are evergreen, they don’t normally need pruning. up and prune at that point. It is not required, but it help to maintain a healthy look for the plants. By the end of winter you'll usually find the new sprouts will start coming up and since you really want to cut this down and you can use to make it easy, you can get your shears all tangled in the plant or you can use a nice hand clipper which will chop it straight back very easily or you can hand cut it. It is more expensive than other plants grown as annuals but this plant will delight you with a showy, multi-faceted display. Purple fountain grassnamed for the arcing spikes of purplish flowers that gracefully spray out of its mass of long, slender, burgundy-colored leavesis not a very cold-hardy plant, but it is well worth growing in the northeven if you can enjoy it for only two seasons out of the year. If you try to cut back fountain grass in the fall, you may cause it to go into a growth spurt, which will make it more vulnerable to the coming cold weather and will reduce its chances of surviving the winter. This way, the grass will stay bundled as you prune and not explode into pieces everywhere. Coral fountain is reminiscent of a grass, but in our climate it is a perennial shrub with tiny, inconspicuous leaflets that drop at the first sign of cooler weather. So what you want to do is cut it back, usually the best time to do it is any time from late autumn to early, well maybe mid winter. Prune dead blades at the bottom if they don’t come out with combing. This is just to make the chore of cutting back fountain grass a little easier because you won’t have to clean up all the fallen stems. In the fall, winter or in the spring? Place the plant near a sunny window in a heated room. This will make it easier for you to remove the grass entirely. Yes, when pruned it looks just like someone gave the plants a flattop buzz cut. You'll have a really handsome plant by the springtime. Tap into your inner hairstylist as you lean over the fountain grass and comb or rake your gloved fingers through the middle of the clump, grabbing all loose and dead or dried-up hairs (blades/branches). The remaining stems will be quickly hidden under the new growth. Yes, many people do trim back their fountain grass and other foliage type plants this time of year. 0 0. Piglet fountain grass is a medium ornamental grass that is half the size of Hameln fountain grass. I enjoy the dormant grass through the winter, so I delay until just before growth begins. Hi I'm Jane Gates. Cut the grass back with pruning shears or grass clippers. In cooler climates, you can mound this trimmed plant material over the root zone as a mulch to prevent any cold damage to roots or you can compost the leaves. ln this video I demonstrate how to cut back ornamental grasses. You want … The white fountain grass was the first ornamental grass that I was introduced to many years ago since then I have learned about so many other ornamental grasses which are grown and made available for our use. Branches die back when temperatures fall below 25°F to give this plant a short winter rest, but new growth resumes quickly every spring. Use pruning shears on a smaller plant; hedge trimmers are best on... 3. Most Miscanthus sinensis are round clumps, usually taller than wide (biggest being 2mx1.4m), with long leaves that cascade down like a fountain. Start by cutting off the stalks close to the base. Grow Ornamental Grass | How to Grow Ornamental Grass in Containers, Splash Fountain | How to Build a Splash Fountain, Decorate Fountain | How to Decorate Your Fountain With Rocks and Grass, Replanting | How to Divide Ornamental Grasses for Replanting. Examples of warm-season grasses include switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), which grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, and fountain grass … Dig out sections of roots to root prune ornamental grasses. Remove old growth to 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm.) It's a rubrum and it's a nice looking plant in the garden. from the ground. When digging up to trim out dead growth, or to create new transplants, start by digging up the entire ball of grass. Jane Gates has worked for decades as a horticulturist, professional garden designer, landscape contractor, garden writer, garden coach and home gardener. Cut the old foliage 3 to 4 inches above the ground. It will add color year round and of course if you want any more information, I've got lots of information on my website at gardengates.info. Fountain grass is a warm season grass that is dormant during the winter and begins growth after the coolest weather is past. 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