Are Your Grasses Sassy?

This blue avena grass mother clump was cut back in late February. As you can see, new growth has come in since then. But the clump is still compact enough to allow for convenient dividing.

Are your ornamental grasses too fat?  Have they grown three to five times the size they were when you planted them? Are they looking unkempt? Are the centers dying out? In other words, are they getting sassy?

If so, it’s time to divide them. Late February to early April is the best time to divide grasses in Colorado. Cut them back to the ground in late February before new growth starts. Then sometime in the following six weeks, dig up the root ball for dividing.

Late winter/early spring is best for all of this activity because the new grass clumps will have time to grow additional roots and adjust to their new locations before the drought of summer and cold of winter.

Last week, I divided my three-year-old blue avena grass. Here’s how it went.

First, I dug holes for the new transplants so the roots wouldn’t have time to dry out once the new clumps were created.

After digging up the mother clump, I flipped it over so I could see the roots while sawing the clump apart. Between sawing with my reciprocating saw, chopping with my mattock, and digging at the clump with my shovel, I was able to break the clump in two.

Second, I dug up the mother clump and flipped it over so I could see the roots as I sawed the clump in half with a reciprocating saw. That way, I made sure each half had plenty of roots. Then I sawed each new clump in half, ending up with four new plants.

As you can see at the top of the photo, each half of the mother clump has a well-developed root system, which is essential for successful transplanting. I kept a bucket of water nearby to hold the new clumplets and keep the roots moist.

My original clump was 16 to 18 inches wide after being cut back in February, which means it would be considerably larger when all fluffed out. There was no dieback in the middle of the clump.

If you have a clump with dieback, just remove healthy chunks of grass from the outer edges of the clump for transplanting.

Third, I took the first small clump, transplanted it in a hole and watered it. I did the same with the remaining three clumps.

This new clump has been successfully transplanted and awaits watering and mulching.

Finally, I mulched all four new plants and watered again lightly to help keep the mulch in place.

Then I took a second mother clump and divided it into five pieces for more transplanting around the yard.

As for my third clump, I’m sharing it with friends.

I wanted a more upright grass to replace the three blue avena grasses I removed. So I planted a new variety, Lightning Strike feather reed grass(Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Lightning Strike’). It’s a variegated grass that will grow 2.5 to 3 feet high. So far, it looks terrific with backlighting.