Wear gloves to protect your hands when working. Prior to planting, enrich the planting area with well-decomposed compost, mixing it into the soil in the planting hole and the surrounding area. You've filled your yard with fescue, miscanthus, and fakahatchee for multi-season interest that's beloved by the residents of your home as well as the wildlife. Genevieve Schmidt is a landscape designer and owns a fine landscape maintenance company in Arcata, CA. Is Bleach Good for Fungus in Zoysia Grass? It is hardy between USDA zones 4 and 9 and grows from 6 to 10 inches tall. To prune a plant to encourage bushy new growth, snip off the dominant buds on select stems, staggering the cuts to encourage varied growth. When pruning for size, move around the plant as you go, removing up to two thirds of the leaves, which is the point at which the pruning becomes obvious. Prior to freelance writing, Johnson taught English in Japan. To prune a grass, hold the foliage taut with one hand and use the other hand to run the sickle’s toothed blade against the base of the plant using a sawing motion. What Can You Plant to Cover the Side of a Ditch? Green's work appears in Diva, Whole Life Times, Listverse, Earthtimes, Lamplight, Stupefying Stories and other websites and magazines. You can cut back the entire plant to 6 to 12 inches of growth (basically starting over), or you can prune gradually over time. You want to cut back your grass once a year, as late in the season as possible. Prune dead blades at the bottom if they don’t come out with combing. 3-6 years of age. Read this article to … Follow these easy step by step instructions on how to prune blueberries and properly amend the soil for quality growth. How to Prune Perennial Grass. It is now ready for cutting back, before the new growth comes up in spring. It impacts how well your plants will grow. This short-lived perennial grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9 and is named for its mounds of dense, blueish-green, thin foliage 6 to 24 inches tall and 6 to 12 inches wide. Sterilize pruning shears by wiping the blades with rubbing alcohol and prune blue hair grass in late winter, pruning all foliage to ground level. Hollan Johnson is a freelance writer and contributing editor for many online publications. When pruning some of the top stems, the unproductive limbs without many fruit buds, or few vegetative buds should be taken out. Space clumps fairly close, about 8 to 10 inches apart since the plants don't spread very much. Cutting monkey grass with a lawnmower or trimmer is great for larger areas of the grass, but trimmers work just as well on pruning monkey grass where it is growing in a smaller area. Sterilize pruning shears by wiping the blades with rubbing alcohol and prune blue hair grass in late winter, pruning all foliage to ground level. Sterilize pruning shears again after use. Shrub roses are a popular garden plant, and for good reason: they are beautiful and smell wonderful. Graceful ornamental grass clumps add delightful texture and interest to the garden in all seasons, they are incredibly easy to care for and there are hardy ornamental grass varieties suitable for any climate. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, NC State University Extension: Blue Fescue, Virginia Cooperative Extension: Blue Fescue, Missouri Botanical Garden: Festuca Glauca "Elijah Blue". Beige panicles are produced June through August, eventually achieving a light brown hue by fall. She has a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada. Trim off the flowers that bloom in the summer to keep the foliage looking nice, according to the University of Virginia. Rushes (Juncus spp.) Each mature blueberry plant should have about 6-12 Canes.When pruning you should leave at least 6 canes, but you don’t want more than 12. up and prune at that point. If you have a grass tree that is turning brown, you probably need to prune it. Stems and debris can be pulled out by hand from the centre of the clump. Choose a time in early spring when the threat of heavy frost has passed to cut blue fescue ornamental grasses. Measure 3 to 4 inches along the grass stems from the ground. Cut back the foliage by one-third in the late summer to stimulate new foliage growth for fall. You may also comb with gloved hands. This guide shows you how to hard prune or rejuvenate pruning shrubs and plants. Perennial ornamental grasses add a touch of interest to the yard without requiring a lot of maintenance. In cold climates, blue fescue grass often turns brown in winter, but many growers leave it standing to help protect the roots from cold. Choose a time in early spring when the threat of heavy frost has passed to cut blue fescue ornamental grasses. Cut back the spent stems with secateurs. About Genevieve. Thriving in harsh conditions, blue hair grass grows well in sandy, infertile soil. The grass tree does not need direct sunlight to flourish. Prune blue fescue with clippers instead of pruning shears. The best time to prune your blueberry plants is during the winter, preferably right before spring arrives. Pruning and cutting back is important if your plants are to give their best display or crop, and to prevent them outgrowing their space. New growth appears in early spring, and glossy green flower heads emerge in late spring, maturing to silvery white plumes 6 to 12 inches above the foliage. Wait until late in the season to cut brown or spent grass. Blue fescue prefers to grow in full sun and needs well-drained soil in which to thrive. Wondering how to prune your ornamental grasses? Plant nursery-grown transplants 18 to 24 inches apart in early spring. It grows in a small mound, which makes it perfect for borders or as a backdrop to showy plants. Blue oat grass maintains its attractive light brown fall color through the winter. Sterilize pruning shears again after use. For warm season grasses, you want to trim them between late fall and mid-spring. Many new gardeners can't bear the idea of cutting back an entire plant, but this is … For cool season grasses, cut them back in early spring. Examples of cool-season ornamental grasses include tufted hair grass (Deschampsia caespitosa) and silver spike grass (Spodiopogon sibiricus), both of which are hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9.. Pruning Process. To propagate blue oat grass, do the following: Dig around the perimeter of the plant using a shovel or spade. How Far Apart Should Blue Girl Holly Be Planted? Limbs with a lot of fruit buds and vegetative buds should be left. Cut small amounts of the plant as you go. According to the University of Arkansas, blue fescue is a cool-season perennial grass with blue-gray leaves. Depending on the height of your grass variety, you may prune them lower, but … Flowers are borne from the tips of the tapered leaves tipped with golden oat-like seed heads. How to Prune Grass Trees. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Take care not to damage any new growth that may already be coming up through the crown of the plant. Grass trees (Xanthorrhoea preissii) are primarily grown in thick soils or even in gravel. A graduate of Leeds University, Jenny Green completed Master of Arts in English literature in 1998 and has been writing about travel, gardening, science and pets since 2007. Blue hair grass requires little attention other than pruning. Ornamental grasses can be divided to produce more plants, or simply to reduce the size of a clump and prevent plants from losing their vigour. Pruning to Rejuvenate . Sometimes, however, selective pruning … An easy-to-grow plant, blue-eyed grass thrives in full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil. Trim the flowers off at the base of the blue fescue. As a rule of thumb, prune spring-flowering shrubs and trees immediately after the flowers fade. A mixture of hormones and food controls a tree’s growth. Remove dead, broken or damaged foliage from the blue fescue plant at any time of the year to reduce stress on the plant. Measure 3 to 4 inches along the grass stems from the ground. Pruning at the wrong time won’t damage plants, but it can sacrifice that year's flowers or fruit. Wear gloves to protect your hands when working. Prune back any crossing branches or branches that grow in toward the middle of a young tree, and cut off lower branches on the trunk as the tree grows to raise the crown. Because you’re already holding each clump of foliage, you can put trimmings into a bag or bucket as you prune, saving time on cleanup. How to Prune Shrub Roses. The ornamental grass is a tidy evergreen that is very tolerant of a wide range of sites and conditions. Grass trees (Xanthorrhoea preissii) are primarily grown in thick soils or even in gravel. Water plants … According to the University of Arkansas, blue fescue is a cool-season perennial grass with blue-gray leaves. Cut back the foliage in early spring to within a few inches of the ground. This way, when the … Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! Decorative Grasses to Protect Soil From Erosion, Missouri Botanical Garden: Koeleria Glauca, University of California Sonoma County Master Gardeners: Ornamental Grasses as Lawn Alternatives. Prune summer-blooming trees and shrubs in winter or early spring, before new growth emerges. All Rights Reserved. Trim some branches back by a quarter, others by a half, and still others all the way back to their base. 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