Grasses in the garden look beautiful, but they also need a he althy cut every now and then to keep it that way. You can find out how to proceed in our little grass guide.
Grasses in the garden give the small green oasis a very special flair. Although they have been native to us for quite a long time, they still have something exotic about them. If you have various ornamental grasses in your garden yourself, you have got pretty and easy-care plants with them. One of the few maintenance measures is pruning, which will be discussed below.
When it comes to pruning, you have to differentiate very clearly. Because evergreen grasses have different cutting requirements than deciduous grasses. And with bamboo, which is one of the ornamental grasses, you have to consider other things.
Pruning deciduous grasses only in spring
In addition to pampas grass, Chinese reed or lamp cleaner grass are among the most popular summer green grasses in German gardens. They all have culms that turn straw-colored and die in the fall. They will then sprout again in the spring.
Even if the stalks die off in autumn, you should not cut them off immediately. There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, the stalks protect the roots from frost. On the other hand, the stalks serve as protection for small animals. In addition, it can happen that water penetrates the cut stalks and the plant begins to rot.
Tip: Tie the stalks of grasses such as moor grass, zebra grass or Chinese reed together so that no moisture gets inside the plant and freezes there.
When the grasses sprout again in spring, you can cut the grasses just above the ground to make room for the new stalks. In order not to damage them, you should cut back as early as possible.
What do I need for pruning?
You will need different tools depending on the size of the ornamental grass. So you can get by with small specimens with sharp pruning shears. For larger varieties, you should use pruning shears. If you want to cut particularly thick stalks, you can't avoid using an electric hedge trimmercoming.
If you have finished cutting your ornamental grass, you can carefully remove the cut stalks from the plant using a leaf brush. However, be careful not to damage the newly sprouted stalks.
Tip: The stalks of most grasses are very sharp-edged. Therefore, be sure to wear gloves and long-sleeved clothing.
Just one pruning for evergreen grasses
Evergreen grasses such as many types of sedge, blue fescue or blue-ray oat are not pruned like the deciduous ornamental grasses. Rather, they only receive a care cut in the spring, during which all leaf tips and dead stalks damaged by frost are removed. Only cut off as much as is really necessary. In contrast to other plants, evergreen grasses are not stimulated to grow by pruning.
Tip: Some grasses tend to self-seed. To prevent this, you can cut off the inflorescences in autumn - preferably before the seeds form.
Cutting Bamboo
Unlike other ornamental grasses, the stems of the evergreen bamboo are perennial. A pruning is less for maintenance than for aesthetics. Because with a targeted pruning, an attractive appearance can be achieved, but you cannot stimulate growth with it. A stalk that has been cut off will not grow any further.
Tip: Bamboo keeps forming new stems that grow back from the underground rhizomes. A rhizome barrier is essential to prevent the bamboo from spreading uncontrollably.