Home - Garden
What Happens If You Don't Cut Back Ornamental Grasses?
By KYLE SCHURMAN
Ornamental plants make a great part of any landscape due to their height, texture, and color. Cutting them back once a year helps with growth, health, and strength.
Many choose to leave the stalks in place for the winter to provide a visual element to your landscape when no flowers bloom and protect their growth line from harm.
While you can cut back your grasses in late autumn, this negates some benefits. Instead, aim to cut back just before the new growing season in early spring or late winter.
To trim your grasses safely, use pruning shears for small clumps and powered hedge trimmers for thicker, denser ones. Wrap large groups together to make them easier to cut evenly.
Cut the grasses around four to six inches off the ground, exposing the crowns to sunlight and promoting growth. Remove debris to reduce thatch buildup that could cause rot.
If you don’t cut back your ornamental grasses, green shoots will pop up among the dormant plants, eventually taking over. This accumulation can cause health problems for the clump.