What happens if you don't cut back ornamental grasses

Deciduous grasses, which turn a golden or straw-brown rather than necessarily losing their leaves, need different treatment to evergreen grasses.

How to cut back deciduous grasses

• The aim is to remove all the old stems and foliage completely, to let the new stems emerge and form a fresh display, unhindered by old growth

• Work your way through the clump, cutting the old stems as low down as possible, using sharp secateurs.

  Should ornamental grasses be cut back for winter

• Can you trim ornamental grasses in summer
• What month do you cut back ornamental grasses in the fall
• When to cut ornamental grass for winter
• How far to cut back ornamental grasses

Also pull out any loose stems and other accumulated debris

• Try to avoid damaging any new growth that may already be starting to emerge

• Stipa tenuissimais classed as a deciduous grass, but in warmer regions it often performs more like an evergreen.

  If there’s little build-up of dead material, then treat it as an evergreen and simply comb out the loose foliage. But if there is a lot of dead material, cut it back fully in spring

After cutting back, weed and tidy up the surrounding area.

It’s a good idea to apply a general fertiliser (50g per sq m) to boost growth, then spread a thick mulch of organic m

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