I have two of these ornamental grasses that are spreading from the main plant, how do I stop it spreading?
by afterlife19
I have two of these ornamental grasses that are spreading from the main plant, how do I stop it spreading?
by afterlife19
4 Comments
root barriers work really well for this kind of grass – you dig around the main clump and install plastic or metal edging about 8-10 inches deep to contain the rhizomes. i had similar issue with mine few years back and just kept digging up the runners until i finally put in barriers. you can also divide it every couple years to keep it from getting too aggressive, just dig up sections in spring and replant them somewhere else or give away to neighbors. cutting off the seed heads before they mature also helps prevent it from spreading by seeds
Dig them out, put them in new pots, sell for 5 dollars.
Pick a set distance for the main plant perimeter and dig up off shoots with a shovel. You shouldn’t need to do it more than once or twice a season. Dropping in some tall metal edging around the main plant might work, but in my experience, plants that reproduce underground through root systems always find a way around.
Plant selection is really important. If you don’t want a plant to spread, then don’t plant one that spreads.
I’d dig this up and replace it with either a well behaved ornamental that doesn’t spread vigorously or with a native plant that you don’t mind naturalizing in your landscape (don’t let non-natives naturalize).
It’s always a push and pull with the commercial nurseries because usually the vigorously spreading non-natives are the easiest and cheapest to propagate and nothing local naturally eats them. That doesn’t mean it’s best for your landscape and the maintenance you save on pest control becomes work you end up doing trying to control the plant’s spread.