The Best Time to Divide Ornamental Grasses – Don’t Miss It!

Hold on, do you have ornamental grasses in your garden? It may be time to divide them then. And you have a great chance to get many more for free! Yes, because by far the best time to split up their clumps is early spring, before they start growing. It’s not just good for them, because they won’t be stressed when you transplant them. It’s good for you too, because it makes your job much easier and far less messy!

Do you want to know how to divide ornamental grasses in early spring? It’s easier than you may think!

Why Early Spring Is the Best Time to Divide Your Ornamental Grasses

Early spring is really the ideal time to divide and propagate your ornamental grasses, for a lot of reasons! Here they are:

• In early spring, ornamental grasses are still in their dormant phase; so, they will receive no stress when you transplant them.
• New growth is just starting in early spring, so it is young and strong, and it doesn’t suffer from lack of nutrients.
• The weather conditions are ideal at the beginning of spring. The soil is humid and temperatures are climbing…
• If you divide your ornamental grasses in early spring, you will prevent overcrowding and excessively dense clumps later on, and this…
• …promotes flowering later in the season.
• If you divide and transplant ornamental grasses in spring, you will get more clumps to fill your garden later in the season.
• Finally, most ornamental grasses are deciduous, so you won’t have to deal with big plants, and it will make it easier to divide them and transplant them.

And now you know why you should be dividing, propagating and transplanting your ornamental grasses in early spring, let’s see how!

Step 1 : Prepare the Holes to Transplant Your New Ornamental Grass Clumps

I suggest you start your job by thinking about the end result. It is better if you don’t keep your ornamental grasses uprooted for too long, so, first of all, prepare the holes and soil for your new clumps.

• Size matters! The hole you prepare must be wide, 2 to 3 times the size of the root ball of the new clumps. So, first decide how big you want them to be (I’d suggest at least 12 inches, or 30 cm), then dig away!
• Space the holes well; check your variety, and depending on it, the distance may vary from 12 to 23 inches (30 to 90 cm), or even more for giant grasses.
• However, the holes should not be too deep, only 12 to 18 inches or so (30 to 45 cm) depending on the plant’s size; ornamental grasses have shallow roots.
• Some grasses, however, like Miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis) and Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans), have deep roots, so you will have to dig down 24 to 36 inches (60 to 90 cm)!

Next…

Step 2: Prepare the Soil for Your Ornamental Grasses (New and Old Clumps)

Now you will need to prepare a soil mix for the holes you have made, and those you will make… In fact, when you divide the clumps, you will have to fill the space back in next to the original one. The roots of these plants will hold on to quite a bit of it, but you will need to have an abundant quantity.

How much, about 50% more than you need to fill the new holes.

Do check which variety you have, but in general, an ideal soil mix for ornamental grasses is this:

• 50%good quality garden soil, preferably loamy.
• 30% compost (or organic matter)
• 20% coarse sand.

Optionally, you can add some coco coir in the coarse sand quota (like 15% sand and 5% coir).

The pH should be slightly acidic to neutral, or 6.0 to 7.0.

Now, it’s almost time to divide them, but not just yet!

Step 3 : Water Your Ornamental Grasses Beforehand and Cut Them Back

The easiest step of all, but an important one is to water your ornamental grasses 2 days before dividing them. It will make it easier to dig them up, the roots will hold on to more soil, and it won’t be too heavy as if you had just irrigated them.

If you forgot to do it in winter, it’s time to cut all the dead leaves of deciduous varieties. It will make your job easier when you divide them and transplant them.

Step 4: Lift Up Your Ornamental Grasses’ Roots

Now,  we are almost there…

• Dig around half of the ornamental grass clump; you only need to cut into the soil.
• With a fork, lift half of the ornamental grass clump.
• With a sharp spade, cut through the clump, so you get a new one. Make sure it has at least 5 shoots and lots of roots.

As usual, the size will depend on the variety of ornamental grass you have.

Finally, if necessary:

• Subdivide the new clump into smaller clumps.
• Rest the main clump back.
• Fill the hole with the soil mix.
• Press it gently with your feet.
• Mulch.

And now you are ready to transplant the new clumps of ornamental grasses you have obtained.

Step 5 : Transplant Your New Ornamental Grass Clumps – And Get Many More in Your Garden!

Now it’s all ready for transplanting, and it’s simple!

• Rest the new clump in the middle of the hole.
• Fill in the sides with the soil mix.
• Press the soil gently with your foot or with your hands.
• Water deeply.
• Lay 2 inches of mulch (5.0 cm) around the clump.

And this is all you need to do!

Early Spring Ornamental Grass Division, Simple, Useful, Productive and Fun!

Simple, isn’t it? The main thing is getting the sizes right according to the variety of ornamental grass you are growing. They are strong plants, and they will soon spread again, filling in gaps and your garden with leaves (and those long, often fluffy or plumy blooms).

Early spring is by far the best time to divide your ornamental grasses and propagate them, but if you are late, don’t worry! You can still do it later on in the season; these are really tough plants, however, the sooner, the better. Have fun!