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Dividing your ornamental grass is a great way to increase the number of plants you have in your landscape. Another benefit is that the clump of grass you remove the division from now has more room to grow. Ornamental grass has the newest growth on the outside of the clump. The older and weaker portion of the plant is always in the center and established clump will often have a dead center. This dead center does not harm the plant, but eventually if left alone, may get quite large.
Ornamental grasses have quite fibrous root systems that can be extremely difficult to break apart. A small clump of grass can usually be divided by simply using a shovel, but larger established plants will require a bit more work.
Here are a few tools that will make dividing large clumps of ornamental grass a little more manageable:
- A sturdy square edge landscaping spade
- An axe or a hatchet
- A sawzall with a 12″ coarse blade
- large construction type pry bars
- handsaw
- and of course, safety glasses!
Before you begin, you must first determine when the best time to divide your grass is. Read this article on when the best time to divide warm season ornamental grass that I have written if you have that type. If you have cool season grass, read when is the best time to divide cool season ornamental grass. Not sure which type of grass you have? Here is an list of some warm season, and here is a list of some cool season grasses.
Once you have gathered your supplies, the work begins. Decide where you want to divide the plant and choose a tool that you think may do the job. I will tell you from experience that there is no one tool that will do the job! Just start with one and switch to a different one if it is not up to the task. I usually start with the shovel, but quickly switch to either the sawzall or hatchet or axe. If using the hatchet or axe, be extremely careful if you decide to actually use it by swinging it. A better and safer way is to place it on the clump where you want to divide the grass and hit it with a separate hammer or sledge hammer. Keep making the cuts and pry apart with your shovel or pry bars.
Once the clump is divided into the size and number of divisions you want, you need to actually move them to their new homes. Be careful, those clumps can be quite heavy! If your clumps are fairly small, placing them in a wheelbarrow or the back of your truck is an option. For larger and heavier divisions, a child’s snow sled comes in quite handy. If you don’t have access to a sled, a heavy tarp can be used to place the clump on and dragged to the new location.
One thing to remember when dividing ornamental grass is to not let the roots dry out. If you are dividing on a warm or hot day, cover the roots with a light colored cloth, a tarp, or other handy item. Be sure to get the new divisions in the ground as soon as possible to reduce the likelihood of the root ball drying out, but before actually planting the new divisions, thoroughly water the roots just to be sure. Once the division is planted, thoroughly water everything again.
Keep the newly planted divisions watered every two to three days until the grass has established new roots and can survive on it’s own. Ornamental grasses are extremely hardy and once established requires no supplemental watering, but in times of drought, watering your grass will help ensure it’s survival.
Oh, one more thing; beware the hidden dangers when dividing ornamental grass.
For more great information on ornamental grasses, visit Willowmist or Bluestem.
For even more info on ornamental grasses, I recommend:
Pocket Guide to Ornamental Grasses (Timber Press Pocket Guides)
Ornamental Grasses: Wolfgang Oehme and the New American Garden
Taylor’s Guide to Ornamental Grasses
