Reducing dry tufts on grasses

Joanne Byrne asked 14 years ago

I have two Stipa gigantea (Golden oats)grasses in my garden that have very large dry, straw-like tufts. They are about 15 years old and right now look a bit like hay stacks. I have tried to pull the old dry stuff away but it’s proving a very hard job… as I imagine removing it altogether would also be. I would like to keep them if they can be tidied up so would appreciate some advice.

1 Answers

Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
The golden oat grass tends to make a tuft of previous years’ leaves that break down slowly. It does this partly to recover the nutrients in the leaves and it also helps to keep the competition down.

To tidy, the best way is to pull out the loose stuff in spring, as much as possible. But some people simply cut it back, although this takes the natural look off the plant.

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