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Do you have any experience winter sowing ornamental grasses.

albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.

16 years ago

(Apologies, I inadvertently posted this as a follow-up to an earlier thread.)

I've a pound of something called Sand Dropseed and I've a problem getting enough water to the sandy area for the tender young plants in the spring and summer. We have frequent light snow and light rain in the winter. I am wondering if I put some out now if that would be more effective.

I will try it and report. I just wonder what you think.

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Comments (7)

irisgirl
16 years ago
Hi, Albert; I WS Little Bluestem last winter and had good results. I sowed the seeds in the traditional milk jug in February - transplanted the whole HOS thing (it looked like a grass mat!) to a patio pot about 18" diameter in late May. The babies did well all summer and are sitting snow covered in their pot right now. I will separate them (and $ell them for Money!) this spring.

Am not familiar w/ your Sand Dropseed, but I bet WS will work for you. BTW, I just used Miracle-Gro potting soil in the patio pot. You might want to add some compost to the sandy area where you intend to plant this grass to help hold the moisture. Best Wishes, Carol
pitimpinai
16 years ago
I had much success with Prairie Dropseeds, Little Bluestem, Purple Love Grass, and Korean Calamagrostis. Pink Muhly grass too.
I am keeping my fingers crossed, because I moved my beautiful clumps of Korean Calamagrostis a little late this fall. I hope they'll make it. :-)

I also had success with Northern Sea Oats and Pennisetum acuperoides.
They are beautiful. Have fun. :-)
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Thank you much everyone for this very interesting, educational, humorous thread!!! I came searching, as all I've had to deal with all my years, were tools of mowing engagements! Having grown up in as asphalt jungle (not the movie!) I fell in love with the smell of fresh cut grass! Am 4'10" (now I was told grew older to less1" ~ just my luck!) & for years before the advent of electric mowers I used to hop on top of the darned machine just to be able to start it ~ nearly lost my fingers reaching for clogged grass etc etc ~ didn't want to start machine over & over! So now you know ... I am that *priceless* image Carl18 vividly etched in your mind ~ *73y/o lady wrestling w/ Sawz-All* (by the way I think I'd love it!) Oh & I can always count on ken for injecting a bit to laugh! All I know about Ornamental Grass is admire them on people's landscape & am now for the first time brain-storming about what to do w/ a NE corner after cutting down a very old limb-dropping/breaking Crabapple tree where all the large Hostas now burning! No, not the regular Pampas ~ I know enough to avoid! I couldn't find the young neighbor to ask, what he planted that looks neat, upright, columnar, tallish & offers privacy (for me a blind from the dogs behind)! I googled & marked *Morn' Light, K Foerster, Heavy Metal, Dallas Blue* ~ any pros & cons would be appreciated! TIA!
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This is my 2nd year WS though I've only recently started posting on these forums. I don't even quite remember how I 1st discovered wintersown.org. I tend to stumble upon so many things when doing internet searches on growing different plants. Anyway the method made total sense to me and how could I resist trying with Trudi's offer for free seeds. I believe my very 1st babies were poppies (I so love poppies) and I never had much luck with growing them before WS. So glad I found you guys! I learn so much by reading these forums. -StLGirl
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bakemom_gw
16 years ago
Donn has done tons.
diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
Yeah, I thought of donn right away! If the title of this thread doesn't pull him out of hibernation, he must really be incredibly busy, lol!

:)
Dee
tiffy_z5_6_can
16 years ago
Yep, Don is the King of Grass!! I do miss him here. :O(
pitimpinai
16 years ago
Donn & Ornamental grass

Have fun reading. :-)
strouper2
16 years ago
I SS some small blue grasses last year and they did very well. I see that you already have your seed but I figured I give this little bit of advise to anyone else reading this post that wants to WS some ornamental grasses and don't have any seeds yet. Don't buy seeds because I paid over $2 for the pack that I purchased and I think they only gave me about 15 to 20 seeds! I was surprised by this because I know that grasses produce a ton of seeds every year so I'm sure that if you want seeds you could post a request over on the seed forum and you'll probably get a lot of offers for seeds.

Strouper

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