OK... a couple yrs ago I put some in my rock wall to chase away wood chucks who were destroying it, BUT I had no idea it would be so dangerous. I didn't have the internet then. thank goodness nothing bad happened. Except probably to the poor little worms and other good creatures. I've heard of cats playing with them then licking their paws and dying. some times old home remedies should be forgotten. Laura

You should cut it back now before new growth begins. And it requires no fertilizing. It's a native grass so very adaptable and requiring minimal maintenance. I am jealous :-) This is a gorgeous OG that I have attempted to include in my garden more than once, however it seldom gets hot enough here to develop seedheads and there doesn't seem much point in bothering if it never blooms :-)

If the two blades are indeed Muhly, chances are good more will follow. If, however, they are some other grass which has self-sown into the clump, then they mean nothing. Try tugging on some of the dead stumps from last year's growth. If they are firmly held in the crown, it's a good thing. If they come out easily, and are damp/rotten-looking, it may be a bad sign. It's not possible to say why a grass dies out prematurely, because there are so many factors involved which cannot be diagnosed long-distance. Muhly should do fine in your zone, so it isn't a hardiness issue. Sometimes greenhouse-grown grasses flourish in the season they are planted, but fail to make it through their first winter even though they are rated as hardy. This is one reason why many prefer to buy field-grown mature grasses. If the clump only comes back partially, I'd wait until next spring, and divide it, discarding the dead portion of the crown.

Muhlenbergia capillaris is one of my favorites in the fall. It's a great grass to use in a flowering annual and perennial display. Plant them in groups of 3 or more for a massed effect. As your perennial flowers hit late summer, this grass will be the new highlight of the bed. Blooming starts in late summer and continues through fall. When its not in bloom, it looks like a wire grass, green upright/arching clump. The foliage is not a showoff and it's time to shine is definitely when in full bloom. You don't really have to cut back muhly grass in spring unless it takes a winter thrashing. Clean through with a rake like you're combing the grass. If you want to trim back, don't take them to the ground like you would some other grasses...maybe 12" from the ground. Muhly can do some re-seeding in the bed, but volunteers are pretty easy to pull out...and replant elsewhere if you like. The link below is a great video of muhly in the landscape. Here is a link that might be useful: Muhlenbergia capillaris video