Too late to cut back miscanthus?

2 months ago

I just cut back all my miscanthus today and they were already growing? Do you all notice yours is too? Will cutting the green part negatively affect growth for these or do they grow back in the same manner as turf grass? I ask because I’ve never seen miscanthus grow this early before. One year I cut it back in late march where there were some green and the miscanthus really took a while to grow that year(not until summer)so not sure if cutting back the green affected it.

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Comments (10)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
2 months ago
Now is exactly the right time to cut OG's back.....just as the new growth begins to show. Unlike turf grasses, most OG's do not continue growing from cut or mown stems so if you wait until the growth gets much higher, you can stunt development.
mxk3 z5b_MI
2 months ago
It is fine to cut them back now.
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Heruga (7a Northern NJ)
Original Author
2 months ago
Yea I’m just confused why there’s this much growth already in February for a warm season grass. It seems like the entire plant so I guess there won’t be any more new growth for the year? Other than flowers in the fall
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
2 months ago
That is very typical growth for this time of year in a zone 7. Often in colder climates, it may be hidden by a layer of snow :-) One thing that was drilled into us in hort college by my OG professor was that deciduous grasses get cut back at "the end of February, beginning of March"!! No further discussion required.
linaria_gw
2 months ago
I tried to kill off 2 clumps of Miscanthus last year by, well, just cutting off all the stems in mid season.

as they are kind of c-strategists and are supposed to not like disturbance I gave it a try

well, they just resprouted with the most beautifull foliage

even the second time

dug up one of them by now, one more to go,

so if yours lost the very tip of the stems that is just cosmetics

and I remember at least two gardens where they did not cut back at all

in one because they tested how far they can take low maintenance, and there hardly developed any weeds because there was so little light on the on the soil

the other because they had a big rabbit problem (ENgland) and it seemed that the rabbits would leave the new shoots alone when those grew trhough the old stems
laceyvail 6A, WV
2 months ago
Heruga, my concern about Miscanthus would be invasive seeding about, especially as the climate contines to warm. We have seen it here in WV for several years now, and I've stopped growing them for that reason. Keep your eyes open.

Also, I grew Ravenna grass for many years until several years ago when the climate warmed enough that seedlings began popping up all over my gardens. After the second year of that, I removed the plant--it had been a spectacular favorite until then.
linaria_gw
2 months ago
the invasivness is definetely a problem.

Here, in a warming up spot inEurope, some start growing mature seeds, it still depends upon the season.

It could be a good moov to replace Miscanthus with some selections of Panicum virgatum, like, before it is too late
mxk3 z5b_MI
2 months ago
I dug up all but two clumps of established miscanthus last fall. That was back-breaking work! A couple of them I just couldn't do myself, DH had to hack at the roots with an axe to break the roots up enough to get them out of the ground. So if you're going to dig them up, do it before they get too big.
Heruga (7a Northern NJ)
Original Author
2 months ago
I haven't noticed any seedlings from my miscathus yet. It's completely shaded in the winter due to being in front of my 6 foot fence which casts 12 feet of shade from the fence so maybe the extra cold is preventing that? Mine are 'Yakushima's too, do certain cultivars have a lower chance of growing from seed?
laceyvail 6A, WV
2 months ago
I don't know about cultivars, but seedlings here are often some distance from the mother plant. Replacing them with a native like Panicums is a good move.