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Ornamental Grass

Another transplant question

18 years ago

I have a 5'x20' nursery bed, filled to overflowing with hundreds of OG seedlings, all of which were grown from seed-started 1.5" square plugs. They were planted out in the bed in late spring, with ~8" spacing. Needless to say, the bed is very over-crowded, and poor planning has led to shorter grasses being shaded by taller ones.

My question...What's better for the plants? Space them out now, or wait until late winter/early spring?

Varieties include Blue Fescue, Festuca mairei, Festuca scoparia, Festuca gigantea, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Cortaderia selloana, Pennisetum alopecuroides, P.a. 'Moudry', Briza media, Carex muskingumensis, and Muhlenbergia.

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Comments (2)

wherewerewe
18 years ago
I'm no pro, but I would think doing it now would benefit the ones remaining so they could get the sun they need to better prepare for the Winter.

I would love to have all the Blue Fescue you want to throw out. Interested in trading?
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
18 years ago
It is typically recommended that warm season grasses be transplanted or divided in spring. These grasses have root systems which go relatively dormant in late season and you run the risk of winter cold damage in many parts of the country because the roots do not have sufficient time to re-establish. Cool season grasses resume an active growth mode in late season and in most parts of the country these can be divided or transplanted in fall without worry.

Donn, in your zone 7, you should be able to transplant either warm or cool season grasses without worry, although I may consider mulching the warm season selections if you experience much winter cold or unless you get reasonable snow cover.

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