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Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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Posted by dbrb1 z5 IA (dbrb1@mchsi.com) on Mon, Aug 30, 04 at 8:25
| I love Purple Fountain Grass in Containers but find it expensive to buy. I was wondering if any of you dig it up and save it thru the winter. I'd appreciate any help here.
Thanks,
Don |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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| Don- does it go to seed ?? I bought some at Earl May one year and they recommended collecting the seeds for the next spring.... might be worth a try ?? |
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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| I don't have the answer, but have collected seed and will try wintersowing it. |
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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| The seed will produce green fountain grass, not purple. Maybe you'll get a couple purple grasses here and there, but as a whole, you'll get green. I'm going to try wintering mine indoors for the first time this winter. Mine went dormant, or died, one or the other, this July. Probably thought it was time since the weather was so cold. |
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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| I'm going to winter mine over in my unheated garage. Friend been doing that for past couple years. Will mist every once and while. Going to put pot in cooler so if mice get in garage wouldn't have mid winter snack. |
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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| I was told to take a chunk of the root system and repot same into a 4" pot or so. Cut the top off and it should overwinter with my other stuff that is not hardy to our area. |
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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| I live in northeast Missouri and I over wintered my purple fountain grass indoors last year. It turned greenish in the lower light, but purpled up when I planted it out in thespring. It was pretty easy to overwinter. I even had it in a east window. Leah |
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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Try this link.
http://www.hostas.com/articles/grasses/over_winter/rubrum.html |
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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| I overwintered mine in the basement last yr. It was slow in the spring compared to greenhouse specimens but caught up. I didn't cut back in the fall but I will this yr. I cut out the dried stems that didn't come back. Watered about once a month. |
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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| So, how did everybody come out with this? My one attempt didn't make it. I'd like to try again. Any new advice? |
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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I've been succesful at this for 2 winters,but I do have a cool greenhouse. I use a lot of it in big container plantings. I wait until after a light frost & plant several clumps to a container. These are hernia specials LOL I pot some in smaller pots,too. ! I like to leave them out as long as I dare,so they get acclimated to their winter pots.They can take a little frost.
I like to think some of the bugs get killed by the cold! Before a hard frost ,they are brought in & trimmed.
Watering is tricky! Too much & the roots rot.I've done it! I like to have a small plant ,weed,petunia ,in the pot. When it starts to wilt,I water.Last year I didn't lose any & I had several.In the spring when they start to actively grow,I divide & plant into 4 1/2 or 6" pots.Even if I didn't have the geenhouse, I would still try to save them. Doris |
RE: Wintering Purple Fountain Grass
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| Purple fountain grass *is* expensive and never seems to go on sale. What great ideas! I don't know how Stan found that link, but it's very helpful. Then throw in tips from Doris and others and together it sounds like just the ticket! Thanks, everyone! |
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