How to Cut Tall Ornamental Grass

Wear fabric gloves. The dried foliage and stem sheaths of some grasses, especially when dry, are stiff and sharp and readily poke, cut or scratch the skin.

Tie the dried foliage clump of the grass with heavy-duty string or nylon rope. The cord should be tied about halfway up the length of the grass clump so the bottom of the stems can be manipulated and cut, but the stems do not flop into a messy pile once detached. Consider making multiple smaller, more manageable-sized stem clusters on large or wide grass clumps.

Cut the base of the grass stems in the bundled clumps with hand pruners. If pruners are too small to work, use larger tools, such as loppers, a machete, sickle or power tools such as hedge trimmers or a chainsaw. Make the stem cuts at a similar height across the grass clump, between 4 and 12 inches above the ground. Massively large grasses may need to be cut 2 to 3 feet above the ground.

Push over and the remove the tied clusters of cut grass stems and foliage as the pruning continues. Place the corded bundles of grass in the compost or appropriate municipal compost bins. Remove non-biodegradable cords or rope from the bundles during disposal.

Return to cut ornamental grass clumps, if desired, to "tidy up" the look of the grass base. Additional pruning cuts on jagged or errant stems can make the clump look more uniform and aesthetically pleasing until later in spring when the new grass emerges.