How to Thin Grasses

Ornamental grasses require that you thin the plants every three to four years to keep the plant growing and thriving in your garden. Thinning the plants as a regular part of garden maintenance will prevent them from becoming overgrown. Thin grasses in fall, once the blades begins to dry out and wither so you can identify the sections of the root mass that are viable for dividing and transplanting.

Things You'll Need

Pruning clipper
Shovel
Tarp

Sharp knife
Bleach

Instructions

- 1
  Prune the grass to about 4 inches tall with a pruning or hedge clipper once the blades start to dry in late summer or early fall.
- 2
  Remove the grass clump from the ground by digging 6 inches around the edge of the clump and 12 inches deep. Pry the plant out of the ground with your shovel and set it on a tarp in a shaded area.
- 3
  Cut the grass into clumps that include a section of the main root crown with a sharp knife, keeping the clumps at a 3- to 4-inch diameter. Remove and discard the center area of the clump if it is dead grass that goes not grow from the root section.
- 4
  Plant the thinned out sections of grass at the same depth they were growing previously, so the root crown is just below the soil level.
- 5
  Soak the soil after planting to stimulate root establishment in the thinned-out grass clumps.

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