How to Grow Bitter Panicum

Dig up and harvest a rhizome cutting from the edge of an established bitter panicum plant in late spring. Remove the soil from around the edge of the parent plant with a garden trowel until the dense, tangled network of rhizomes and roots is exposed.

Locate a 4-inch long rhizome among the roots. Look for a plump, light-brown root running horizontally between two clumps of grass. Sever the rhizome at both ends using the edge of the garden trowel. Remove the rhizome cutting and fill the hole left by it with soil.

Plant the bitter panicum rhizome as soon as possible after gathering it. Fill a 12-inch diameter nursery container with a mixture of equal parts coarse sand and garden loam. Leave a 3-inch gap between the soil and the brim of the container.

Lay the bitter panicum rhizome horizontally on the surface of the soil. Cover it with a 2-inch thick layer of the sand and soil mixture. Shake the container several times to settle the soil around the rhizome.

Water the bitter panicum rhizome deeply after planting it. Run water into the container until it feels wet 3 inches below the surface. Water the soil to that depth whenever the top inch feels dried out.

Set the nursery container outdoors under a tree with light shade or in another sheltered area with bright light and warm air. Avoid areas with direct sunlight since the soil will dry out too quickly as the rhizome roots.

Watch for slender, pale-green sprouts emerging from the soil in two to four weeks. Decrease watering over the next two weeks so that the soil dries out completely in between.

Plant the bitter panicum in a permanent bed a day or two before an expected rainfall. Water the plant thoroughly after planting it to settle the soil around the roots. Do not water the plant again unless there is a prolonged drought within the first year.