How to Divide & Replant Wild Oats

Wild oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) is also called Indian wood oats, flathead oats and Upland sea oats. The plant is used as an ornamental perennial for the grassy blue-green to yellow blades and the attractive flat seed heads. The grass can grow 2 to 4 feet tall with arched flower stems bearing translucent seeds with pinkish to bluish tinges. The plant turns brown in winter and should be cut back in spring to the crown to allow fresh blades to form. The seed heads disperse freely and germinate readily, so care must be taken to remove volunteer plants. If you want more wild oats, the plant should be divided every spring.

Shovel
Soil knife
Compost
Water

Instructions

- 1
  Divide wild oats in spring. Dig the plant out carefully to preserve as much root as possible. Dig around the periphery and down 4 inches, then begin to angle the cuts in toward the center of the plant.
- 2
  Push the shovel in an up-and-down motion to loosen the plant until it pops out of the soil. Lay the plant on its side and cut it apart into two or three sections that have large root bases.
- 3
  Choose a location where the soil is moist but freely draining and at least 6 hours of sun is provided. Dig in 3 to 5 inches of compost to enrich the soil and increase the tilth and therefore drainage.
- 4
  Dig holes just big enough to accommodate the root ball of each piece. Space them 2 feet apart to give the plants room to spread out as they mature.
- 5
  Plant each plant section level with the soil. Water each plant well to settle the soil around it.
- 6
  Cut wild oats into sections every few years to prevent the centers from dying out and to produce more plants. You can also collect seed heads to sow, which readily germinate in moist soil.

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