A Google search said to do it in the spring. One source said to leave
it intact for a "Winter effect."
Can I cut it back now?? I don't want it drying out and have pieces of
it blown everywhere.

"tomkanpa" wrote in message
oups.com...
A Google search said to do it in the spring. One source said to leave
it intact for a "Winter effect."
Can I cut it back now?? I don't want it drying out and have pieces of
it blown everywhere.


Leave it until spring. It won't blow everywhere. What have you done in the
past?

Leave it until spring. *It won't blow everywhere. *What have you done
in the past?

____Reply Separator_____

I cut it back in the fall, but I was told I shouldn't do this.

"tomkanpa" wrote in message
ups.com...
Leave it until spring. It won't blow everywhere. What have you done
in the past?

____Reply Separator_____

I cut it back in the fall, but I was told I shouldn't do this.

If it's already dominate, cut away!! If it's still green don't.

Tom J

"tomkanpa" expounded:

Leave it until spring. t won't blow everywhere. hat have you done
in the past?

____Reply Separator_____

I cut it back in the fall, but I was told I shouldn't do this.

The only reason to not cut it back in the fall is so you can enjoy its
winter silhouette. I usually cut it back before the snow smashed it.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

On 28 Nov 2005 10:19:03 -0800, "tomkanpa" wrote:

A Google search said to do it in the spring. One source said to leave
it intact for a "Winter effect."
Can I cut it back now?? I don't want it drying out and have pieces of
it blown everywhere.

The reason to not cut it back up north is to prevent possible crown
damage during the cold temperatures. I have many grasses which are
rangy, that I cut back now. There are others which look beautiful
through the winter. I live in a warm winter climate, so crown
protection is not necessary. However, I don't cut back the pennisetum
because it is marginally hardy here and will come back if I don't cut
it back.

tomkanpa wrote:

A Google search said to do it in the spring. One source said to leave
it intact for a "Winter effect."
Can I cut it back now?? I don't want it drying out and have pieces of
it blown everywhere.

I have red fescue. It's cut late in October so that I can rake
leaves off it. Otherwise, accumulated leaves smother patches of
the grass, leaving dead spots. It's cut again in April since it
grows through the winter.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at URL:http://www.rossde.com/garden/

leave it alone for the winter, to enjoy the textures of the frosts and
snow's and a place for the birds to hang out (not to mention the neat sound
they make in the wind when they're dry........) and cut them back in March
just as the new growth is coming up. leave about a foot or two of dead stems
to support the new grasses and break down and provide nourishment when the
stems decay. I sometimes pull out the rotted older stems later on and
compost them. But I never cut my Zebra grasses back even when they flop
about like lazy teenagers towards the driveway (like they are doing so now).
It's far neater to see the grasses in winter splendor. But it's a personal
thing. if you gotta clean it up because you just gotta do something, then go
ahead. Me? I'd wait because it also protects the structure of the plant
against freezing by holding up the snow and cold temperatures with the old
foliage.................
madgardener up on the cold ridge, back in Fairy Holler, overlooking a
sparkly pre-winter's night on English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee where it
finally feels like the month it is......(November was spring-like until the
last few days)
"tomkanpa" wrote in message
oups.com...
A Google search said to do it in the spring. One source said to leave
it intact for a "Winter effect."
Can I cut it back now?? I don't want it drying out and have pieces of
it blown everywhere.