Giant reed and Northern sea oats also tend to resist browning. Thanks for the info on cutting back Karl Foerster. The plant stays golden beige through winter. You’ll end up cutting off the tips of the blades so that rather having pointy ends, they’ll have flat ends for the year. But look what’s very noticeable on each one of these grasses. The main difference being the pale yellow margins and stripes, that fade to pink-flushed white with age on the leaf blades. The result is new leaves growing without anything blocking them. Either way, the long term health of the plants should be just fine. Karl Foerster Feather Grass Info. Soil compaction is very common. Overdam (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Overdam'): Variegated leaves with green and creamy white stripes. They usually don’t kill the grass, but keep it mowed so short it can’t ever gain any height. This cool-season grass remains evergreen (actually, ever-bronze) in mild winters and works well as a screen, as a specimen, and as a container plant with other perennials or annuals. It’s fine to cut back your seedheads and leaves in November. How to Mow Lawns in Dry Weather Conditions, Missouri Botanical Garden: Ornamental Grasses, University of Missouri: Ornamental Grasses, Clemson University: Ornamental Grasses and Grass-like Plants, The Best Time of Year to Split and Transplant Ornamental Grass. A mature Karl Forester grass plant will reach approximately 4 feet tall from the bottom of the plant to the top of the flower. It is, however, important to cut them back before they start growing again in the spring. If you have a Karl Foerster grass that wasn’t cut down in spring, you have two options. Karl Foerster grasses are quite hardy. Planting Karl Foerster Grass In The Ground - Can I plant Karl Foerster grass in the ground, leaving the pot intact except for the bottom? Full sun. Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ Feathered Reedgrass 2 Foliage Leaf arrangement: most emerge from the soil, usually without a stem Leaf type: simple Leaf margin: entire Leaf shape: lanceolate Leaf venation: parallel Leaf type and persistence: deciduous Leaf blade length: more than 36 inches Leaf color: green Fall color: brown or tan Fall characteristic: showy Shenandoah Switch Grass; Native, upright grass that develops red tones in the summer turning burgundy in fall. Note: The Feather Reed Grasses, particularly Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster,’ should be cut back by mid-February. Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass is a fast-growing, spreading grass forming slightly arching clumps of narrow green foliage. Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' is a variety of feather reed grass, was named perennial plant of the year in 2001. Karl Foerster Reed Grass; Upright clump that greens earlier in the spring and blooms earlier in the summer than other grasses. They will never green up ever again. Create a stunning vertical effect with feathery stalks that emerge reddish brown in spring and turn a rich golden color in fall. Cut back ornamental grasses every late winter or early spring and divide them every three or four years to prevent them from thinning out and dying. Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' Zones 4-9 I’ve seen them decimate Karl Foerster, blue avena grass, blue grama, switchgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, buffalograss, you name it. According to The University of Missouri, they are classified by the temperatures in which they are grown. The next day, try to stick and hand trowel or shovel in the soil. Planting Karl Foerster Grass In The Ground - Can I plant Karl Foerster grass in the ground, leaving the pot intact except for the bottom? 'Karl Foerster' Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' Cool Season Grass; Vertical habit; Excellent inflorescence; Pink turning to deep golden yellow then turning to light brown; Blooms in May; Clump forming; Average to moist conditions; Salt tolerant; Height: 5-6 ft Zone: 5-9 Please login to see pricing. Simply get a sharp shovel, dig up the remaining top growth and root system of the grass, and cut it into a couple of sections. One of the big landscaping trends for the last decade has been the use of easy care ornamental grasses. Prefers rich, consistently moist soils that do not dry out. It forms a dense clump of green leaves, topped with tall, upright stems of nodding seed-heads, that are soft-purple to begin with, and then turn sandy-brown, lasting for … Feather Reedgrass. Blooms two to three weeks earlier than common feather reed grass. Also, we tend to get grass-crushing snows only occasionally. Thrives in wet soils, yet tolerates drier conditions. After all, which actions you take in spring will affect how healthy and attractive these plants are down the road. Hi Marie, yes, I think there is a good chance your grasses will regrow if you cage them for protection. Here’s what Karl Foerster grass looks like if it’s not cut back in spring. The result is a mixture of brown stubs and green growth. The best way to deal with the widening issue is to divide the grass into smaller pieces. The 'stricta' and 'Karl Foerster' varieties will have reddish seed pods, while the 'overdam' (shown above), turns a golden autumnal hue. This choice will leave you with a few brown stems throughout the summer, but you can cut them to the ground next spring. It won’t hurt it. Create a stunning vertical effect with feathery stalks that emerge reddish brown in spring and turn a rich golden color in fall. Ornamental grass problems are usually evident in the changing color of of a plant's leaves. Blooms two to three weeks earlier than common feather reed grass. Pennisetum alopecuroides Zones 5-8 This stunning grass ranges from 2' to 3' tall and grows in the form of a mound. Fountaingrass prefers full sun and a moist, well drained soil. the next morning the rabbits ate them down to the ground before I had a chance to put wire around them. Hi Catherine, I bought 4 plants in early spring last year at our local home improvement store. Reportedly does well in heavy clay soils, unlike many other kinds of ornamental grasses. Before adding fertilizer, make sure to test the soil, as fertilizer that's too heavy in nitrogen can kill them. Mexican Feather Grass. Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter to receive updates. Thrives in wet soils, yet tolerates drier conditions. 2001 Perennial Plant of the Year. Use stalks as cut flowers. Seedheads are rosy pink panicles in summer. I am looking on your site for a nice upright, oaty-turning grass to add height to a naturalistic planting bed, with the other grass being Stipa tenuissima. They are identifiable by one of six forms: tufted, mounded, upright, upright divergent, arching or upright-arching, with the lowest grasses tufted and the highest upright arching. Blooms 2 to 3 weeks earlier than common feather reed grass. This is a better option if you don’t think you can tolerate the current state of affairs all the way until next spring. Do not use toxic pesticides – they can kill the beneficial insects in your garden. Slender, upright, deep-green, lustrous foliage becomes effective by early spring and lasts all the way until winter. Sunny open spot. So early next spring, revisit these results. Cut clumps to the ground in late winter just before the new spring sh… There is a cultivar called ‘Overdam’ that is a bit shorter, but you would notice white stripes along the edges of the leaves. 8. Height: ... Other Notes: The blue-green foliage begins to take on scarlet red tones in late summer, turning a deeper red-purple through the fall. Ornamental grasses come in perennial and annual varieties and will change color as they prepare for colder temperatures. Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' - Feather Reed Grass (sometimes misspelled as C. 'Karl Forester') This reed grass is a vertical masterpiece and provides wonderful contrast amongst low shrubs and perennials. Do this when their size is manageable, as they can become challenging to maintain the larger they get – grasses have robust root systems that will likely need to be split apart with a shovel, saw or ax. The new leaves simply grow up into the old, dead growth. Molinia Karl Foerster £ 9.99 One of the best known cultivars of tall purple moor grass with outstanding gently pendulous, initially green and purple, golden brown flower spikes turning a superb butter yellow colour in autumn. It will have to use it’s energy reserves to grow new leaves when it should be growing new roots. I guess patience really can be a virtue. Will cutting it down to the ground help this problem? Question re: Karl Forrester grass. They generally maintain good color through the summer but won't grow much when it is hot. Here’s what Karl Foerster grass looks like if it’s not cut back in spring. While not usually fatal, rust can turn an entire plant tan or brown and weakens the plants. It is now turning yellow and dying. The interesting this is, is that some of their plumes grow tall, and some have smaller plumes in regards to height. Just followed your advice and cut my Karl Foerster grasses to the ground. Could they be eating? Clumps get a few inches wider each year; young plants may be 8 … They were young plants approximately 12-18 inches tall and during transport home in an open truck many of the grass blades were bent from wind. A more compact variety (3 to 4 feet when in flower). In Colorado, we cut them back in February because they tend to look good all winter when everything else is dormant, but there’s not a biological reason. Please let us all know how it turns out! Ah, the eye can rest. 3’-4’ Tall X 2’-3’ Wide. So, maturity, water and sunlight can all be factors. I’ve also had good luck with an animal repellent spray called Bobbex. Could this be a fertilization problem, water or am I getting a different variety installed and told it’s the same? You can either plant the remaining sections in another location, pass them along to a friend, or compost them. I fertilized it ... Q. In terms of water, Karl Foerster grass will stunt if it’s too dry. Product Details; Create a stunning vertical effect with feathery stalks that emerge reddish brown in spring and turn a rich golden color in fall. Q. Karl Foerster needs at least 6 hours of sun to bloom well. It is hopelessly confused with C. acutiflora 'Stricta'. I cut all ornamental grasses back as close to ground level as is practical. We recently purchased and planted a number of Karl Foerster grasses. In my experience the reason for the shorter plumes on Karl Foerster grasses could be one of the following: 1. too much shade, 2. not enough water, 3. the soil is compacted, or 4. not enough fertilizer. Pennisetum alopecuroides Zones 5-8 This stunning grass ranges from 2' to 3' tall and grows in the form of a mound. The leaves might still be a little green at the base, but I wouldn’t expect any negative effects on your grasses the following spring. Varieties of Feather Reed Grass . It has multiple seasons of interest. Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass has a stunning vertical effect with feathery stalks that emerge reddish brown in spring and turn a rich golden color in fall. Feather Reed Grass. I cut them back in the fall and they’re coming up now but no sign of the reeds again. I have some 3 year old Karl Foerster grasses. 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