Cutting blood grass in spring
Bloodgrass comes from the green treasury of Japan, which results in a conditional winter hardiness. A sunny, warm location is not enough for the magnificent ornamental grass to survive the cold season in good health. By gathering the stalks like a bulwark around the heart of the plant, freezing cold and wintry moisture are kept at a distance. As a result, the time window for the cut opens in spring. On the way there, you tie the dead stalks with a cord in autumn. This precaution makes an additional contribution to the undamaged wintering.
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Cut grass clumps in clusters
After the end of the main frost period, the dead stalks have fulfilled their protective function for the blood grass. Before the green tips of the fresh shoot appear, the pruning is on the maintenance program. How to cut the ornamental grass correctly:
- Cut blood grass from the outside in
- Grasp the stalks in bunches with one hand
- Cut back to 5 to 10 cm with the other hand
A perennial sickle is ideal as a cutting tool. With its curved blade, the Asian tool is reminiscent of a traditional small-format scythe. The fact that the blade cuts with pull and not pressure guarantees more safety when cutting. Alternatively, you can cut bloodgrass with hedge trimmers (€ 135.56 at Amazon *) or secateurs with a bypass mechanism.
Not without gloves
The name bloodgrass takes on a gruesome meaning when the gardener underestimates the sharp edges of the stalk. Before you dedicate yourself to the care of the cut, please put on cut-resistant gloves with long cuffs. Immediate skin contact with the razor-sharp edges of the leaves inevitably causes painful wounds.
Cut blood grass in the bucket
With a maximum height and width of 40 centimeters, blood grass is predestined for cultivation in the tub. This variant is of course at the expense of winter hardiness. In the limited substrate volume, the root ball is vulnerable to severe frost. For wintering, blood grass should be placed in a pot in a frost-free winter quarters.
If the Asian gem has to share the room with other floral winter guests, it can be cut back in autumn. Wait until all the leaves have picked up and dried up. Then cut the eyrie up to a hand's breadth above the substrate. This has the advantage that the reduced leaf mass reduces possible attack surfaces for winter pests.
Tips
The pruning of deciduous grass leaves mountains of clippings. For disposal on the compost heap, the dead stalks of blood grass, Chinese reed or pennon cleaner grass are only partially suitable because the decomposition process is very slow. The shredded or chopped cuttings can be used as mulch (€ 99.99 at Amazon *) in vegetable or strawberry beds and as litter in the cage.
