Shari, I don't want to hijack your thread but I'm trying to start this grass this year - I have some seeds planted that have been extremely slow to germinate. I wintersow and I realize they may need more warmth to come up...there is one teensy little green thread so far. I have some more seeds that I may put out in place once all danger of frost is past.

What I wonder - since you are growing this stuff successfully - is what to expect. How hard is it to get it going? What should I do about fertilizer and watering and so on?

I hope you don't mind my questions.

I haven't grown it seed. I tried WS with M. fillipes last year with no success so I don't know how fast it will grow from seed. I would go light on any fertilizing since it doesn't need it to grow well and may not like it. Very drought tolerant so just don't waterlog it. My clump has steadliy increased with only initial ammending with composted manure and bark fines. I started with a gallon size I found for $3 at our local community college greenhouse. I keep meaning to go back to see if they still sell it but it's hard for me to get there with their hours. Hopefully someone else who's grown it from seed will chime in.

Linda, you need to be patient ha. I know, easier said then done. I think I did sow the muhly later in the season the only reason being I think I ordered it late and started it early spring. By summers end each seed that germinated was about a nickel to quarter sized clump. I kept mine in a pot (all of them together) for the summer and planted them out in the fall. I did not fertilize mine at all, most grasses kind of like a lean soil and I let them dry out between watering once they got a little bigger than seedling size. Adele

I found my answer on the OG forum- Duh! I don't have to cut it back. I can just trim out the flower stalks and comb or rake out dead foliage. I'm thrilled since I hated it's long disappearance last year. It's the focal point in that bed.

Shari -- I cut back my Muhly grass, but don't think it's necessary. Mine still had a lot of green stalks, but enough brown ones that I went ahead and trimmed it. Did the same last year. Although it takes a little while to fill out again, it seems to make for a neater appearance in the longrun.

Linda - The only grass I have successfully grown (intentionally) from seed is Blue Fescue (and of course my lawn). Blue Fescue is extremely easy to grow from seed, and I've got clumps all over my yard to attest to that. Some of my Miscanthus grasses reseed by themselves, and my River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) reseeds so heavily that it is a nuisance.

I tried growing some Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepsis) that I got in a trade, but it never germinated. Most grasses grow very well from divisions, so that's how I usually increase my stock.

i always cut back the muhly grass because i don't like the mix of tan and green. i like all green below that beautiful pink haze.

I'm willing to experiment this year with it. If I don't like it I'll get out and cut it back sooner next year. I'll be watching to see if it blooms any earlier- I'd like that. It seems like it's just started good when a freeze comes along and there goes the color.

So long as it is dormant and the nights will not likely go below freezing temp before the spring growth begins, you can cut it back flush to the ground, regardless if it has some green blades left over from the previous growing season. Cutting ALL of the M. capillaris back to the ground and removing the cuttings gives the new shoots the best possible start. The Texas web site wildflower dot org even recommends burning back large areas of winter dormant muhly grass in order to promote maximum regrowth. This is the same way hayfields are managed in various parts of the western USA (such as Idaho; where environmental regulations permit).

My Muhly grass has not greenedgreener up and it's almost June Is it dead?