if its been there awhile the roots might be tough. just have to work hard, and may have to cut alot of roots, but it is not impossible. how wide is the clump, the wider the older it is...

you may just want to get a new one

I moved two today, but they were only between 12 and 18 inches in diameter. The larger one was about a hundred pounds. If your clump is 3 feet in dia., then, yes, you will need at least a backhoe. On the other hand, if it is 3' across (at its base), it needs to be divided. Just cut sections with a sharp spade (not a shovel) while it is in the ground and move them. Discard the center if it is not growing (which it probably isn't if it's 3' across.)

I moved some pretty large (3 ft +) clumps from a construction site I supervised and they transplanted fine even in late August. They didn't flower great that season (last year) but look fantastic now. Tie the plants up and wear protective clothing (I looked like I got mauled by a cat). I didn't get a huge rootball, but watered well after transplanting. Good luck :)

Thanks for the replies! Newguy still hasn't attempted to try again with the removal. And, of course, the grasses are fully grown now.

McKenna-what tool did you use, a spade?

A spade I grabbed from one of the construction workers. Didn't get a huge root ball as I had to stay ahead of the backhoe. I guess my job has one perk.

Now that I think of it, I should have just used the backhoe. Could'a got a nice root ball. Stupid is as stupid does.

I have heard that people use an ax to cut pieces out. I have a six year old miscanthus that is awfully big. I dread the day I have to dig that up. It's a miscanthus 'malepartus'. It is already seven feet wide along the top and it's only june!

Last year I planted probably 12 different grasses in this new, street-side bend I envisioned. Needless to say, this new gardener planted them far too close together.

This thread tells me I can safely chop them in 1/2 and move them, spreading them out to the new bed I created this year, too.

However, when do you think it would be a good time to do so? I'm thinking after they flower and perhaps after a frost? Or better in the spring after I chop all the dead foliage off?

Thanks,
Christine

Christine, Do it in the spring after you have cut them back and you see the first signs of new growth. Easier to handle and they seem to establish better that way..

Blackie

Ax, spade, chainsaw, machete, cleaver, bowsaw, dynamite, bobcat all work well. Ive been growing large ones for ten years and the last one I moved took six hours and everything I had to get it out. A primal scream was heard for miles when it finally came loose! Had to be a couple hundred pounds. Next year it'll be worth every bit of effort. They'll be spectacular!!

divide and move grasses just as new growth begins -- early spring for cool season grasses and early summer for warm season growers. A huge clump should just get chopped into sections -- they'll all get huge again in time!