Cutting back ornamental grass with the right technique encourages easy spring cleanup, healthy grass, and winter shelter for wildlife. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to cut back ornamental grass in 7 simple steps.
Whether you’re growing short or tall varieties, warm-season or cool-season types, or even evergreens, we cover all the bases. You’ll learn the best time to cut ornamental grass, what tools you’ll need, how much to trim, and how to clean up in a jiffy.
Tools for cutting ornamental grass
Here’s what you’ll need to cut back your ornamental grass:
- Pruning shears or hedge shears (for evergreen grasses and grasses 2 feet tall or under)
- Hedge shears or pruning saw (for grasses 2 to 5 feet tall)
- Power hedge trimmer (for grasses over 5 feet tall)
- Bungee cord, twine, biodegradable string, or other material to tie around the grass
- Gardening gloves or work gloves
- Safety glasses
- Wheelbarrow or tarp (if you expect lots of cleanup)
- Rake
Step 1: Time right
The best time to cut your ornamental grass depends on whether the plant is cool-season, warm-season, or evergreen.
Time the cut for late-winter or early-spring if you grow cool-season grass. Cut after the last expected frost date and before new growth begins.
Cut back warm-season grass in mid- to late-spring. Similar to cool-season grass, cut when there’s no threat of frost and before new growth begins.
Prune your evergreens in late-winter or early-spring.
If you live in an area prone to wildfires, cut your warm-season grass in the fall. Otherwise, wait until spring, according to Matthew McKernan, horticulture agent at K-State Research and Extension in Sedgwick County, Kansas.
“Leaving the foliage provides additional insulation for the plant near the ground level,” he says. “Without the insulation of the foliage, the sunlight on warm winter days may encourage plants to attempt to grow prior to the start of spring, and suffer additional freeze or frost damage to new growth.”
McKernan adds that many ornamental grasses add color, sound, and movement to the winter landscape, as well as provide habitat for beneficial insects, pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
Step 2: Prepare the area
Clear the area around the grass of decor, furniture, and other obstacles so that you can move easily. The last thing you want is to trip while operating your power hedge trimmer.
Park your wheelbarrow or lay down the tarp nearby for easy cleanup after cutting.
Step 3: Determine how much to cut
Deciding where to cut will help you bundle the grass in the next step.
Cool-season grasses won’t tolerate a severe trim, so prepare to cut back only two-thirds of the plant.
Warm-season grasses can handle a heavy-duty pruning. Cut to a height of 6 inches for grasses that grow above 3 feet tall. Cut to a height of 3 inches for varieties that grow to 3 feet tall or under.
Evergreen ornamental grasses, such as sedges or rushes, don’t require the same cutback technique as cool- and warm-season grasses. So, you won’t need to take measurements or bundle the grass in the next step.
| Type of grass | How short to cut it | Example grasses |
| Cool-season | Two-thirds of the way (leave behind one-third) | Feather reed grass, blue oat grass, blue fescue |
| Warm-season (3 feet tall or under) | 3 inches above the ground | Little bluestem, pink muhly grass |
| Warm-season (more than 3 feet tall) | 6 inches above the ground | Big bluestem, maiden grass, switchgrass |
Step 4: Bundle the grass
Cutting ornamental grass without tying it back first is like making a smoothie without the blender lid—the grass flies everywhere.
Wrap your cool- and warm-season grass with a bungee cord, twine, string, or other item just like you would tie hair back in a ponytail. If you’re growing evergreens, skip this step.
Tie the grass a few inches above where you need to cut. Otherwise, the grass will unravel while cutting.
If your grass is tall or thick and bushy, bind the grass two or three times, with each section about a foot apart.
Tying back ornamental grass before cutting doesn’t affect the plant’s health, so skipping this step won’t cause harm. McKernan says, “If there is a benefit to tying up ornamental grass right before cutting, it would be that it helps make spring cleanup easier.”
Step 5: Cut back the grass
Equipped with your work gloves and safety glasses, it’s time to cut. You’ll slice and prune straight through the bundled grass, creating a clean and even cut.
How tall your grass is will determine which tool works best:
- Pruning shears or hedge shears (for grasses 2 feet tall or under)
- Hedge shears or pruning saw (for grasses 2 to 5 feet tall)
- Power hedge trimmer (for grasses over 5 feet tall)
If you’re growing evergreen sedges or rushes, the pruning technique is simple. Comb your gloved hands through the plant to collect dead material, or use your pruning shears to selectively prune.
After cutting, place the grass bundles on the tarp or in the wheelbarrow.
Step 6: Tidy up
Now that you’ve cut the grass, let’s figure out what to do with these bundles. You have a few options:
- Compost: Recycle your ornamental grass by adding it to your compost pile. Cut the blades into smaller pieces for faster decomposition. Don’t unbundle the grass until after you’ve done this, otherwise the grass will go flying.
- Local yard waste disposal: Some counties offer curbside pickup for yard waste. Check your local laws for proper green trash disposal, as some areas prohibit landfill disposal.
- Leave the bundles in the garden: “Some people will leave those bundles of tied up grass in the corner of the landscape for a couple of months in order to allow pollinators and other insects that may have been overwintering in the stems on the grass to emerge,” McKernan says.
After you’ve relocated the grass via the tarp or wheelbarrow, rake the area to remove any remaining foliage left behind. Otherwise, too many stray grass clippings may suffocate emerging plants.
Step 7: Provide aftercare
After cleaning the area, assess whether the plants need water or mulch, or need to be divided.
If the soil is dry, give the grass water, but don’t oversaturate. Apply a light layer of mulch to help retain moisture and prevent weed growth.
If you notice dieback in the middle of the plant’s base, this donut shape is a sign the grass needs dividing. Now is a good time to add this task to your calendar.
Divide ornamental grass while the plant is actively growing, but before it flowers. If you divide the plant while it’s dormant, it may struggle to recover and take root.
Interested in adding new ornamental grasses to your landscape? Here are our recommendations:
- Best Drought-Tolerant Ornamental Grasses
- The Best Ornamental Grasses for Wisconsin
- Native Ornamental Grasses for South Carolina Landscapes
- South Dakota Native Grasses for Lawns and Landscapes
FAQ about cutting back ornamental grass
Some common mistakes when trimming ornamental grasses include:
• Cutting at the wrong time
• Using dull tools
• Cutting cool-season grasses too low
• Cutting without bundling the grass
A power hedge trimmer or pruning saw are must-have pruning tools when cutting down ornamental grasses that have tough, woody centers.
Stick to smaller tools when pruning ornamental grasses in tight spaces, such as pruning shears. Avoid using large tools, as they may injure surrounding plants.
Hire a landscape pro
Between pruning your ornamental grasses, mulching your garden beds, and tending to your turfgrass, it’s hard to find time for that new landscape project you’ve been dreaming about.
Give yourself more time this spring and hire a lawn care pro through Lawn Love to mow, fertilize, or remove weeds in the yard.
Main Image: Person cutting back ornamental grass. Image Credit: maryviolet / Adobe Stock
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