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april_wine01

Dividing Japanese sedge

april_wine
11 years ago

I have a pot of variegated Japanese sedge that I bought for a buck at a nursery last summer. It seems to be very root bound but has stayed evergreen all winter in the pot I bought it in. I never got around to getting it in the ground! Is it ok to divide this plant? Any growing tips for this type of grass is appreciated.

Comments (11)

  • gardenweed_z6a
    11 years ago

    I bought a pot of Carex/Japanese sedge grass 'Ice Dance' a number of years ago, divided it after about 3 years and have since divided it into more than a dozen plants that have also multiplied, spread & thrived. It has done well in full shade, part shade & part sun with zero supplemental help from me, including water. I used it along the curved edge of a bed & alternated it with lady's mantle for a contrast in textures. So far there's nothing about it I don't like--in my experience, it seems to be indestructible and (better yet), maintenance free aside from whacking it/giving it a haircut in spring.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    since you seem squeamish to do it ...

    the better question might be.. how do you actually do it ...

    its probably going to be a medusa like glob of roots which is not going to be condusive to be cut up easily ...

    per the above.. its sounds like a 'run it over with the truck' plant..

    sharpen your shovel ... i mean real sharp .. wrestle it out of the pot ... and just go to town on cutting that thing up with the shovel ... half it.. quarter it ..

    have little fear... worst you can do is kill it.. lol ...

    since i have no experience with this plant .. am i right on just taking after this thing????

    just keep in mind.. with many things.. they are not children.. dont treat them as such.. just do it ...

    carpe spadum ... lol ...

    ken

    ps: you might even have to jump on it a few times ... to flatten it enough.. so it doesnt roll while using your surgical shovel .... in the alternative.. get a serrated butcher knife from the dollar store.. and again.. go to town.. chainsaw??? ... sawzall ??? .... just do it ... there arent many grass type plants that are in the foo foo category of prima donnas ...

  • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
    11 years ago

    If you have two garden forks, I'd recommend using the two-fork method to divide something with an enormous mass of intertwined roots. It is hard to explain in words, but very easy to do.

    Take one of the forks, and stick it in the root mass. Take the second, and stick it in with the backs of the two forks next to each other. Start rocking the two handles back and forth. Soon, the root mass will start coming apart. If it is still big enough to span more than one tine, the process can be repeated.

    IMHO, this is the only way to divide things like Siberian iris.

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    11 years ago

    Also, don't forget to work on the root balls of the divisions after you divide the original pot. Take a sharp knife and make cuts in the root mass -- you've got to get them loosened and apart to stimulate new root growth outwards otherwise the plant won't do well. (You could also use a trowel or pruners or whatever you have handy, even pulling apart with hands works -- just make sure to do it!).

  • april_wine
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you all for your help on dividing this grass. Gardenweed, it sounds like I am going to love it once I get it divided and planted. Ken, thanks for your words of encouragement! You have such a great way with your words! LOL. Mad gallica and mxk3, thank you for your tips on dividing the tangled root ball. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    you are welcome..

    too many peeps are AFRAID to hurt things ...

    and i just try to get them past that .. lol ...

    i recall once.. getting so mad at something.. i threw it around the yard for a whole day.. trying to break soil off it ... literally .. and replanted it the next day .. seriously.. you cant kill a lot of this stuff ... lol ...

    and if you do .. you say: YOU ARE NOT A TRUE GREEN THUMB.. UNTIL YOU HAVE KILLED EVERY PLANT 3 TIMES ...

    see the beauty there.. its a win/win.. lol ...

    ken

  • mnwsgal
    11 years ago

    Sadly I killed my Ice Dance by cutting it back one fall. Must have gotten the plant from a swap and didn't know what it was as was surprised that it stayed green through that first winter. I divided it the next summer and it did well until I cut it back with my other grasses that fall. Didn't survive the winter, turned brown and died. Am looking to replace it because I do replace plants I like if I kill them due to my ignorance. Hopefully I have learned how to grow it better this second time.

  • aachenelf z5 Mpls
    11 years ago

    If you're talking about some species of Carex, be warned! Not all are well behaved. The unknown species I had (variegated) started out very nice, but after a few years it really started to get out of control and was spreading everywhere. Not only did it spread by short underground runners, it self-sowed. I finally decided to dig it out and a shovel would not penetrate the root mass. I ended up using a hatchet to chop it out of the ground in pieces. After sifting through the soil to remove any pieces of root, I thought I was done with it. Not so. For at least a couple of years, small plants would reappear in the spring as well as the self-sown seedlings.

    I doubt you're going to have problems dividing your plant. These things are tough.

    Kevin

  • judipaulson
    7 years ago

    Hey, mnswgal. Don't cut your Ice Dance back. It will stay green throughout the winter and die back itself in the spring when new growth will take over. It's one of the joys of Carex.

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    7 years ago

    I cut mine back in the spring to get rid of the ratty old growth from the previous year.

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