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| 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. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a N CT (My Page) on Sun, Feb 24, 13 at 8:23
| 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. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Feb 24, 13 at 9:14
| 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 ... |
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- Posted by mad_gallica Z5 Eastern NY (My Page) on Sun, Feb 24, 13 at 9:37
| 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. |
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| 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!). |
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- Posted by april_wine z7 Tennessee (My Page) on Sun, Feb 24, 13 at 13:03
| 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! |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Feb 25, 13 at 8:05
| 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 |
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| 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. |
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| 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 |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Tue, Feb 26, 13 at 14:46
| Not all Japanese sedge - Carex morrowii ctvs. - are created equal :-) 'Ice Dance' is definitely a runner (politely labled rhizomatous) and can expand to a significant planting in not much more than a season two. 'Variegata', 'Aureovariegata', 'Gold Band' or 'Gilt' all tend to be much more clumping in habit. The lesser know Japanese sedges - C. oshimensis and dolichostacya - also tend to be clumpers as well. FWIW, these are all considered "cool season" grasses, producing the bulk of their growth in spring and fall, even to some degree through winter in mild climates like mine. Dividing should be done as early in the year as possible. |
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