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| I made a subtle suggestion in my household about how nice it would be if Santa brought me a power trimmer to slice through dead ornamental grass stalks and ease cleanup. Doubt was expressed about an item I had my eye on (a cordless rechargeable trimmer intended mainly for hedge trimming). Are any of the cordless trimmers powerful enough to handle ornamental grass cutback, or do I need something with a power cord attached? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Easier yet is to set them on fire. Seriously. Usually I do this in the spring, but I did a few clumps this past fall. Maybe I'm imagining this, but whenever I do this the new growth that emerges in the spring seems greener and more lush. You know - all the nutrients returned to the soil and such... Of course have a hose nearby, don't do it on a windy day and all that. I suppose if the clumps are right next to your house it wouldn't be a good idea. Kevin |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a CT (My Page) on Sat, Dec 15, 12 at 19:04
| Be careful if you decide to burn them down--my neighbor routinely set his on fire with a cigar and subsequently also the landscape timbers that edged his garden bed. Not reassuring + a bit of a scare to look out my window & see a fire truck in the road considering I heat with a woodstove. I have only Japanese sedge 'Ice Dance,' K. 'Karl Forster' & P. 'Hameln' so they're easily cut back in spring with pruning shears. Takes a full crew + sharp tools to divide the pennisetum. Dynamite would probably be easier. The Japanese sedge is easy to divide + the divisions grow back to the size of the original plant within weeks. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, Dec 15, 12 at 19:38
| a pro friend of mine.. binds them up and chainsaws them .. but his were the 8 to 10 foot variety ... you dont mention size.. but i dont know about battery power tools on larger grasses ... now i do like the flame thrower idea ... ken |
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| You do have to use a bit of caution with the pyro-method, but it can be fun. I usually tramp the grass down so you don't have flames shooting too far in the air and if the grass is really dry, the whole thing is over in short order. Grass burns quickly and the flames subside quickly. It's also a nice way to get rid of unwanted grass seed for those kinds which self-sow with a vengeance. Kevin |
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| I tried fire for the first time last year and singed a new boxwood that was, I thought, far enough away to be safe. Erianthus ravennae got REALLY hot, though it burned very fast. |
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| I've got lots of ornamental grasses, and use some large Corona hedge shears to cut them down. They extend up to about 3 feet. I love them, make it so much easier to clip things down at the ground without having to bend over too much. They are nice and sharp and can make it through the Miscanthus 'Gracillimus', which is my largest orn. grass. Cutting those down is bit of a workout. I've tried burning a grass or 2, but the dried fronds make a pretty good blaze, and it's not exactly legal in my neighborhood! |
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| It depends on how many grasses and what kinds. I think if you're dealing with miscanthus you'll want a corded model, smaller grasses might let you get away with something with less power. I'm kind of anti-cordless so take my advice with a grain of salt.... I think newer models may have better batteries etc, so look at hp and then decide how much faith you have in battery life claims. btw burning is fun, just really really be ready with a hose, they burn big and fast. |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a CT (My Page) on Sun, Dec 16, 12 at 19:24
| My pyro neighbor grew the 7-10 ft. tall Miscanthus and the half dozen or so clumps were well established by the time I moved here. He just assumed the fire dept. would come & squelch any conflagration that got away from him. Since he appeared to have every lawn & garden tool/implement known to mankind, I didn't expect he'd resort to fire but both the grasses & him (RIP) are gone now. |
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| I don't want to freak out the neighbors setting clumps on fire, so that's out. I think I'll try tying the stems together and sawing through them with a pocket horticultural saw, as soon as my poison ivy-infested hands heal (I was trimming back multiflora roses that seeded on the edge of the property and apparently didn't notice a woody poison ivy vine mixed in). |
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| I love cordless tools! I have a cordless pole saw and it is quite powerful, although I have never used it on grasses. It's probably too short a blade length. My grasses are not terribly big and my manual hedge shears usually are fine. But as far as power goes, it is plenty powerful and I see no reason why a similarly powered cordless hedge trimmer wouldn't be powerful enough for grasses. I can cut 4" branches with the cordless pole saw with no problems. I also have the B&D cordless trimmer and blower. They all share 4 niCad interchangeable batteries. If I run out of juice on a large job, I just reload a fresh battery. The trimmer, for example, can trim all my beds (15 or so? 1 acres worth) with one battery. The blower isn't as effective. Two batteries are needed to clear pine needles or debris off my 75' driveway and it is not effective on the lawn, but is extremely handy to use for frequent light touch-ups on walkways, etc. I'm a big fan of cordless lawn tools. I hate gas and cords. I also use a Neuton battery mower. At some point I might have to invest in new batteries but so far all is great for the past 3 seasons with all my cordless tools. |
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