Cutting back grasses

Latimer

Hi all

So this will be first time cutting back my perennials and I wanted to check something about the grasses.

The molinia caerulea i guess just gets cut back to ground level?



The deschampsia goldtau I'm a bit more confused about. Do I just cut the stems back to the top of the grass and then pull out the dead grass with my fingers? Or do I cut the whole lot back to the ground?



Bonus question: is there a good resource for images of seedlings? I don't want to pull up anything I might want to keep eg verbena bonariensis

Thanks all!

Obelixx

You can cut both back to the ground or just a couple of inches if you prefer in spring.

Best not to do it in frosty weather as the old stems will protect the crown of the plant from damage but it does need doing before the new shoots start growing or the minute they appear so you don't damage their delicate pointy tips.

You can compost the dead material but I always find it helps to cut it into shorter pieces to help speed up the process.   I use secateurs but I have a friend with so many grasses he uses hedge trimmers to cut them all back.

Latimer

Thanks @Obelixx, I'll give it a couple more weeks then. Are the seeds heads ok to go into the compost?

Obelixx

You may get some babies but yes.   Regular hoeing will deal with unwanted volunteers from home-made compost mulches.

AnniD

This might help to identify any seedlings 
http://theseedsite.co.uk/sdg1.html
I've found it useful 

Latimer

@AnniD exactly what I has after! You're a godsend! Thanks.