Worth knowing:
The rather carefree Quaking Grass is an especially graceful growing grass for your sun garden. Its thin and smooth stems grow only 25 cm high, but produce from May until August about 40 cm long stalks with fine, red-purple and heart-shaped grass seed heads that tremble gracefully at every wisp of wind. When the heads slowly start to wither at the end of August, they can be used as neat cut flowers for a vase or dried flower bouquets. That way, you bring the cheerful atmosphere of the Quaking Grass into your home for months to come. It can also easily be cultivated as a solitary tub plant.
Natural Location:
The Quaking Grass can be found all over Europe and in temperate regions of Asia, where it grows in lowlands as well as in mountain areas. In Germany it is the only naturally occurring quaking grass species.
Cultivation:
Seed propagation indoors is possible throughout the year. Gently press the seeds into moist potting compost that ideally contains about 25% of perlite for a better permeation. Cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the earth from drying out, but don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 20° and 25° Celsius and keep the earth moist, but not wet. The best way to do so, is by daily using the water sprayer to moisten the soil. Usually it takes about two to three weeks until germination.
Place:
The Quaking Grass prefers to be kept in a sunny place.
Care:
The Quaking Grass prefers poor soil and tolerates short dry periods as well as short periods of water logging. Just don’t give any fertilizer since that might cause more damage than good.
During the winter:
During winter, you can bind the stalks and leaves together to protect the grass from wind and snow load. Only for the first two years you might want to frost-protect the plant with a layer of brushwood or foliage around the root area. When covered with hoarfrost, the Quaking Grass makes a particular beautiful sight. In early spring, the plant is to be cut back to around 10 cm of height, and will then sprout again in all its glory.
Picture credits:
- © © Bartosz Cuber - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Bartosz Cuber - CC BY-SA 3.0 -
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