How to Prune Black Mondo Grass
Black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens') is a small tufted plant that creates an ornamental groundcover for use between stepping stones or beneath shrubs or flowering bulbs. Usually no pruning of this low-growing plant is necessary, but when plants suffer from winter foliage burn, mildew or foliage overall loses its luster, an early-spring trimming allows for rejuvenation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Instructions
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Inspect the black mondo grass plants in early spring, noting the quality and uniformity of the foliage. If the plants look weak, or the foliage is non-glossy or matted down, consider a rejuvenating pruning.
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Remove any browned foliage by gently pulling the leaf blades out of the clump. If the dead foliage is not loose, do not continue as it may pull up healthy roots or adjacent live plants.
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Lightly trim the mass of mondo grass with grass clippers or scissors, cutting the leaf blades crisply at a consistent 2- to 3-inch height.
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Collect trimming debris with your hands, raking the groundcover mass with your fingers. Remove all clippings so the trimmed area looks tidy.
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Monitor the black mondo grass, watering if necessary, over the next four to eight weeks as the new leaf blades emerge. Fertilize per label directions with a granular, slow-release formula such as 10-10-10 once new foliage is seen. The soil should be moist, never soggy or overly dry to the touch.
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Tips & Warnings
Black mondo grass normally never needs trimming, but plants may look their finest if a trimming occurs once every three or four years in the early spring before new foliage emerges.
Plants will look lushest if grown in moist, fertile, well-draining soil and sunlight is not harsh and hot.
Black mondo grass may not grow well in regions with cold winters or if soils are dry and infertile. Pruning these plants provides no advantage and adds more stress, leading to their demise.
