Benefits from Overwintering
- With warm-season grasses in a cold frame or hot house, you can get a head start on finishing them
- With cool-season grasses, you’ll be ready for early spring customers.
- Annual grasses overwintered in a hot house allow you to have full plants with good color at the earliest possible time.
In Cold Frames
During winter, warm-season grasses go dormant, and cool-season plants slow their growth, minimizing their water needs. Take care to monitor soil water levels and keep containerized grasses on the dry side. If over watered, grasses are susceptible to rotting and root damage.
The majority of grasses, including the popular Calamagrostis, Chasmanthium, Miscanthus, Muhlenbergia, and Schizachyrium overwinter best in a cold frame with a clear poly covering. This not only protects the uninsulated roots in above-ground containers, but also prevents precipitation from over-soaking the plants. Depending on your climate, cool-season grasses work well in a cold frame or in a house kept just above freezing.
In Containers Outdoors
Overwintering outdoors provides no protection from natural precipitation or cold. If you overwinter outside, it is critical to track water levels. If the containers are sufficiently moist, you may need to cover outdoor containers during rainfall or severe cold to prevent rot or damage. Panicum species and cultivars can do well outside of a cold frame with some monitoring.
