Fountain grass clump

[Comboverfish]

Hello,

I have what my neighbor described as fountain grass in several spots around our pool at our new house. Research shows that "fountain grass" is a very generic term. To describe it, it was green with "wheat-like flowering" at the top of each stalk last summer/fall. The plants are about 6-7 feet tall. In the winter they turned straw colored and have just began to start new green grass from the clump this month.

I cut them down to their clumps (man those things are tough!) and I would like to reduce the size of the clumps because these things are growing through the fence and seem overgrown. Plus the fallen stalks are hard to clean out of the pool. Is there a recommended method to cut out or kill off some of the clump? I'm not sure I could even get a sharp shovel through this stuff! I'll try any suggestions you may have.

PS -- if you have automotive questions I answer in rec.autos.tech or email (infrequently).

Thanks for any and all help!

[dhmeiser1]

I usually divide them it takes a mattock or a axe to chop through those clumps.

Nice thing is that when you divide them you can give away the portions you don't want. Just make sure to keep the division moist.

[Comboverfish]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I dont have room to swing an axe with the fence in the way so I will try a border shovel and lots of patience. BTW I had to look up "mattock" -- I always assumed that tool was called a pick axe...

[dps]

A pickaxe has two picks (thin metal spikes) on each side of the head. A Mattock has a broad blade on one side, sort of like a really heavy hoe. The other side might have either a pick or another broad blade oriented perpendicularly to the first, sort of like an axe.

Comboverfish wrote: