How to Prune Sledge Grass Perennials
- 1). Prune perennial sedge grass plants in the later winter or early spring to remove winter damage and make room for new spring growth. Allow the grass clump to stay intact over the winter to provide animal habitat as well as an attractive form and color.
- 2). Cut back individual sedge stalks that are dead, discolored, diseased, bent or lying on the soil surface. In mild climates where the plant tops do not die back, this type of grooming or light pruning is often sufficient to keep the plants looking tidy and healthy. Use secateurs for this, and cut stalk by stalk to preserve the natural form of the sedge clump.
- 3). Shear off the tops of dead sedge plants down to the crown of the clump just 1 to 2 inches above the soil line. For younger plants and smaller clumps, long blade scissor shears can make a clean, flat-top cut. For larger established plants or multiple clumps of plants, motorized hedge trimmers are more efficient to shear through the thick clumps of stalks.
- 4). Collect all of the clippings. Compost or discard all of them.