Monkey grass is one of the most unique types of grasses you can use to accent your yard. Whether you plant monkey grass around a flower bed, along your walkway, or anywhere else, it is an excellent choice for highlighting certain parts of your yard and standing out on its own. So, how do you grow monkey grass?
Continue reading to learn how to grow monkey grass. Luckily, once you have planted the monkey grass, it is quite low-maintenance. However, initial preparation is equally important to ensure your monkey grass thrives and enhances the overall look of your backyard.
Steps to Grow Monkey Grass
Below are the steps you should follow to learn how to grow monkey grass. Keep in mind, however, that just because you have planted and grown grass before does not mean you can grow monkey grass with ease.
Monkey grass requires careful preparation to grow properly. Fortunately, if you follow the steps below, you should have no problem growing monkey grass.
Shaded Planting Area
Before considering how to plant your monkey grass, you must decide where you are going to plant it.
It is best if you find an area with minimal sunlight because if your monkey grass and its roots get too dry, they will deteriorate quickly. Avoid this problem by selecting an area with sufficient shade.
Do not worry; your monkey grass will still be able to receive the nutrients it needs from the sun.
Pull Any Weeds in Planting Area
Once you have chosen the spot where you want to plant your monkey grass, pull out any weeds you see. Weeds grow very similarly to monkey grass, so you do not want your monkey grass to struggle to find nutrients while it is growing.
It is best to remove all weeds in the general area, assuming that their roots might become entangled with those of your monkey grass.
Till And Rake the Planting Area
After cleaning out the visible obstacles in your area, you need to till or spade the soil. Doing so provides several advantages:
- It helps break up the soil to make for easier digging and planting.
- It tears away any existing weeds or other things that might stunt the growth of your monkey grass.
Plus, later tilling can help spread nutrients throughout your soil. After spading or tilling, rake the soil to even it out and catch larger rocks or other debris.
Fertilize The Soil
When your soil is nice and loosened up, you are almost ready to dig the holes for your monkey grass.
First, however, you need to nurture the soil. You might choose to prepare the area with some type of compost to spread throughout and provide extra nutrients.
Whether or not you do this, you must fertilize the soil. Any industrial-grade garden fertilizer should do the trick; just make sure you spread it evenly and deep enough to reach the roots that will soon be underground.
Dig Your Holes
Now, you are ready to dig the holes for your money grass plants. Some of the soil might already be dug up from prior preparation, so you should not have too much trouble breaking up more soil.
In any case, dig at least eighteen inches deep for your monkey grass. The roots grow deeply and spread out, so you need to make sure the holes are both deep enough and sufficiently wide.
Plant Seeds Or Young Plants
Next, place your monkey grass in the holes. You may have new seeds or seedlings that are already grown and are young monkey grass plants. No matter which one you have, make sure you give your monkey grass enough room to grow.
Assuming that you have multiple seeds or plants to place along the line of your garden, space out each plant between six to eight inches apart. As said before, monkey grass roots grow widely, and although they may attach and grow together after a while, you do not want them becoming entangled in their initial growth stages.
Fill The Hole
As with any other gardening project, after you have planted the monkey grass in the holes, fill the holes with the dug-up soil.
This must be a gentle process. You do not want your shovel, spade, or whatever tool you are using to tear any roots and disrupt the growing process.
Carefully fill in the holes and pat the soil down, making for a compact and smooth surface. This will ensure that your monkey grass has a solid foundation on which to grow.
Keep Soil Moist
Although aftercare of monkey grass is not extremely tasking, you must always make sure that the soil is moist, not flooded, but moist. Watering your monkey grass immediately after finishing the planting process is the best way to make sure it starts off growing as it should.
Additionally, since monkey grass roots are quite long, you must make sure you give them enough water to reach deep down into the soil. Once you see puddles forming on top of the soil, stop watering them.
In dryer, hotter climates, you will need to water your monkey grass more often. However, in wet, mild climates, taking care of your monkey grass is easier. With minimal watering and little to no cosmetic work, your monkey grass will thrive as long as it stays moist and out of direct sunlight.
Trim As Needed
That is not to suggest that cosmetic changes are unnecessary. Some people like to let their monkey grass grow freely. Seeing the monkey grass expand out in all directions can be an excellent way to accent your garden and give it a unique aesthetic.
In other instances, you might want to trim your monkey grass every now and then to keep it tame. If you do this, however, it is advised that your monkey grass is fully grown before trimming.
Dig Up And Re-Plant (Optional)
This last step is not required, though some people choose to do it. If you are a garden expert, you may wish to dig up your monkey grass every few years and re-plant it.
This can help ensure that the roots of your monkey grass plants are both not tangling too heavily with other monkey grass roots and are not being destroyed by weeds or other material that has sprung from the soil.
Since monkey grass grows quickly and spreads out, you can transplant the monkey grass to new areas without having to buy new plants.
Takeaway
As you can see, growing monkey grass is pretty simple. Although it can look extravagant, the aftercare required is equally stress-free. If you plan on planting and growing monkey grass, the steps above will lead you to do so successfully.
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