Big Bluestem Grass

This grass type is a perennial that stands straight and tall. It's a North American native that can grow as tall as 10 feet. It changes colors throughout the year, with a blue-green color in the spring and a brown shade in the fall. The warm season is its growing season, and it forms clumps.

Many people choose this ornamental grass because it elegantly sways in the breeze. It stands straight and tall and is the tallest prairie grass in North America. It is also deer-resistant, can attract beneficial insects, and can be used to feed larger mammals like cattle.

How to Identify Big Bluestem

This grass can often be identified by its impressive height and the bluish-green color it keeps during the warmer months. These plants have a central clump from which all of the stalks grow. The leaves are thin, up to one inch in width, but can be more than 18 inches long. The flower will grow on the stalk's upper stems in paired spikes on three small stems.

The little flower-covered spikes develop and bloom in the dozens. When they bloom, they are a stunning red-purple color that eventually turns brown as days get colder. The spikes grow to about two to four inches long and are also purplish-red, though they can sometimes be yellow. The flowers often have female and male parts, though some can be exclusively male. It can also grow a few spikes that are sterile and have no flowers.

Growing Big Bluestem Grass

If you grow this plant by seed, it will only reach a few feet in height during its first year. It will take until the second or third year of its life to achieve its expected 10-foot height. Growing these plants can also be done by splitting their rhizomes. The roots of big bluestem grass are partly made up of rhizomes that run just a few inches deep, along with deep, fibrous roots that can go as far down as 10 feet.

When propagating this grass, you can dig up the rhizomes, split a few from the rest, and transplant them elsewhere. You don't need to include the deeper fibrous roots to propagate the plant successfully.

Care for the Big Bluestem

This plant will thrive in full sunlight, and it prefers soil that is a little moist. Although drought-tolerant, dry soil can prevent it from growing as tall. Big Bluestem will grow in virtually any soil type, from thick clay to sandy ground. It does best in temperatures in the high 70s and may grow more slowly in cooler or warmer conditions.

If the soil is already moist, it is unnecessary, but if the soil is dry, watering twice a week will help retain moisture.