Light
Full sun for the bluest color and stiffest stems. In part shade it gets greener and can lean.
Growing guide · Grasses
Panicum virgatum
How to grow Switch Grass 'Heavy Metal'.
Steel-blue blades. Stands up straight.
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Water
- Low
- Zones
- 4–9
- Size
- 4–5 ft tall, 2–3 ft wide
- Spacing
- 2–3 ft apart; plant in groups of three or more for a real screen.
- Pets
- Not on the ASPCA pet-safe list; keep it out of reach
Water
Water weekly the first summer. After that, only in a long drought.
Planting and soil
Plant in spring or early fall, crown level with the soil. Clay is fine as long as it isn't waterlogged.
Feeding
None. Fertilizer makes it floppy.
Pruning
Cut it down to 4–6 in. in late winter or early spring, before new growth starts.
Through the year
Wakes up late, often not until May. Plumes in August, gold in October, and it holds through most of winter.
If something's off
Lodging (flopping) almost always means too much shade, water or fertilizer. Rust can spot the leaves in humid summers; it's cosmetic.
Plays well with
Plant it with friends.
Why we stock it: A native grass with real color that holds its shape from June to February.
Grows wild in 35 states (USDA PLANTS records). About 24 native butterfly and moth species use Panicum as a host (Narango et al. 2020).
That's everything we know about growing it. Thanks for reading.
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Kits with Switch Grass 'Heavy Metal'.
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Switch Grass 'Heavy Metal'from $60.99 · Arrives alive, or we replace it
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