Pink Muhly Grass

Description

Hardy and Colorful, this Muhly Grass Will Bring Years of Vibrancy to any Outdoor Garden

The Gulf Coast Muhly Grass is native to the United States and is shaped like cotton candy. This plant can be found as an ornamental grass. You can find it in the open woodlands, all the pine barrens, and the meadowlands. These plants are also known as the Hair-awn muhly. Plant owners love to grow these plants, which are low-maintenance, making them a great option. If you want to grow them, here is a care guide you can use. 

Caring for Pink Muhly Grass

While the Pink Muhly Grass is sturdy and low-maintenance, you still need to ensure that you take good care of them. As a plant, the Muhlenbergia Capillaris still needs a little love and care to bloom beautifully and have rose-tinted foliage. Add them to your garden and give your home a refreshing new look. 

Light

This plant is a big fan of sunlight. You can leave it out in the sun for 8 hours, and the plant will thank you by blooming beautifully. You should not leave the plant in the shade; if it does not get enough sunlight, it may wilt or have limp flowers. Keeping it out on the porch or in the garden is the best place for the Pink Muhly Grass. 

Soil

Since the plant is native to the coasts, they prefer growing in rocky and sandy soil. But that does not limit your soil choices; you can still plant it in any soil you like as long as the soil is well draining. The plant is also very stubborn and is not affected by soil problems such as acidity, alkalinity, and other loamy soils. This plant can damage severely if it is kept in wet soil. 

Water

If you have just planted the plant, you must give it regular water for the first year. You can keep the soil damp. However, before you water it again, ensure the top of the soil is dry, so you don’t overwater it. 

After the initial year, you can water the plant once a week and let the soil completely dry out before you water it again. The plant can also easily handle drought, so you don’t need to worry about underwatering it. 

Fertilizer

These plants do not require a lot of fertilizer to survive merely, but they will need fertilizers to grow and create beautiful pink clouds. You can use a slow-release fertilizer to help grow the plants in early spring. However, do not go overboard with fertilizers as that will shoot growth and impact the plant’s health. 

You can test your soil for nutritional value. If the soil has enough nutrients, you need not add other fertilizers.  

Common Issues

These plants are easy to care for, but that does not mean they are not susceptible to danger. Some different pests and diseases can harm the plant. Here are some pests and diseases you need to look out for.

Pests

The Pink Muhly Grass is not at risk due to pests. There are hardly any pests such as aphids that can climb the tall leaves. Even then, the leaves are not damaged. You can easily use neem oil to get rid of all the pests. 

Disease

While not many diseases can affect the Pink Muhly, the Tar spot is one of the most dangerous. It is a fungal disease and can kill your plants. To avoid this from affecting your plants, you need to make sure that your plants are well spaced. You can also divide your plants, so that improves the airflow. 

The other disease is rust; you can find rust on the leaves of your plants, which is also because of a lack of airflow. If you see tar or rust on any of your leaves, you must immediately divide the plant as that will improve the airflow. 

Pruning 

The pruning for this plant is mostly for aesthetical purposes. If you want to prune your Pink Muhly Grass, you must do it during early summer after the bloom has faded. 

When pruning, ensure that you use pruning shears and sterilize them to avoid contamination. If the flowers have faded, you can also prune the flower stalks. 

Propagation

You can propagate the Muhly Grass using both seeds and division. You will need to wait for the plants to lose their pink color for seed propagation. Once the color fades, you can take the seeds and then use the seeds to propagate. 

Potting / Repotting

Typically you will not need to replant it before three years. When you do, you can replant it by dividing the plant into separate clumps.