How to Plant the Big Bluestem Grass in Louisiana

Since winters are mild and soils fertile, Louisiana provides an excellent habitat or garden settings to grow the native warm-season grass big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii). Growing 4 to 8 feet tall with blue-green stems and blades, the seed plumes look like a narrow turkey's foot with three toes. In autumn the foliage turns maroon red, eventually turning thatch brown and rustling in the winter wind. Before late February, cut the dry thatch down to a height of 3 to 4 inches and allow this perennial grass to rejuvenate. Big bluestem grows well across the entire Bayou State, which comprises U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 8 and 9.

• 1

  Walk around your property to choose the ideal growing site for the big bluestem. It's tall and clumping in form, so placing it behind shorter perennials or shrubs makes a good design strategy. Any soil that's moist and exposed to at least 8 hours of direct sunlight daily helps big bluestem grow to its fullest potential.

• 2

  Measure the size of the root ball of the big bluestem grass in its container with a measuring stick, noting both the height/depth of the root ball and the diameter.

• 3

  Dig a planting hole with a garden shovel. Make the hole the same depth as the big bluestem's root ball and two to three times wider than the root ball's diameter. Pulverize any clumps of soil with the back of the shovel blade; you want the soil to be loose and crumbly throughout the planting process.

• 4

  Incorporate a 2-inch layer of organic matter like compost or well-rotted manure into the soil removed from the planting hole.

• 5

  Set the big bluestem grass plant in the hole after removing it from the plastic pot. Look at the root ball and scratch or slice any roots that are matted or compacted with your fingertips or with the shovel blade. These gentle cuts into the encircling firm root ball permits new root growth to move outward into the soil rather than remain confined within the restrictive tangle of roots.

• 6

  Backfill the hole with the soil, making sure to keep the top of the grass' root ball even with the top of the planting hole. Plant the root ball neither too high nor too low in the planting hole.

• 7

  Water the soil and big blue stem to saturate the area. This watering naturally compacts the soil and removes air pockets to get roots in direct contact with soil particles. Add more backfill soil if the top of the root ball is no longer even with the top of the planting hole's edge.

• 8

  Water the newly planted big bluestem once to twice a week after planting to keep the soil moist, but never soggy. Supplement natural rainfall to keep the soil moist for the first three to six months after transplanting into the garden.