Question: do any grasses need dormancy?

[RJG2]

Couldn't find anything in my searches. I know most will go dormant, but do they need it?

Wouldn't mind bringing a grass in with my tropicals.

 

[ShadyStump]

Couldn't find anything in my searches. I know most will go dormant, but do they need it?

Wouldn't mind bringing a grass in with my tropicals.

I have no idea what the answer is, but that's a good question.

I imagine that for the vast majority of species dormancy is not a requirement.
Drought resistant species will go dormant when it gets dry, and many species will go dormant in cold temperatures; but I've also seen thick healthy, green lawns growing in winter time.
Around here golf courses will continue their maintenance routine year round, just slower in the winter; watering whenever the temps are above freezing, and mowing according to growth.

Some large ornamental varieties, though, may be different. I don't know anything about those.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

North American native grass species will do best grown outdoors year round and given dormancy in winter. Most of the ornamental grasses used in USA bonsai hobby are not native to North America and would perish in our cold northern winters, For example "Japanese blood grass" is only hardy to zone 7 or 8. Sorry I could not find genus name for the blood grass used in bonsai. My quick search turned up a genus native only to India which is not the correct genus.

It will take a little leg work to find the botanical name and the cold tolerance of grasses if you are starting only with common names. Though surprisingly for much of my "reference work" Wikipedia is a fairly good place to start.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Post the names you have for the grasses you are working with, I might know the common names.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

By the way, the common grasses used for lawns in North America are introduced from Asia. Poa pratensis is the species was native to Asia, Later spread to Algeria and Morocco, then was introduced to USA with thoroughbred horses. Yes, Kentucky Bluegrass, moved with the modern horse, from Mongolia to Kentucky. Seed came along in the horse dung and deliberately brought by Spanish in the mix of grass seed they brought for feeding their horses at time of Spanish colonial era.

 

[RJG2]

North American native grass species will do best grown outdoors year round and given dormancy in winter. Most of the ornamental grasses used in USA bonsai hobby are not native to North America and would perish in our cold northern winters, For example "Japanese blood grass" is only hardy to zone 7 or 8. Sorry I could not find genus name for the blood grass used in bonsai. My quick search turned up a genus native only to India which is not the correct genus.

It will take a little leg work to find the botanical name and the cold tolerance of grasses if you are starting only with common names. Though surprisingly for much of my "reference work" Wikipedia is a fairly good place to start.

Thanks Leo. The only grass I have in a pot is a tiny clump collected from the shore of a small lake here in Maine. So I will keep it outside.

I was hoping I could get it larger over winter, but I guess I'll just need to collect a bit more next time I'm in that area.

 

[RJG2]

Post the names you have for the grasses you are working with, I might know the common names.

No idea of the name - I'll have to do some research.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

To get a really solid, accurate ID, one would need a photo of the flower and or seed structure. Just the color and the place you collected it brings to mind a ditty "Sedges have edges and all sedges are good". My guess your grass is actually a sedge. I would start my search there. Rushes are semi-aquatic or lake margin plants with round leaves. Sedges are a group of grass like species with flattened leaves that tend to be triangular in cross section (the edges). Their habitats range from aquatic to mesic (medium not dry) habitats. The flower structure and seed heads of sedges are quite different from grasses, but hard to describe. Hit wikipedia for examples. Most of the Wikipedia listed sedges are not native to USA, but in USA & Canada there are several hundred species, mostly fairly non-descript, but nice, like the one in your photo.

I guess for ID, first, is the leaf of your plant triangular in cross section? if yes, you likely have a sedge. If no you might have a grass. You probably do not have a rush.

I would collect a second clump or even a third clump. Grow one large outdoors all year round, this one to get seed heads, for photos to aid in identification. The third see if you can keep it growing in your greenhouse. You are in the area of undocumented horticulture. Who knows what you can get away with.

 

[RJG2]

That's funny - I know I've read another post where you wrote that little ditty.

I'll take a look at the cross section tomorrow - and I just dropped a pin in Google maps and saved it, before I i forget where it's from (it's about 1.5 hours away from me).