Zebra Grass (Miscanthus Sinensis Zebrinus) Profile: Info, Care & Growing Guide

Zebra Grass is a species of grass that is native to eastern Asia and can be found in China, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula and Japan. There are many different varieties. 

The zebra grass is about 0.8 to 2 meters high, with a few reaching 4 meters, and has an underground stem. The leaves of the Zebra Grass are 18 to 75 cm long and 0.3 to 2 cm wide with purple flowers.

Traditionally, Zebra Grass was pasture for animals and material used to build houses and paper. In recent years, scientists in the United Kingdom and the European Union have started to use Zebra Grass to produce renewable energy crops. Scientists in the United Kingdom and the European Union have artificially hybridized Chinese awn and sugarcane awn to grow a large number of Zebra Grass in northeastern Europe for direct combustion in local power plants. At the same time, researchers have also studied how to ferment Zebra Grass into alcohol for fuel ethanol.

Zebra Grass Picture

Zebra Grass Info

Botanical Name	Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus '
Common Name	Zebra grass, Chinese silver grass
Mature Size	7 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide
Sun Exposure	Full sun
Flower Color	Silvery white
Hardiness Zones	5 to 9
Native Area	Eastern Asia throughout most of China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea.
Plant Type	Ornamental grass, flowering plant

Zebra Grass Growth Habit

Zebra Grass is perennial, warm season type, cluster, plant height 1 to 2 meters, crown width more than 1 meter, inflorescences pale red at first bloom, turn to silver white when dry, flowering from August to October. Light - loving, drought - resistant, short - term shallow water.

How to Care for Zebra Grass

Zebra Grass Light Requirements

Provide full solar for optimum growth. If the Zebra Grass is in too a great deal shade, the leaf blades can get floppy, however you can grant a stake or even a tomato cage to assist prop them upright.

Zebra Grass Soil

Zebra Grass prefers a soil pH that is roughly neutral. This grass produces pleasant in moist soils or even boggy riparian edges.

 Zebra Grass Watering

Young Zebra Grass wishes ordinary watering to get established, however a mature specimen will serve as a drought-tolerant decorative grass.

Zebra Grass Temperature & Humidity

Most warm-season decorative grasses thrive with hotter soil temperatures at about 70 to ninety tiers Fahrenheit and air temperatures even a little hotter. In the cooler zones, supply this plant a western publicity in a sheltered vicinity or the place bloodless does no longer pocket.

Zebra Grass Fertilizer

Fertilize with compost or top natural plant meals in spring.

Zebra Grass Pruning

Some gardeners like to go away the stalks in vicinity at some point of winter, as a substitute than slicing them. In this case, pruning can wait until late wintry weather or early spring due to the fact these plant life provide price for wintry weather scenes. The useless stalks additionally act as a bit of mulch to shield the root device from winter's chilling temperatures.
If you choose to reduce the stalks early, depart 5 or 6 inches sticking up, then trim off that last 5 or 6 inches in late wintry weather or early spring. The clump will now not appear its quality in early spring anyway when it first starts offevolved to put out new growth, and if you enable the inexperienced shoots to come out of that 5 or 6 inches of stubble, the ordinary look will be even much less inspiring. A an awful lot easier method is to wait till late wintry weather or early spring and then shear the stalks proper down to floor level.

Zebra Grass Propagation

To propagate or revitalize the zebra grass plant, you can divide it in spring each few years proper earlier than or proper after the grass blooms or divide the grass clumps when the plant breaks dormancy. Rinse the tangled mass of roots with water to eliminate the soil. This approves you to see broken roots or those that can also be diseased. Cut off the terrible roots earlier than you replant the decorative grass sections.

Zebra Grass Uses

You can make Zebra Grass a focal factor with the aid of developing it in the center of shorter plants. It makes a sufficiently daring declaration to serve as a specimen plant. Alternatively, take advantage of its screening capability through planting it in hedges. The first-class texture of its blades suggests the usage of it in mixture with coarser flowers to create a contrast. A cottage backyard will be better via one or greater clumps of Zebra Grass up in opposition to a wall or fence.
Since Zebra Grass is at its quality in late summer time and in fall, some gardeners like to pick associate flowers for it that additionally appear their fine for the duration of the August-October period, so as to create a show location with finest visible pastime for that time of year. Examples of partner vegetation include:

• Chrysanthemum flowers
• Hardy hibiscus
• New England aster

Zebra Grass is one of the deer-resistant decorative grasses, so you do now not have to fear about deer pests coming in and consuming it.