Learn the way to Plant, Develop, and Handle Ophiopogon Japonicus

In case you’re looking out for a grass-like, care-free ground cowl which will add texture to your panorama, then look no further than this well-liked evergreen grass, Ophiopogon japonicus, typically usually referred to as mondo grass. Mondo grass originated in Japan and China and is called the conventional ground cowl of many Japanese gardens.

This ornamental grass is much like black mondo grass, and in actuality, it’s a direct relative. Whereas black mondo grass is darkish and spooky-looking, the dwarf lilyturf, or just mondo grass, is a good looking gentle inexperienced hue and seems good as an accent ground cowl.

Technically not a grass the least bit (it’s additional intently related to the lily than to most grass species), it’s a good looking species that’s able to take care of points that the majority crops can’t stand – like rising beneath black walnut bushes as a result of it’s juglone-resistant. It might really moreover take care of deeply shaded areas, is proof against salt, and is deer- and rabbit-resistant.

A most popular evergreen species, it’d in all probability moreover take full photo voltaic conditions and might produce white to lilac flowers if it’s joyful enough. These flowers are tiny, nevertheless they kind in clusters alongside the aspect of the leaves and their bloom stands out from the narrow-bladed leaves. These flowers might even bear fruit which is ready to kind as a tiny, vivid blue berry on the bottom of the foliage. 

Overview

Plant Variety Ornamental grass, lilyturf Species Ophiopogon japonicus	Native House China, Japan, Korea Publicity Full photo voltaic to partial shade Peak 6-15”, dwarf varieties 3-4” Watering Requirements Widespread	Pests & Sicknesses Slugs, snails, fungal factors, root rot

What’s Ophiopogon Japonicus?

There are two types of Ophiopogon japonicus: a daily kind and a dwarf kind. The same old kind very merely spreads by means of stolons, which is an above-ground runner. This makes it a beautiful different for an enormous house that you just need to cowl like a shady house the place typical turf grasses don’t develop as properly.

The dwarf kind would not unfold this vogue and grows in dense tufts. This makes it less complicated to handle and better suited to borders or filling in areas between pavers throughout the yard.

Native House

As talked about above this grass-like evergreen originated in Japan and China and is known by many widespread names equal to mondo grass, dwarf lilyturf, dwarf mondo grass, Japanese lilyturf, snake’s beard, and monkey grass. 

Traits

Mondo grass could also be acknowledged by its engaging evergreen foliage which appears as darkish green-blue strap-shaped leaves. The flowers are small with six petals and the flower color ranges from white to pale lilac flowers. It might sometimes bloom in early summer season. This ground cowl is an evergreen which will keep inexperienced and develop year-round though its progress might gradual throughout the winter. This makes a beautiful low-maintenance border plant as it’d in all probability survive anyplace from full photo voltaic to shady areas.

It does produce small cobalt blue berries that are not toxic. Nonetheless, there are no acknowledged culinary makes use of for them. The berries look like blue variations of asparagus berries, which is smart on account of this plant is throughout the Asparagaceae family, which is an identical family of crops as widespread asparagus.

Learn the way to Develop

Mondo grass is low to medium repairs and with the following requirements met, you may have the benefit of its evergreen strap leaves together with texture to your panorama by way of summer season and winter. Most of the time, you’ll even uncover it to be care-free.

Mild

Mondo grass can tolerate full photo voltaic to full shade, although the perfect web site for this grass may be partial shade. In sunny areas, the foliage will fade to a lighter inexperienced, whereas shifting this plant to shady areas will perform the darkish inexperienced leaves.

Water

As with most crops grown in hotter climates, one of the best time of day to water is throughout the morning so that the moisture has a possibility to soak into the soil sooner than the heat of the day can evaporate it. Nonetheless, in case you’ve missed this window of other then the second-best alternative is to water it throughout the evening.

Take care to avoid wetting the foliage as this may occasionally more and more set off fungal factors. As a result of their small measurement and low progress profile, it is best to water this plant with a drip irrigation system. As quickly as established, these crops are drought-tolerant and might survive the heat with out rather a lot consideration. It’s larger to underwater comparatively than overwater these crops as they’re moreover susceptible to root rot. Inside the winter, as their progress slows, in the reduction of the amount of moisture. 

Soil

This typical ground cowl can survive in numerous soil types and will even be grown hydroponically. This makes it an superior alternative for a border spherical a pond as properly. It has moreover been observed at large subject pet outlets being supplied as an underwater aquatic plant, nevertheless that is not advisable for this plant. It might survive totally submerged for quite a few weeks after which in the end die as its not an aquatic. This plant prefers barely acidic to neutral soil with a pH of 5.5-7.

It might be grown in containers as properly as long as they’re stuffed with well-draining soil. It does notably properly on slopes as water drains away from the roots.

Temperature

Ophiopogon japonicus is delicate to frost. A lightweight-weight frost might set off damage that it’d in all probability get nicely from, nevertheless a troublesome frost will severely set your crops once more. For that motive, rising this plant in USDA hardiness zone 6-10 will assure its survival. 

Fertilizing

One different aspect that makes mondo grass low repairs is the reality that it doesn’t require any fertilizing the least bit. In case you need to give it a elevate, then a first-rate dressing of compost in early spring may be ample. In every other case, it survives merely excellent in a number of soil types and situations as long as the soil is well-draining. 

Maintenance

Pruning should not be compulsory for this plant. It might develop until it reaches its mature peak after which give consideration to roots, flower manufacturing, and unfold. In distinction to traditional turf grasses, it would not should be mowed and will tolerate gentle foot website guests. You’ll solely ever have to remove ineffective or damaged foliage. 

Propagation

It is best to propagate Ophiopogon japonicus by division. In early spring dig up a clump of mondo grass and tease apart the roots until you possibly can have quite a few sections. Replant each half with on the very least four-inch spacing and so they’ll in the end unfold to fill throughout the gaps.

Mondo grass could be grown from seed, nevertheless this plant might be very gradual rising so it ought to take a while to get a viable transplant when rising from seed. 

Widespread Points

As talked about, mondo grass might be very low repairs, shade-loving, evergreen, deer-resistant, and a really perfect border plant. There aren’t many pest and sickness factors with this plant, nevertheless there are some issues for which to keep up a watch fastened out. 

Rising Points

Heat could also be an issue for these lily turfs, notably mirrored heat from partitions, walkways, and the like. Metropolis gardening could also be stuffed with pitfalls of this type in and spherical yard beds or containers. Due to this, it’s advisable in the middle of the summer season months to supply {{a partially}} shaded location away from exhausting scapes which will take up and radiate heat from the photo voltaic. Sustaining the soil moist all through scorching local weather might help your crops take care of a bit additional heat. Shade materials arching over beds may also help in the reduction of warmth in gardens the place these are planted.

Pests

Mondo grass is rabbit and deer-resistant. Nonetheless, slugs and snails have been acknowledged to munch on the leaves generally. In case you see holes throughout the leaves and they also appear to wilt, then this may be an indicator that slugs or snails are present. Visually look at the leaves. If in case you could have chickens, it is a likelihood to set them unfastened in your mondo grass for some tasty treats. For these of us with no yard flock, the perfect plan of motion is a slug and snail bait. There are pure baits constituted of iron phosphate which could be protected to utilize spherical wildlife, people, and pets. 

Sicknesses

Fungal illnesses like anthracnose can affect these shade-loving ground covers. This generally is a fungal sickness that always appears in the middle of the chilly and moist early spring in areas with extreme humidity. It causes leaf spots, cupping, or curling of the leaves and leaf drop. The simplest preventative measure might be to verify there could also be good air circulation spherical your crops. After a lilyturf is severely contaminated it’s most interesting to remove and destroy it to keep up the fungal an an infection from spreading to completely different lilyturfs. Mild infections could also be dealt with with a copper fungicide.

Mondo grass is susceptible to root rot introduced on by pythium fungal strains that develop in overly-moist conditions. Since this plant is comparatively drought-tolerant, it’s larger to underwater it than overwater it and hazard root rot factors. Root rot is hard to reverse if it has already progressed too far. If the plant appears brown and mushy on the bottom then this may be a sign of it creating. Once more off on watering and let on the very least the best inch of soil throughout the roots dry out totally sooner than watering as soon as extra. 

Repeatedly Requested Questions