How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Muhlenbergia Capillaris

Pretty pink muhly grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris, is a lovely and large ornamental grass. It looks like cotton candy because of the plumes of pink it produces in summer and in the fall. Kevin Espiritu will guide you to fill your yard with pink!

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The pink plumes of color make Muhlenbergia capillaris a true garden gem. One of the most sought-after members of the ornamental grass world, it’s also called pink muhly grass.

Native to the United States, the tall flower stalks evoke the thought of cotton candy. Need a bit of deer resistant color? This will provide a lush pink glow in the fall.

So let’s explore the vibrant flora from this grass family in more detail. We’ll go over everything you’ll need to care for this striking perennial!

Plant Overview

A close-up shot of a composition of pink muhly grass in a well lit area outdoors
Plant Type Ornamental grass
Family Poaceae
Genus Muhlenbergia
Species Muhlenbergia capillaris
Native Area North America and Mexico
Exposure Full sun to partial shade
Height 3’
Watering Requirements Low
Pests & Diseases Aphids, tar spot, occasional rust
Maintenance Medium
Soil Type Well-draining
Hardiness Zone 5-9

What is Muhlenbergia Capillaris?

Drought tolerant and low maintenance, Muhlenbergia capillaris is often used on golf courses, highway medians and in xeriscaping. Place some of this lush native plant on steep hillsides and let it truly shine. Who needs the glasses to have a rose-tinted landscape, anyway?

Native Area

Airy clouds of pink muhly grass blooms form a delicate haze above the fine-textured, arching green foliage, creating a vibrant mass of cotton-candy-like inflorescences.
The plant is native to North America.

Normally inclined to sandy or rocky soil, this lovely North American native plant is prolific in its range. As a naturalized plant, it’s grown from coast to coast as an ornamental grass. It can be found in prairies, open woodlands, meadowlands, and pine barrens.

Characteristics

A close-up shot of muhly grass showcasing its bright pink color in a well lit area outdoors
The grass has leaves that are finely textured and pink flowers grow on long and wiry with glossy leaves.

Muhlenbergia capillaris grows in a mound with erect, finely textured, blue-green leaves. Around the fall, the outward projecting leaves turn breathtaking when they billow pink seed heads from a cotton candy crown. Delicate pink flowers grow on long, wiry and glossy leaves. They quickly form a vibrant pink cloud over the foliage. The seeds themselves are tiny and purplish in color.

Grown individually, this warm season grass looks stunning alone. But it makes an incredible show in a mass planting! If you’ve got a lot of property, you can have a glowing sea of pink. With an average size of three by three feet, a few of them can have a real visual impact.

Planting

A close-up shot of a developing muhly grass, showcasing its pink colored flowers in a well lit area outdoors
Loosen the soil and incorporate organic matter before planting them.

Prepare the planting site for this grass by loosening the soil and incorporating organic matter if needed to improve drainage. Dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball, ensuring the crown of the plant sits level with or just above the soil surface.

Backfill the hole gently, firming the soil around the roots to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly after planting and maintain consistent moisture until the plant is established, usually within the first growing season. Mulching around the base helps retain soil moisture and suppress weeds.

Once established, pink muhly grass is drought-tolerant and requires minimal maintenance.

How to Grow

Muhlenbergia capillaris is not only beautiful, it’s also quite hardy. Therefore, it makes for a perfect addition to a low-maintenance garden. But even low-maintenance gardens require a little love and attention!

Light

A shot of pink muhly grass basking in bright sunlight outdoors
The grass grows well in both full sun and partial shades.

Warm and dry conditions are perfect for your pink hair grass. It grows well in both full sun and partial shade in zones 5-9. However it thrives in full sun, and requires at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily to achieve its signature vibrant pink plumes.

Planting in a location with ample sunlight not only enhances its ornamental appeal but also supports healthy growth and resilience. In shaded conditions, the plant may become leggy or fail to produce its characteristic airy blooms.

Water

A steady stream of water flows from a blue watering can, soaking dark, freshly tilled soil, in preparation for planting.
Water the not more than 1 inch per week.

For the first year, you’ll want to water this North American native regularly. Keep the soil damp, but not wet or muddy. Before watering, check to make sure it’s dried out in the top two inches of soil.

In subsequent years, water it once a week, but not more than one inch a week. Let the soil fully dry out between watering sessions. During the winter, you may not have to water at all if there’s consistent rain. Remember, it handles drought well!

Soil

Rocky terrain under bright sunlight, highlighting rugged formations.
Use a rocky or sandy soil that is well-draining.

Your plants prefer sandy to rocky soil that is well-draining. While it does tolerate poor soil quality, it can’t take standing water. Muhlenbergia readily accepts soil types from acidic to slightly alkaline. With such a wide range, it’s a pretty safe bet it’ll grow in most residential soils.

Temperature

A shot of a small field of pink colored mulhy grass in a well lit area outdoors
The plant performs best in areas with mild winters and hot summers.

It prefers warm climates and performs best in areas with mild winters and hot summers. While it can tolerate occasional frosts, prolonged freezing temperatures may damage its foliage or affect its ability to flower the following season.

In colder regions, it benefits from a layer of mulch to protect its roots during winter. It will die back in areas where the temperature drops below -10°F (-23°C) and not come back in the spring. In warmer climates, it’ll return with better weather. During the growing season, the plant thrives in temperatures ranging from 70-90°F (21-32°C).

Fertilizer

A hand covered in dark soil holds bright yellow fertilizer granules.
Use a slow-release fertilizer early in the spring.

Cotton candy muhly really doesn’t need a lot of fertilizer to survive. But if you want those clouds of lofty pink in the fall, use a slow-release fertilizer early in the spring. Avoid too much fertilizer, as too high of a nitrogen level creates spindly growth and weak stems. If your soil’s rich, you may not need to fertilize at all.

Maintenance

An overhead shot of a clean hand pruner with blue handles, placed on top of a wooden surface
Pruning is usually done for appearance purposes.

Trimming is mostly for appearance purposes and should be done in the early summer or after the blooms have faded.

Sterilize your pruning shears in a mix of one part bleach to nine parts water. Trim off floppy stems or ones that are too tall. If you’re pruning once the flowers have faded, you can trim back the flower stalks as well.

Propagation

A close-up shot of a pink colored mulhy grass showcasing its green leaves and small pink flowers
The plant is propagated by seeds or division.

Seed or division are the options for propagating Muhlenbergia capillaris.

In the late fall when your grasses start to lose their pink color, you can harvest seed. If you don’t mind pruning off the flower plumes, slide the plume into a paper bag and clip the stem. Let it dry in there for a few days, then shake the seeds off.

Every three years, your grass should be large enough to divide. Remove the grass from the ground and separate it into multiple clumps before replanting.

Common Problems

You’ll find your Muhlenbergia capillaris is surprisingly easy to care for!

Growing Problems

A shot of pink muhly grass growing alongside other plants in the background all placed in a well lit area outdoors
Growth issues results from overwatering and exposure to extreme cold conditions.

Over-watering can cause the conditions that enable fungal root rot diseases to form. Since this grass is drought tolerant, it does better with too little water than too much.

Extreme cold conditions can cause the grass to die back. It’ll return in the spring unless there’s an extended period of temperatures below -10°F (-23°C), at which point the roots will die off as well.

Pests

Tiny green, oval-shaped insects clustered on the stems, with some displaying long, slender legs and soft bodies.
The plants doesn’t have much pest issues except for aphids on rare occasions.

Your plants won’t experience many pest issues. Rarely, aphids may infiltrate the tall leaves, but those aren’t difficult to control in muhly gardens. Blast them with water to pop them off the plant. A misting of neem oil should get rid of them too.

Diseases

A close-up of a leaf exhibits distinctive leaf spots, appearing as dark blemishes across its surface. The blurred background offers a lush glimpse of surrounding greenery, enhancing the leaf's intricate details and natural context.
The fungal diseases called tar spot can damage or kill the plant.

Two diseases can occur, but the only serious one is tar spot. This fungal disease can damage or kill your plants. To keep this out of your garden, ensure your plants are spaced to allow for adequate airflow. If you haven’t divided your plant for a few years, that can improve airflow as well.

An additional disease that happens, albeit rarely, is rust. Common rust appears as speckling on the blade-like leaves. Too much moisture or poor airflow is a common cause. Thin out dense clumps as you would for tar spot.

Frequently Asked Questions

When to Muhlenbergia capillaris grass seeds?

Seeds are best planted in late winter to early spring, once the ground warms.

How long does it take for Muhlenbergia capillaris to grow fully?

This ornamental grass can take up to three years to grow to its maximum size. The plants have a moderate rate of growth, but they grow tall before they grow wider.

When does Muhlenbergia capillaris bloom?

Muhlenbergia capillaris produces cotton candy plumes in late summer and fall. They lose color in winter, but are still good to look at in the garden.

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