Article: You want to cut back your grass once a year, as late in the season as possible. For warm season grasses, you want to trim them between late fall and mid-spring. For cool season grasses, cut them back in early spring. Cutting your grass in the wrong season can impact its ability to grow and pollinate.  Your grass should be brown before you start cutting it back. Ideally, you should wait until at least mid-winter or early spring to cut it back. Some insect species will spend the winter in bunch grasses. Wait until the spring to cut the previous season’s growth to protect wildlife. Examples of warm-season grasses include Japanese forest grass, Japanese silver grass, switchgrass, fountain grass, maiden grass, and prairie cordgrass.  Examples of cool-season grasses include fescues, blue oat grass, tufted hair grass, and autumn moor grass. Long grasses are easiest to trim after you gather them into bundles. Use a piece of rope, bungee cords, or gardening twine to gather each grass plant into a column, and cinch the grass about a third to halfway up the length of the stocks.  You should tie the grass tight enough that you will be able to cut through multiple stocks at the same time, but not so much that you break the grass. If your grass is as tall or taller than you, you may want to tie a second length of rope up toward the top of the stocks so that trimmings don’t fall down on you and obscure your vision during the cutting process. You can use either handheld or powered shears for this process. Once that is cleared out, you can go in to make final cuts and clean up. Try to keep the grass lengths as uniform as possible. If you are using powered shears, remember to wear thick pants, gardening gloves, and durable closed-toed shoes to help protect against accidents. If your ornamental grasses are thick enough that shears won’t do the job, a weed eater or bush cutter may be a good alternative. Look for a model with a blade, and use this to trim your grass one bundle at a time.  You can buy weed eaters and bush cutters at most home improvement and gardening stores. You may also be able to rent one if you do not want to purchase one yourself. Never operate your weed or hedge trimmer above chest-level, as that makes it easier for you to lose control of the blade. Even when they’ve been tied up, tall grasses can make a big mess. Compost your grass bundles or dispose of them in a green waste bin. You may be able to rake up some of the smaller clippings, or you can put a layer of mulch down around the trimmed plant to cover small clippings while improving the soil quality.

What is a summary?
Wait until late in the season to cut brown or spent grass. Gather your grass and tie it in a bundle. Cut the grass to about 10 inches (25 cm) tall using hedging shears. Use a weed eater with a blade to trim thick grasses. Compost or throw away your grass clippings.