Ruby Grass, Bristle-leaved Redtop 'Pink Crystals ™' (Melinis nerviglumis)

Ruby Grass, Bristle-leaved Redtop 'Pink Crystals ™'
Melinis nerviglumis

Ruby Grass, Bristle-leaved Redtop 'Pink Crystals ™' (Melinis nerviglumis) blooms which indeed appear to be crystalline viewed in early morning or afternoon sunlight.

I just bought about 5 of these...and I"m hoping the infloresences are not pink but rather more ruby/ purpl-ish.
Can you tell me about the exact color, htop? Or does it depend on the soil...like a hydrangea? And do the blades of grass turn reddish in the fall? The description I read said so...but I"m finding variations on the descriptions of some of the new grasses.

Thanks,
Connie

Connie, you won't be disappointed with your plants. The color of the blooms are the deepest color in the fall, through the winter (if it is a mild one, they keep blooming) and early spring. They are indeed ruby/purplish as in the photo at these times. The color of the blooms appear differently depending upon the position of the sun as the rays strike the blooms. At certain times of the day, they appear to be pink from a distance due to the reflected light. They fade a bit as the blooms age and as they start to form seeds. Mine right now have dried seedheads that are white and have no new blooms right now. The blades on mine never have turned reddish in the fall. I don't think the soil composition affects the color of the blooms, but I could be wrong.

I bought mine as very small plants. They took about a year to really take off. I love them and wish I had a space that I could plant more. My husband suggested removing the St. Augustine grass and planting the lawn totally with ruby grass. He loves them too. :o)

I'm going to plant mine tomorrow...it will be a full day of working in the yard!!

I had been trying to finish all my heavy yard work before the temperatures reached the high 90s; but, like always I still have a lt to do. Have a great day playing in the dirt.

Thanks! Do you know that on June 8 some DG'ers are meeting here in Austin for a Nursery Tour? Nivlac (Calvin) from SA is coming with his family. And Debbie from Houston!

Connie

No I hadn't been keeping up with things lately. Maybe I can make it ... I'm not sure right now. Thanks for the information.

Connie_W, how did your ruby grass do? During the extreme heat in August, the blooms on my plants were white instead of ruby-colored for a little while. This did not happen last year. Perhaps it is because I fertilized them.

They bloomed in the same color as shown above...really pretty, but they are slow growers...at least for me.

I also planted the black fountain grass nearby (called black muelly?--sp?) and wow...I LOVE IT! Someone said it's "invasive" and I certainly hope so because I don't want it to freeze this "winter."

Thanks for the information. You had asked if the color of the blooms depended upon the type of soil acidity like hydrangea. I now wonder if the white color of the blooms was due to the fertilizer I applied and not the heat. They had never been pure white before. They do tend to take a while before establishing themselves. I don't think I have ever seen black fountain grass. I looked it up and the plumes are so beautiful. I wish I had some more places that I could plant more ornamental grasses.

Wow, the cold front sure arrived with a bang. I have to move lots of my plants into the greenhouse and wrap the inground ones today in the rain, cold and terrific wind. I spent all day yesterday repairig the greehouse cover. It had holes all in it from UV damage this summer. It had been replaced for free last fall due to excessive UV damage. Also, the tips of the small branches holding undeveloped the oak tree acorns which didn't fully develop due to the drought would break off and plunge through the plastic. I used about $70.00 wrth of greenhouse repair tape which I was able to find here in San Antonio yesterday after days of looking for some. I think that the cover of this brand of greenhouse needs removed in June because it can't take the hot Tewas sun. Maybe some year, I will have a "real" greenhouse. I wouldn't advise anyone in Texas or other "hot and sunny" states to purchase the kind I have. Of course, it was inexpensive. The cover was supposed to last for at least 4 years if in the sun and more years if in the shade. Both covers have only lasted one year each (even though they are in filtered shade for most of the summer) without starting to fall apart where the sun hits on it all the time. These are not being produced anymore (new covers can't be purchased) and I can surely understand why. However, they are still available for purchase by unsuspecting buyers. I think the covers are not really made of UV resistant material. This retailer did not know this and is not the company from which I bought it: however, the people there have assisted me with the problems with the covers. Mine is a 10 X 12 and cost a lot more than this. Ooops, I am sorry I got so far off the subject.

UV http://www.4seasongreenhouse.com/hobby-greenhouse-p-619.html

This message was edited Nov 30, 2006 7:14 AM

htop,

Thanks for the info!

You're quite welcome.