Tufted Hair Grass is a cover crop — grown to build and protect the soil rather than for a harvest of its own. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9 and shrugs off deer.
Tufted Hair Grass — the short answer
Tufted Hair Grass: grown in zones 3–9, full sun, pH 5.5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5
- USDA PLANTS
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Tufted Hair Grass on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether tufted hair grass actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score tufted hair grass against your land's real conditions.
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See Tufted Hair Grass
What Tufted Hair Grass is
Tufted Hair Grass grows as a perennial and reaches around three feet at maturity. It blooms yellow in mid summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Tufted Hair Grass
Tufted Hair Grass grows in USDA zones 3 through 9. Tufted Hair Grass does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5.
USDA Zones
3-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.5 - 7.5
USDA PLANTS
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
Data pending
Growable Ground plant catalog
Cold Hardiness
-43°F
The coldest temperature this plant is documented to survive.
USDA PLANTS
Mature Height
3 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
0+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant tufted hair grass in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun.
Match the soil
Tufted Hair Grass prefers pH 5.5 to 7.5 (USDA PLANTS). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Turn it in before it seeds
Cut tufted hair grass down or turn it into the soil before it sets seed, while the growth is still green — that's when it returns the most to the ground.
Where Tufted Hair Grass thrives
Tufted Hair Grass is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 3–9 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 42 outright and splits 9 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 3–9·Where Tufted Hair Grass growsOpen map →
Where Tufted Hair Grass stands, state by state
Tufted Hair Grass is rated for zones 3–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 42 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 9 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–9
42 states
3 of 42 shown
The line runs through
9 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
3 of 9 shown
Tufted Hair Grass’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Tufted Hair Grass
Growing guides for tufted hair grass
In rotation planning, tufted hair grass counts as a Grass — beds recover best when grass crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in grass/groundcover
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — tufted hair grass isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Tufted Hair Grass isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data — pair it with high-value bloomers nearby to feed bees.
Your land is one point inside Tufted Hair Grass's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Tufted Hair Grass will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether tufted hair grass actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Tufted Hair Grass
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Tufted Hair Grass in my zone?
Tufted Hair Grass grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Tufted Hair Grass?
Time tufted hair grass to your own season rather than the calendar. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Tufted Hair Grass need?
Tufted Hair Grass needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Tufted Hair Grass need?
Tufted Hair Grass prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7.5 (USDA PLANTS). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Tufted Hair Grass attract pollinators?
Tufted Hair Grass isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data. Pairing it with high-value bloomers nearby keeps bees and butterflies fed.
Is Tufted Hair Grass safe for pets?
Tufted Hair Grass is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)