Ornamental · Poaceae
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Give it full sun and lean soil, and this towering native grass stands tall from summer into winter.
Full sun
Every 7–21 days
60–90 days
USDA 3–9
Overview
Big bluestem is the grass that once ruled the tallgrass prairie, which is how it earned the nickname King of the Prairie Grasses. It's a warm-season native that climbs 4 to 8 feet (122 to 244 cm) in a single season, sending up blue-green stems that flush copper and red as fall arrives. The seed heads split into three fingers at the top, and that distinctive shape is why people also call it turkeyfoot.
This is one of the easiest plants you can grow, mostly because it wants so little from you. It shrugs off drought once its deep roots take hold, handles clay or sand or poor ground, and asks for no fertilizer at all. Give it sun and good drainage and it more or less runs itself.
It does carry a wild streak. Big bluestem self-seeds and spreads where conditions suit it, and it gets tall enough to swallow a small bed, so it shines best in meadows, large borders, and naturalistic plantings where it has room to move. Left standing through the cold months, the bleached stems and seed heads feed birds and hold their shape against the snow.
Care
The short version: full sun, lean and well-drained soil, and no fertilizer. Water it while it settles in, then leave it to the rain, and cut the old growth back once a year in late winter.
Light
Big bluestem wants full sun, meaning 6 or more hours of direct light a day. It will tolerate a little shade, but the stems grow weak and flop without strong sun, so the more it gets the better it stands.
Water
Water it regularly only while it's getting established. After that it's drought tolerant and lives on rainfall in average to dry soil, needing a drink only every 7 to 21 days in a real dry spell.
Soil
Plant it in lean, well-drained ground, anywhere from dry to medium. It takes poor, sandy, or clay soil in stride across a pH of 5.0 to 7.5, but rich, moist soil makes it grow soft and flop, so skip the heavy amendments.
Temperature
This is a wide-range plant, hardy through brutal cold and summer heat alike, taking temperatures from about -29°F to 104°F (-34°C to 40°C). It dies back to the ground each winter and pushes up fresh in the warmth of late spring.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air suits it, so there's no level to manage. Good airflow matters more than any humidity number, since open spacing helps keep the occasional leaf rust from settling in.
Feeding
Don't feed it. Big bluestem is a native that thrives on poor soil, and the extra fertility from fertilizer only grows weak, leggy stems that fall over.
Pruning
Cut the whole clump back to a few inches in late winter or early spring, before the new growth starts. Leave it standing through the cold months, where the dried stems and seed heads hold their shape and feed wildlife.
Repotting
Big bluestem rarely needs lifting. If an old clump starts to die out in the center or loses vigor after many years, dig and divide it in spring to renew the planting.
Size & spacing
Expect a mature plant to reach 4 to 8 feet (122 to 244 cm) tall with a base of 2 to 3 feet (61 to 91 cm). Give it that full footprint so the air can move and the clump can stand without crowding its neighbors.
When to plant
Big bluestem runs on summer heat and goes dormant in the cold. Start seed indoors in late winter after a cold-moist chill, set plants out once frost has passed in spring, or scatter seed dormant over fall and winter. The purplish turkey-foot heads arrive from late summer into fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Late winter to early spring, 8-10 weeks before last frost (cold-moist stratify seed)
- Plant: Spring after last frost, or dormant-seed in fall/winter
- Harvest: Late summer to fall (purplish turkey-foot seed heads)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
For such a tough grass, big bluestem has only a short list of troubles, and most trace back to too much shade or too rich a site. Read the early signs on the stems and leaves and the fix is usually simple. Match what you see below, then act before it sets the look of the whole clump.
Stems flop over and the clump splits open in the middle
Floppy big bluestem almost always means too little sun or too much feeding. In shade or on rich, fertile ground the stems grow soft and tall and can't hold themselves up. Move it into full sun, stop fertilizing, and cut it back hard in late winter so the new growth comes in sturdy. An upright cultivar like 'Blackhawks' settles the problem for good.
Fix:
- Site in full sun
- Stop fertilizing and avoid rich amendments
- Cut back hard in late winter so sturdy new growth emerges
- Choose an upright cultivar such as 'Blackhawks' if flopping persists
New seedlings pop up and the clump creeps past its spot
Big bluestem self-seeds freely and inches outward on short rhizomes, most eagerly in sunny, fertile, moist ground. Cut and remove the seed heads before they ripen if you want to hold it in check. You can also divide the clump in spring and simply pull or move any volunteers you don't want.
Fix:
- Cut and remove seed heads before they mature to limit self-seeding
- Divide and reduce the clump in spring
- Pull or transplant volunteer seedlings
A big clump that swamps a small bed and its neighbors
This is a tallgrass-prairie giant at heart, climbing 4 to 8 feet (122 to 244 cm) with a 2 to 3 foot (61 to 91 cm) base, so it dwarfs anything packed in close. Give it room as a backdrop or screen, or move it somewhere it can stretch out. Dividing the clump trims its footprint if you'd rather keep it in place.
Fix:
- Relocate to a larger space or use as a backdrop/screen
- Divide to reduce footprint
Orange, rusty bumps scattered across the leaves
Those raised orange specks are rust, a fungus that turns up now and then but rarely does real harm. Open the plant up to better airflow, strip off any badly spotted leaves, and cut the whole clump back in late winter to clear out the spores that overwinter. This grass has no other serious pests to speak of.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation
- Remove and dispose of heavily affected foliage
- Cut back in late winter to remove overwintering inoculum
Toxicity
Big bluestem is safe all around. It's a native prairie grass with no poisonous parts, not listed on any ASPCA toxic-plant roster, and it's actually prized as livestock forage. The only thing to watch is the pollen, which can stir up hay fever in people already sensitive to grasses.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Safe to be around. A cat that chews a few blades might cough one up, the way cats do with any grass, but nothing in the plant is poisonous.
Dogs None
No cause for worry here. The grass holds no toxins, and a dog can sniff or nibble it without harm.
Horses None
Perfectly safe. Horses graze big bluestem readily, and it counts among the better native pasture grasses for them.
Rabbits None
Fine for rabbits to graze. It's a plain grass with no poisonous parts.
Livestock None
Prized as forage rather than a threat. Cattle, goats, and sheep all eat it, and it ranks as top-quality grazing across the prairie.
Birds None
Harmless to birds, which feed on the seed and shelter in the standing clumps through winter.
People None
Not poisonous to handle or be near. The only real catch is the pollen, which can set off hay fever in people who already react to grasses.
Grass pollen can trigger seasonal hay-fever allergies in sensitive people, and pets that nibble grass may occasionally vomit, but the plant is not poisonous.
Varieties
Most big bluestem sold for gardens is grown for its fall color or its sturdier, upright habit. These are the named selections worth knowing.
Blackhawks
An upright, flop-resistant pick whose dark green spring leaves deepen to near-black by fall, named Perennial Plant of the Year for 2026.
Red October
Bred for its fall show, when the foliage turns a vivid red to red-purple.
Indian Warrior
A selection prized for the rich red-purple tones it takes on in autumn.
Dancing Wind
Stands out for the colorful red-tinged foliage it carries into fall.
Andropogon hallii (sand bluestem)
A close cousin built for dry, sandy ground that looks much like big bluestem itself.
Companions
Big bluestem pairs naturally with the other tallgrass-prairie plants it grew up alongside, grasses and sun-loving forbs that share its taste for full sun and well-drained ground.
Plant near
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum): Companion warm-season prairie grass often planted together for forage and naturalistic plantings.
Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans): Co-dominant tallgrass-prairie grass with matching site needs for meadow and restoration plantings.
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): Full-sun prairie forb that pairs well with big bluestem in native borders and meadows.
How to propagate
You can raise big bluestem from seed or split an existing clump, and either way it's an easy plant to multiply once you know its rhythm.
SeedEasy
Spring sowing, or dormant fall/winter seeding; cold-moist stratify for best germination · Somewhat slow to establish (1-2 seasons), then vigorous
Most plantings start from seed, sown in spring or scattered dormant over fall and winter, with a cold-moist chill first to wake the seed up. The seedlings come up strong, though the stand takes a season or two to settle in before it really takes off. After that it spreads on its own, self-seeding freely wherever conditions suit it.
DivisionEasy
Spring as new growth begins · One growing season
To make more plants fast or to shrink an oversized clump, dig and split an established one just as growth starts in spring. The divisions root in and fill out within a single season.
Myths
Big bluestem and little bluestem are the same plant.
They are different grasses in different genera. Big bluestem, Andropogon gerardii, towers up to 4 to 8 feet (122 to 244 cm) and carries the three-pronged turkey-foot seed head it's named for. Little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, is a separate genus and stays a modest 1 to 3 feet tall. The names sound alike, but the plants are not interchangeable.