Variety field guide
What to expect from Variegated Cat Grass
Variegated Cat Grass grows soft blades striped with green and cream, making a bright little pot for a sunny windowsill.
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Variegated Cat Grass grows soft blades striped with green and cream, making a bright little pot for a sunny windowsill. This is an ornamental barley selection, with young foliage offered for cats to nibble or simply enjoyed for its contrasting color. It starts quickly from seed and can also edge a garden bed or mixed container. Sow fresh pots in succession for tender growth, and let the roots become established before a curious cat starts grazing.
Minimum seeds per packet: 200 seeds.
Fresh striped grass for a windowsill and curious cats.
Variety and background
Variegated Cat Grass is one variegated Hordeum vulgare barley selection, not a grass-species mixture. Uncut mature plants can reach 2-3 feet; young foliage is much shorter.
Growing facts
| Scientific name | Hordeum vulgare L. |
|---|---|
| Life cycle | Annual |
| Maturity / harvest basis | 30-39 Days |
| Seed depth | 1/2 in |
| Germination | 3-7 days |
| Germination temperature | 50-65 F |
| Plant height / spread | 2-3 ft when allowed to mature |
| Habit | Clumping/Tufted |
| Plant spacing | 2 in |
| Row spacing | 8 in |
| Sunlight | Full sun |
| Pollination type | Open-Pollinated (OP) |
Starting from seed
Sow 1/2 in. deep in moist, draining potting mix. At 50-65 F allow 3-7 days. Grow thickly in pots, or space 2 in. apart, rows 8 in. apart. Give good light and even moisture; drain excess water and rotate indoor pots for even growth.
Planting and care
Sow 1/2 in. deep in moist, draining potting mix. At 50-65 F allow 3-7 days. Grow thickly in pots, or space 2 in. apart, rows 8 in. apart. Give good light and even moisture; drain excess water and rotate indoor pots for even growth. Variegated Cat Grass is one variegated Hordeum vulgare barley selection, not a grass-species mixture. Uncut mature plants can reach 2-3 feet; young foliage is much shorter.
Harvest and use
Offer tender young blades once rooted; replace coarse or moldy pots before stiff seed heads form. Keep food-unsafe sprays away. For seed, grow separate plants to dry heads, thresh and finish drying before cool, dry storage.
Saving seed
Select several healthy, true-to-type Variegated Cat Grass plants that match the expected clumping/tufted habit and overall plant form. Avoid saving seed only from the earliest or largest individual unless that is your deliberate selection goal. Pollination system: Grain or cover-crop seed system. Pollination biology differs: barley is largely self-pollinated, rye is wind-crossed, and buckwheat depends strongly on insects. Separate compatible varieties that may flower together, or use cages, barriers, hand pollination, or another documented control appropriate to the crop. Allow selected plants to pass the eating stage and reach full botanical seed maturity. Harvest only when seed heads, pods, or fruits have matured enough for sound seed development. Clean the seed carefully, dry it thoroughly away from direct heat, label the lot with variety and year, and store it cool, dark, and dry. Test germination before an important planting or distribution season.
Common problems
Common concerns: Bird feeding, seedling damping-off, rusts, smuts, aphids, and lodging where stands are overly lush or exposed. Management: Use clean seed, suitable planting density, rotation, timely termination or harvest, and field sanitation. Diagnosis note: Similar symptoms can have different causes. Compare plants of the same age, record weather and irrigation, and use local Extension or diagnostic support before applying a control.
Frequently asked questions
What distinguishes this selection?
Variegated Cat Grass is one variegated Hordeum vulgare barley selection, not a grass-species mixture. Uncut mature plants can reach 2-3 feet; young foliage is much shorter.
How should I start it?
Sow 1/2 in. deep in moist, draining potting mix. At 50-65 F allow 3-7 days. Grow thickly in pots, or space 2 in. apart, rows 8 in. apart. Give good light and even moisture; drain excess water and rotate indoor pots for even growth.
When and how should I harvest?
Offer tender young blades once rooted; replace coarse or moldy pots before stiff seed heads form. Keep food-unsafe sprays away. For seed, grow separate plants to dry heads, thresh and finish drying before cool, dry storage.
Can I save seed?
Select several healthy, true-to-type Variegated Cat Grass plants that match the expected clumping/tufted habit and overall plant form. Avoid saving seed only from the earliest or largest individual unless that is your deliberate selection goal. Pollination system: Grain or cover-crop seed system. Pollination biology differs: barley is largely self-pollinated, rye is wind-crossed, and buckwheat depends strongly on insects. Separate compatible varieties that may flower together, or use cages, barriers, hand pollination, or another documented control appropriate to the crop. Allow selected plants to pass the eating stage and reach full botanical seed maturity. Harvest only when seed heads, pods, or fruits have matured enough for sound seed development. Clean the seed carefully, dry it thoroughly away from direct heat, label the lot with variety and year, and store it cool, dark, and dry. Test germination before an important planting or distribution season.
