Pre-drying of material to attain a uniform moisture status is common practice in litter breakdown studies. Previous studies in aquatic environments have demonstrated that this influences the subsequent rate of breakdown. This study investigated whether the same were true in terrestrial environments using six different grasses in two different communities: a Tristachya leucothrix – Loudetia simplexshort grassland and a Cymbopogon validus – Digitaria natalensismedium grassland. Results indicate that pre-drying may also alter the rate of breakdown of certain species in terrestrial environments. In one species, Eulalia villosa,pre-drying consistently retarded breakdown at both sites. Results from the remaining species were variable, but generally indicated little treatment effect. However, trends suggest that treatment effects may increase with progression of breakdown, and that these were opposite to those recorded for Eulalia villosa.