Background and aims <p>“Bare land”, namely extremely degraded alpine meadows, is one of the most challenging grassland types to restore. Grassland cultivation is recognized as the primary approach for restoring the “bare land”. Importantly, the colonization of sedges (the climax species of alpine meadows) serves as a critical determinant of restoration outcomes in cultivated grasslands. However, the reproductive dynamics and underlying driving factors of sedges during long-term recovery remain poorly understood.</p> Methods <p>This study surveyed 11 cultivated grassland plots representing different restoration stages (S1: 1–6, S2: 7–13, S3: 14–20 and S4: &gt; 21 years) in the Three-River Headwater Region (TRHR), with “bare land” and healthy alpine meadow as controls. Sedge reproductive modules and biotic and abiotic data were measured to examine the dynamics and drivers of sedge reproductive strategies during the recovery process.</p> Results <p>Restoration actions significantly increased the number of flower shoots, clonal modules and the proportion of sexual reproduction of sedges in the cultivated grasslands at S2, S3 and S4. As recovery time progressed, most biotic and abiotic factors showed no significant differences between the cultivated grasslands and healthy alpine meadows. Grass and forb abundance, soil bacterial Chao1 index, bulk density, organic carbon and available phosphorus were identified as key drivers. Specifically, these factors significantly influenced the number of flower shoots, total clonal modules and the proportion of sexual reproduction of sedges.</p> Conclusions <p>Active restoration effectively promoted the colonization of sedges, with vegetative reproduction remaining dominant and sexual reproduction serving a supplementary role.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>