Pampas grass is a very interesting plant and attracts attention. Do you know how to grow it properly?

Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) is one of the tallest grasses in the world but you can grow it in your garden too. It blooms in September, but it remains attractive throughout the winter.

It comes from South America, so frost will kill it, and you need to cover it in winter – preferably with twigs. If you want to grow pampas grass buy seeds and sow them rather loosely, not too densely, in suitable containers with fine and moist substrate. Lightly cover with soil and then, cover the container with a foil. Put the container in a room or spot where the temperature is around 16°C.

When you start seeing sprouts, remove the foil and continue to water lightly and when the grass reaches 4 to 5 cm you can transplant it into small pots (3 to 5 seedlings per pot),

How to grow pampas grass

Caring for pampas grass is not complicated at all. Young plants need a rather loose soil so roots can easily develop. You can transplant young grass plants outside in mid-May but make sure to plant them to the same depth as in the pot. Also be careful not to cover grass nodes with soil. Seedlings will grow pretty wild, so keep a distance of at least 120 cm between them.

Photo: Pixabay

Freshly planted plants require frequent but moderate watering. We recommend using a garden sprayer for best results. Once they grow strong, they will only need little watering and only if the summer is really hot (you know if leaves start to wilt a bit). Be careful with fertilizers. Pampa grass grows on poor soils and too much nutrients may harm it.

Mulching is recommended

Make sure that the area around pampas grass is always well covered with suitable mulch. You can use gravel, bark, sawdust, etc. This will prevent the soil from drying and it will also serve a nice decorative touch.

Winter care

When the autumn comes, try tying grass shoots together and wrap foil around the bundles to protect them from moisture. You may reinforce the foil with stakes but do not tighten the foil too much. Grass must be able to breathe, otherwise it may start rotting. A good idea is to sprinkle bark, leaves or sawdust around roots – 20-30 cm thick layer.

Preview photo: Pixabay