Why is the pampas grass not growing?

Why is the pampas grass not growing?

Pampas grass takes time

Freshly planted pampas grass takes some time to get used to. Therefore, hardly anything seems to happen in the first few weeks afterwards. Above all, you shouldn't expect any flowering in the first few years. The ornamental grass forms its decorative fronds only after a few years.

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Location and maintenance must be right

For pampas grass to thrive, it needs a good location and some care.

The location should be as sunny as possible. Pampas grass does not grow in the shade. The ornamental grass tolerates drought better than too much moisture. The soil must therefore be permeable to water so that waterlogging cannot build up. If it is very dry, do not forget to water.

To reach the imposing height of more than two meters, pampas grass needs a lot of nutrients. From March to September, fertilize the ornamental grass regularly with fertilizer for ornamental grass or compost from the garden.

Why is it when pampas grass does not form fronds?

If the pampas grass does not form fronds even after several years, this can have various causes:

  • Location too shady
  • too early in the year
  • Inflorescences injured when cutting
  • Pampas grass is male

The flowering time of pampas grass does not begin until late summer or autumn, depending on the variety. But it lasts until November. However, if you damaged the inflorescences, which were barely recognizable at first, when cutting the ornamental grass, you will wait in vain for the fronds this year. So be careful when pruning the plant.

In contrast to female perennials, male pampas grass produces very few or no flowers. In this case, the only thing that helps is to dig up the ornamental grass and plant a female ornamental grass as a replacement.

Tips

Pampas grass is hardy. In the first year after planting, you should still offer it winter protection, because it takes a while for the eyrie to form so many roots that it can withstand sub-zero temperatures.