Ornamental grasses – whether pampas grass, bearskin, Japanese sedge, pennisetum or another type, these plants are considered to be less demanding to care for. And yet they resent one or two mistakes. What about fertilizing?
How should you fertilize ornamental grasses?
Ornamental grasses generally require little fertilizer and thrive in poor soils. It is advisable to add compost when planting and to use organic fertilizer such as humus or manure before new growth in spring and shortly before flowering in summer. Potted plants need more frequent fertilization.
Do ornamental grasses necessarily need fertilizer?
Most ornamental grasses feel best in poor soil. They don't need a lot of nutrients and still grow splendidly. Therefore, it is not necessarily necessary to provide ornamental grasses with fertilizer several times every year.
It is better to fertilize if there are deficiency symptoms
If your ornamental grass becomes weak in growth, often suffers from diseases or if other signs of a deficiency occur such as stalks turning yellow early or flowers falling out, fertilization makes sense.
The right time
Ornamental grasses should receive compost when planting. Fertilization is not only advisable when planting. It is also worth fertilizing ornamental grasses in subsequent years. The best time for this is before the new shoots appear in spring.
In addition, you can fertilize your ornamental grass a second time a year shortly before flowering. The majority of ornamental grasses bloom in midsummer. Apply fertilizer between June and July! But be careful not to fertilize ornamental grasses too late! Otherwise they become vulnerable to frost.
Suitable fertilizers for ornamental grasses
Organic fertilizers should be used for ornamental grasses. You can quickly become damaged by artificial fertilizers, as rapid growth robs them of stability. The following fertilizers are suitable for the slightly acidic to slightly alkaline and permeable soil in which they should grow:
- Compost
- Humus
- Manure
Ornamental grasses in pots should be fertilized more often. If you want to use liquid fertilizer (€6.00 on Amazon) for green plants, dose it in half the concentration and add it to the irrigation water.
Less is more
Don't fertilize your ornamental grasses too generously! If ornamental grasses receive too much nitrogen-rich fertilizer, they will grow tall quickly. However, their stalks are then less resistant and thin. The stability suffers enormously. In addition, too much fertilizer makes them more susceptible to diseases such as rust. It is therefore better to fertilize sparingly!
Tip
Particularly strong-growing ornamental grasses such as bamboo, miscanthus and pampas grass can also be provided with a thick mulch layer of bark.
