Impatient gardeners put pampas grass to the test. It takes time for the ornamental grass to grow really well, especially once you have planted it. Once it has settled into the location, growth is very rapid.
Why isn't my pampas grass growing?
If pampas grass does not grow, this may be due to a shady location, too much moisture, injured inflorescences or a male specimen. Provide a sunny, well-drained location and careful pruning to encourage growth.
Pampas grass takes time
Freshly planted pampas grass takes a bit of time to get used to. That's why hardly anything seems to happen in the first few weeks afterwards. Above all, you should not expect any flowering in the first few years. The ornamental grass only forms its decorative flower fronds after a few years.
Location and care must be right
In order for pampas grass to thrive and bloom after sowing, it needs a good location and some care. Planting pampas grass in a pot is possible.
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. Therefore, the soil must be permeable to water so that waterlogging cannot form. If there is a lot of drought, don't forget to water.
In order to reach the impressive height of more than two meters, pampas grass needs a lot of nutrients. Fertilize the ornamental grass regularly from March to September with fertilizer for ornamental grass (€8.00 on Amazon) or compost from the garden.
How fast does ornamental grass grow, when does pampas grass bloom and what to do if your pampas grass doesn't bloom?
Why does pampas grass not form fronds?
If the pampas grass does not form fronds even after several years, this can have various reasons:
- Location too shady
- still too early in the year
- Inflorescences injured when cutting
- Pampas grass is male
The flowering period of pampas grass only begins in late summer or autumn, depending on the variety. It lasts until November. However, if you damaged the initially barely noticeable inflorescences when cutting the ornamental grass, you will wait in vain for the fronds to appear this year. So be careful when cutting back the plant.
In contrast to female perennials, male pampas grass produces very few or no flowers. In this case, the only solution is to dig up the ornamental grass and plant a female ornamental grass as a replacement.
Tip
Pampas grass is hardy. In the first year after planting, you should still offer it winter protection, because it takes some time for the clump to form enough roots to survive sub-zero temperatures.