Actually I only cut one back this afternoon. We planted about 10 along our back road 6 years ago. We've never had much in the way of flowers and at the end of each season we're left with a bunch of dead grass. We've tried pulling our the dead grass hoping this will encourage new growth. This year I thought I'd try cutting one back and give it a good prune. I'm too chicken to do it to all of them. I wouldn't dream of burning them! We live on a island with NO fire department, so that is not an option. So, shoule I prune or just pull out the dead grass?
Like it or not, the best solution is to burn them! They will respond well. After all they really don't have much stock so its much like burning paper. It will all be over in a few minutes and you can stand by with a hose. If you leave them to continue they will look much the same next year as the droopy sample that you have now.
Burning anything in your back yard is illegal in most municipalities in the Lower Mainland. I don't know about Port Alberni.
Thanks for your reoly weekend gardener, however we are not in a municipality, and I'm still looking for info about pruning pampus grass. Any thoughts? Regards
I cut (or rather saw) my large clump of pampas grass back in late winter, and it looks funny for a few months and then comes back bigger and more beautiful. I don't think you will hurt it by cutting it back... I usually leave 3 or 4 inches only because it is hard to get closer to the ground.
Burning isn't essential to invigorate new growth, but certainly not out of the question. The fact that you've had this planted for 6 years without any results has me puzzled somewhat. I can't think of any plantings that do not grow well in our coastal climate, producing nice Autumn plumes. These are extremely adapable to many coastal conditions and should be healthy under any of our climactic situations. You've got me wondering. Cheers, LPN.
It needs full sun, and a good period of warm weather to produce plumes. I give mine a hair cut in early spring. And that's with the idea of keeping it tidy. That job, unfortunately is getting tougher every year, as the clump gets bigger. Probably not necessary, as I have seen better specimens than mine which had never seen the glint of the pruning shears.
