Pampas Grass -

[symplastless]

We heard it for about 3 minutes and then it stopped. Has anyone else

It is too common with trees and plants that people desire to kill things they do not understand. Why not request information on how to give whatever it is a higher quality of life? How about a better understanding? If we go around trying to give things we do not understand a higher quality life, maybe our life will become a more high quality journey. Just something to think about.

Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist

Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.

[mleblanca]

Donna Pampas grass in Calif. is notorious for providing housing for rats.

I don't know about the popping sound. But- Do rats have little electric popcorn poppers? Take a good look and if you see a little electric cord...........

Emilie (who really doesn't know, but rats really do like PG.

[Kenneth D. Schillinger]

I would suspect that the seed pods were being deployed; does anyone know for sure that Pampas Grass uses that type of seed dispersal system? Ken.

SNIP

[mleblanca]

back yard and I've noticed when I walk past it

good guess, but No, Pampas Grass has great big fluffy heads, the seed are wind borne. Emilie

[Paul Cassel]

OK, I don't know squat about botany, but I had a huge pampas grass at my last place & never heard any pops.

If it were my plant, I'd look at it to determine the cause. Have you searched through the plant to see what's up? Did you yearly trim off the dead grasses?

When you say you hear it when you walk by, are you implying that the noise is triggered by your proximity?

I'm interested in this problem. Please search through the plant and report back what what you find. As to the poster who said pampas grass houses rats, there are many such plants where I live and I've never heard of rats in them. They seem to me to be benign plants.

[dyork]

I have some Pampas Grass my back yard and I've noticed when I walk past it I can hear an occasional popping noise. Well yesterday we were on my back screened in porch and it sounded like popcorn popping coming from the pampas grass. We heard it for about 3 minutes and then it stopped. Has anyone else ever heard this kind of noise coming from their pampas grass? What kind of critter is it and what do I treat my pampas grass with to kill whatever it is?

Donna/N.C.

[dyork]

I've thought about it and.....no....that's not the question I was asking. I guess there's one in every newsgroup!

Donna

[Amos Nomore]

Some of those who have responded to your query have tried to help you to realize that there may be compassionate alternatives to the killing you have in mind for whatever is making a noise in your grass. If you consider that to be flak, then you must be insensitive to the desires of many gardeners to act as harmoniously with nature as is possible in achieving their ends. Simply stating your question in a less militant manner would likely have fostered more useful discussion.

Fearing the unknown and killing that which we do not understand is a human problem of which many are becoming more acutely aware and weary. I know you intended no harm in your question, but many of us can be assumed to be concerned with its apparent thoughtlessness.

[Cheryl Cato]

Here in Texas - grasshoppers are common culprits.

Cheryl Burleson Co. TX Zone 8b

[symplastless]

It still does not change the fact that "YOU" have to go see what it is. We can not look for you. First find out what it is then go from there. Just what are you asking us to do?

Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist

Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.

[rachael simpson]

common residents here are crickets, grasshoppers, *frogs*, fireflies, katydids, sometimes field mice, occasionally a snake....what animal/bug/possible pest would make a popping sound?!? as the others have said, you have to look in your grass, then we might can tell how to treat it, if it is truly a problem. if your pampas grass is thriving, why would you want to possibly harm it to treat an unknown? chances are, nothing is actually harming your grass. if you have been hearing this sound for awhile, you should have noticed if it was affecting your pampas by now. here the only popping noise we hear in the yards would be an electric fence when grass/sticks, etc. is on it, or a bug zapper.

rae, also in nc

[katesgarden]

replying to dyork, katesgarden wrote: Hi, I am getting this sound. Did you ever find out what it was?

[mahalie]

replying to dyork, mahalie wrote: I found this because the pampas grass in my yard in Seattle is making a ton of popcorn noise right now. It's a sunny day and I trimmed it last week. I don't see any bugs. The big grass mound is so tightly bound with plant material I wonder if it's drying in the sun and making noise? Not sure, but crazy sound!

[Nancy Hessler]

replying to mahalie, Nancy Hessler wrote: I read this thread because I also heard the same crackling sounds coming from ornamental grasses and thought it may be a normal response to bright sunlight. I was appalled, however, at the trouncing the original poster got for merely asking about ridding her plants of pests. Anyone who claims to know anything on this subject of popping noises in ornamental grasses, ESPECIALLY an Arborist (a botanist would be more knowledgeable), would research prior to commenting rudely. Yes, the nioses in the grasses is normal. It is a response to certain weather conditions and is centered primaily in the body of the plant near the base, which is why pests were suspected...but the sound also can emit from the length of the individual dried stalks.

[Arcticmist57]

Yes - we had lawn people cut off the leaves/branches last fall. I was working on flower bed and kept hearing popping noise - it was from the pampas’s grass - serious popping. And then it stopped. Not sure what is cause my it ???