landscape grass

Oct 12, 2003 12 Replies

hi all, i was wondering when would be a good time to dig and transplant ornamental grass, such as pampas grass. and when should i cut it back. this is the grasses with tall flowering plumes that grow in clumps. i live in eastern ohio thanks


I would probably do both in the spring, but I have successfully transplanted ornamental grasses anytime. Water it well at the time of transplant, then water again the following day.

You can plant pampas grass anytime and it will live and before you know it you will wish it had died. At least thats the way I feel about mind.

Really. As a landscaper, I cringe when a client wants this removed. Last month we cut down a 10 year old stand and there were 1,257,898 roaches that ran out from the base as we destoyed the tops and and starting removing the dead mass hiding just below the tops. Almost had to get men to replace the men I was using(they weren't happy about the task because of the roaches)

samuel l crowe wrote:

great,, thanks for the replys,, maybe ill just cut it back, and wait till winter to transplant it

Ew. Are roach infestations common to other ornamental grasses or is this particular to just pampas grass? What other reasons do people have for not liking pampas? Not that 1,257,898 roaches isn't enough, but I do see the anti-pampas attitude often, and I've never figured out why.

Lorraine --- now rethinking landscaping plans.

I would have been doing it last week, but it's been wet and soggy here and not a very good time to mess with clay soils. You can do it any time, really. Ornamental grasses are extremely tough plants. I have to divide many of mine this year, so my plant sale will be great. Finally, after four years in this garden I have plants to sell to support my habit!

victoria

For this reason, when I cut my ornamental grasses to the ground in spring, I also comb out the dead centers. I take a rake and vigorously rake out anything dead in the center. That's when I will be dividing a huge stand of M.sinensis 'Cabaret' and 'Morning Light.'

I would never plant pampas grass.

For one reason, in many places it is a noxious weed and can easily push out native species. It's not allowed to be sold in California, I believe.

Outlaw Pampas Grass, and only outlaws will have Pampas Grass!

Those are 2 really nice specimens. I almost always use those in addition to a few others in a natural grass setting for clients. Yes, yes, I know, I'm a NPSOT'er, but, heck, can't ALWAYS go 100% with that pallette.

ined:

This was common to this clump of grass (4 of them) that kept growing green on the top and light-starving and shading what was underneath. The blades would not decompose fast enough and the roaches had heaven for home.

The anti-pampas attitude may come from several founts:

  1. The stuff is nasty. It eats chainsaw blades.
  2. The stuff is bullet-proof and bites back with razor sharp leaves when you go to remove.
  3. The stuff is a noxious plant and dominates, conquers, and eliminates native plant habitats.

Other than that, it does a good job at erosion control as it kils everything else around it. :)

JK

Lorra> =

ote:

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