Pampas grass also known as, pampa, serra divisa, big headed arrowhead and saris is a popular ornamental grass. It is used as a ground cover and also for live hedging. It has a textured look and can grow tall without support. It’s a fast growing grass that spreads quickly in garden beds, patios, yards and farms. It can get mammoth and out of control easily.
If you have pampas grass in your yard or farm and don’t know how to go about pruning it, you have come to the right place. We’ll go over everything you need to know about pruning pampas grass here in this guide. Pruning Pampas Grass is both a simple and fun task. The goal of Pruning Pampas Grass is to maintain healthy plants, because dead leaves can harbour diseases and pests. It is also done to shape the appearance of your yard into something beautiful!
First things first, what will you actually need? – a good pair of loppers, some gardening shears, and a hedge trimmer if you have one. Pampas leaves are razor sharp so you do need to wear your gloves and your protective
gear long sleeves and goggles especially when you’re clearing up. Use caution when handling cut stems and seed heads, cut stems and seed heads in an area with good ventilation. Don’t prune if you are allergic to grass or to pollen.
When’s the best time to prune? Fall is ideal, when the stems are dry. Avoid pruning during spring or summer, especially when the stems are wet.
Now, onto the task at hand. It may seem drastic, but start by cutting as close to the ground as possible. For extensive growth, consider hiring a professional. For smaller plants, a DIY approach suffices—just trim them to ground level. Remove all dead leaves and cut through the base of each sheath. Begin thinning your plants by cutting them down to 6 inches tall, then gradually thinning outward as they grow. Keep at it until no leaves remain; they’ll rebound beautifully. While some resort to burning, we advise against it for safety reasons.
Once they’re established you don’t need to do anything to them, using general purpose compost would do the job just fine.
We hope this was helpful 🙂