✂ Pruning Pampas Grass - QG Day 79 ✂

[@SpokenGarden]

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[@andrefolkes1010]

Thanks for your help with pamper grass ( it's over tackle taking garden over) we will sort it out as soon as it stops raining

[@DrewMobley]

Enjoyed the video on trimming the Pampas Grass. Moved into a house where the prior owners did not trim in years. Once I trim, there would still be a big ball of dead growth. We are talking about 3 feet in diameter and 3 feet high. I have seen where some people chain saw that down to the ground. If I were to do that, would it still come back next year? Hoping so, since I like it.

[@jerseyboy8017]

I just pruned my pampas grass. I found it helpful to use a hedge trimmer around the periphery first. This thinned out much of the overhanging growth allowing easier access to the big stalks. For sure wear long sleeves and pants 😮

[@jessuckakepow]

Oooooh man! I did NOT when I first worked w these suckers. Instead I was hot and wearing flip flops, a tank top and shorts and maaaaaaaaaaaaaaannn did I have regrets. Only did that one other time before I stopped being a ding dong.

[@lventura1901]

Just now tuning in (2024)… the bunch that’s left after you pruned will die back on the inside, like mine. My question is whether you pull that out when the new grass starts growing in? It appears to come out easily.

[@ronniemead805]

very helpful video. Thanks.

[@SpokenGarden]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!

[@alabamajenny8751]

We just planted pompass grass last summer. So it’s our first season. Its still cool here in sunny south! I was so glad to hear that you waited a little late too! This made me feel better about our pompous trees. We have three they’re not that big but they look pretty terrible right now. Thanks for the video, good job 👏🏽 thanks for the great tips!!

[@efrainissac]

Muchas gracias!!!!. Porq boy ha empesar ha costar. Thank you so much!!!

[@nenitawhitaker7557]

Definitely useful, and well choreographed, with just the right music. . I just started pruning a mammoth grass cluster that probably hadn't been cleaned since this house was built 30+ years ago, and only now realize what a gargantuan task it is. I would have appreciated two additional bits of info, namely the date you recommend for starting this (was June the best time?). And, as you cut down into the grass and find old dead stalks, how much do you actually remove? I find that after cleaning the dead core, I'm going to end up with a semi-circle of still living plants, namely the half of the grass that gets sun, Your plant ended up looking really good, and I would also be interested in knowing how it looks now after nine months. Thanks for this.

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Nenita! 👋 Wow, sounds like you have a good project there! 😉 For your first question, June was a bit late for us to prune these pampas grasses. Best time to do it, at least in our area (Pacific Northwest, Zone 8b), is the very end of February all the way to the end of March. For your second question, we remove what we can actually get to with the least amount of work, because these plants are soooo big and their leaves are razor-sharp, so the less time and effort using loppers even with extended handles to cut the flower stalks away the better. So, we cut down below where we will trim the leaves to so they are a little more hidden. Here are some great loppers to think about using the next time you want to go down as far as possible on these plants: amzn.to/3cf8OhS As for seeing a 9 month later picture, sorry. Sean just pruned these ones back you see in this video recently, with a chainsaw. 😲 Not kidding. 😃 Thank you sooo much for watching and commenting on our video! Good luck with your project and we are sure you will do a great job. 😉👍💪

[@sporadictravels241]

Awesome job, guys! Thank you!!!

[@normajmeza]

Thank you 😊

[@briansmith8749]

Thanks for the info guys. My wife planted pampas grass and I have no idea what to do!

[@andywash894]

Pull it out before it gets big. Pain in the butt to cut back every year. The leaves are like razors

[@StanJones-cu8tj]

Good video

[@chevrelait]

mine grew in a circle... after removing the 'canes' i trimmed the leaves and threw the debris in the middle... the following season was perfect... 12' tall, 8' wide

[@Eddie-is-King]

Hmm I was starting to wonder WHEN they might get the rake out to avoid all that bending and scratching around to collect the cut leaves!! Forget the shears etc - far easier just to get the electric hedge trimmer out!!

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Graham! 👋 Yep, that debris is a "handful".... see what we did there. 😉 Some the debris can be raked and gathered using a rake and then other larger, harder to manage pieces just need that good-old "hands-on approach" (see that one too, ha!). We have noticed that whether we use the manual or power hedge shears, they both dull really quick and need to be sharpened almost after finishing one large Pampas Grass. It's fun using all the different tools to get the job done. Thanks for watching! 👍

[@ericw7381]

I agree with using an electric hedge trimmer! Makes quick work and trims much closer to the ground. Love pampas!

[@mima4392]

I use gas a trimmer for all of my grasses.

[@francesmingo7623]

That is a beautiful plant. Where would I find one I live in zone 8AVirginia Beach, Virginia.

[@pennyhoffman8574]

I have miniature pampas grass in a urn. I trimmed them back just like your video shows. The grass is coming back beautifully but the plume is not. Does it take longer?

[@onetrueheart]

Thank you

[@lainecreech444]

Thank you.. very helpful

[@evelynholmes7105]

So why do you have to cut it all down ??🤔🤔,,it looked pretty

[@statueman1000]

Hello, I am a maintenance gardener in East Sussex, United Kingdom. I liked your Pampus grass xideo. Should I actually take it all down to about 8"-12"? I believe that the growth rate is pretty huge each season

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Matt! 👋 Thank you for watching and "Hello" from across the pond! 😉 That's fun you get to garden for a living. 👍 Sean was a gardener for a local school district for 8+ years, so he can relate. We would recommend only taking each pampus grass down only by half, in general. If you are working with older (7+ years) and larger pampus grasses, then a really hard cut, like down to 1 foot or shorter from the ground can be ok, but be aware that a hard cutting will shock each plant and will force it to regrow rather quickly. A hard cut will also make each plant more susceptible to any pests or diseases, so if they aren't in the best of health before you cut them, let them become healthy before hard cutting them. Hope that helps and good luck with your pampas grass! 😊💪

[@MariMari-vq8hl]

My main concern is that the seeds will blow into my neighbor’s yard and possibly grow? I read a reply that you mentioned it will need “weeding” since it self-seeds so it won’t spread but the ones that blow away may be an issue. I really do like the pink plume colors and the big growth potential of the blades for privacy (not so much the sharpness) but I Would hate for my neighbors to complain about they yard suddenly having pampas and it would be obvious it would be mine (not much people growing them in our small neighborhood). Also, I saw that there is a white plume version that is a non-seeding dwarf but I wonder how tall it grows and if they have pink? I couldn’t find any more info during searches.

[@SpokenGarden]

Thank you for watching! 🎉Preorder our upcoming book from Cool Springs Press, "Growing Plants and Flowers": amzn.to/2DnzJJy

[@rebekahshirley8661]

Hey, I am in the UK and have moved into a house with a huge pampus grass in the front garden, I'm not sure when it was last pruned. So I started pulling out the brown dried leaves (it's spring here) as I'm pulling them out they are breaking off and I think the centre is rotten/dead. So I guess I need to split the crown. I don't want to kill this plant as it's not mine so should I keep pulling these dead reeds out or just trim as you have done? The plumes looked dead so I pulled those out too, I guess I'm a hard pruner and now I'm worried I went too far 😬

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Rebekah! Sorry for not getting back to you until now. We actually answered your question on this past Saturday's Q & A video, too. You can totally still pull the dead reeds and flower plume stalks out. It won't hurt the plant. 😉 Some people will just leave all that in the plant along with the live, growing reeds and the plant will be ok, too. For the dead or rotten center, that is actually just a characteristic of pampas grass, where as they get a lot older and bigger, they keep expanding their crown to grow out, but the inner part eventually dies and it becomes this void in the center of each plant. Your suggestion to split or divide the plant is spot-on. 👍 You can use a shovel or spade to cut away circular chunks to then have new plants to place around your garden or giveaway to friends and family, neighbors. We actually have to do exactly this for a client of ours soon, so we will put that in an upcoming video, hopefully this April. Make sure to wear long sleeve shirts and gloves when handling any part of this plant. The reeds are razor sharp. Thank you for watching and asking these great questions! 💪😃

[@kerrysecker4447]

Hi rebekah, I'm in the uk and have just moved house with a huge neglected pampas grass in the garden too, lol. I'm definitely no gardener but love the plant itself. Thanks for asking the question, will make a start on tackling mine this weekend 🤞wish me luck lol.

[@lmo1131]

Pampas grass is an invasive weed. That said, my mom and dad loved their stand of it. They always burned it off in the fall; none of this chopping, and bleeding (it has razor sharp leaves). When you burn it off it always comes back magnificently.

[@MsSamanthahaack]

We have 2 large pampas grass plants at our entrance of our neighborhood and was wondering if I need to cut them down that much? I have a pic of it to show you what it looks like

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Samantha! 👋 Great question and it depends on what your overall goal is for them. Are you looking to reduce their size for safety and line-of-site for walking or car traffic? Do they need to be brought back under control because they haven't been for some time? Is there space issue? That's great you have a picture to show us. Yes, please send to [e-mail] and we can help you. Thank you for watching!

[@tazmankb26]

Nice job- what is the preferred time of the year to prune since it blooms with those gorgeous flumes in the Fall?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Tazmankb26! 👋 Thank you for watching and saying that. Great question: general pruning should happen after a plant has had a chance to flower, but there are always caveats to this. Your plants health is especially important to take into consideration. Is it healthy enough to be pruned or does it need to get healthier before pruning can happen (level of stress it is already under, then add any pruning stress to that). In our climate (Zone 8b), there are a couple different ways we can prune the Pampas Grass. One way is to prune out only the flowers/plumes/flumes after they start to wither, but leave the actual grass blades alone to let the plant keep it's general shape and "breeziness". Another way is to prune away and remove the old flowers and stalks, along with their grass blades, but be sure to know that when you trim and shape the grass blades, it will trigger or stimulate the plant to grow new blades, so probably a good idea to do this in mid-spring or when the threat of freezing temperatures has past so new growth and tissue doesn't get cold damage. Hope that helps. Be sure to follow practices that are specific to your hardiness zoning and regional climate. Thanks for watching and commenting. 😉

[@tazmankb26]

@@SpokenGarden Thanks I'm also in 8B (25 miles south of Dallas). I have one that I want to relocate cause it does not bloom due to not getting enough sun and doesn't fit well with what I'm planning for that area (Japanese Style Zen Garden). All my other ones are super healthy with 20 to 30 blooms per.

[@foxiedogitchypaws7141]

I love them I have 6

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Foxie Dog! 👋 Thank you for watching and that's soo fun that you have that many of these plants. Wow! 👍😃

[@jasonthomas8515]

Hey, is there’s a certain time of year that you supposed to prune these. I paid my lawn guy to prune mine because it felt like a mugger would hide behind it. Every since then it has grown blocky looking. More dead than green. We have poured plant nutrients on it etc. what should we do? Thanks

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi @jasonthomas8515! 👋🏼👋🏼 Great question and it's good that you have been maintaining your pampas grass. They can get ratty-looking after a while and, we agree, take away any hiding places. Yes, there is a certain time of year to cut them back, usually after they flower, so here in our climate, that is usually mid to lad February, but a little later is fine too. Really, most Pampas Grass are super tough plants, so you can cut them back almost any time of year, as long as it's not during extreme heat or cold. Most thrive in loamy, sandy soils with a neutral or slightly acidic pH level. The blockiness in growth could be partially from the pruning and just an initial reaction, especially if this is its first major pruning. Also, if you have used any pre-emergent herbicide in your garden beds around them, like Preen or something similar, this can also have an effect on stressed plants. So, timing between pruning and applying any kind of herbicide should be at least 6-8 weeks a part, if this is part of your gardening. The brown die-back could be caused from lack of water, intense heat, and some other factors, but it's hard to pinpoint. If you have only had it pruned hard once, let it grow and see how it fairs during this next year. Best thing to do is give it the water and nutrients it needs, grow it in the best soil you can, and wait it out to see what happens. Hope all this helps, even a little, and thank you for watching, and for your question. 😉👍🏼

[@LandOfJuncoville]

Thanks! Bought a house this past year with beautiful pampas grass around pool deck and I hate to loose our privacy but I know it needs to be done.

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Grovie Mom! 👋 Thank you for watching and we hope our video helped. Make sure to wear long sleeves and gloves so your arms and hands don't get cut up. Ouch!! 😊💪

[@tonyoconnell8506]

My mothers pampas grass hadn’t been cut for over 10 years. Right down to the root was layers and layers of dead shoots and stems, obviously stopping the new ones coming through. I recently took it right back to the root and cleared all of the foliage. I’m seeing that maybe I should have left some but do you have any recommendations for caring for it from just a root/stump. It’s a big dark lump at the back and lighter at the front. Thank you for your reply if you see this.

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi S7ONEY! 👋 That's a big job to cut this old and large of a pampas grass. When pruning any plant, there is fine-line to pruning when you get to the stem/root confluence area or also known as the crown. If you prune down to the crown area and possibly prune past it to the actual roots of any plant, regrowth of the plant is extremely hard because what's left of the plant is just it's roots and not that different tissue where it can grow stems and leaves. Hopefully you didn't cut and remove the whole crown of the pampas grass. If you see some lighter-colored tissue at or just above the ground level, this could still be some of the crown left and this could regrow over time. We hope it grows back. Thank you for watching and commenting! 👍😃

[@MariMari-vq8hl]

Did it grow back?? Curious as I’m undecided if I’d like to grow these on our hill for privacy or in a pot to see if I can handle the maintenance 😂 I have kids so I’m worried about the sharp blades but I would love to grow the pink plumes for decor and to sell

[@velmapainter1196]

I have my pompadour grass cut short and it curled up what can I do to fix it

[@GODISGOOD3612]

Hey question. I planted some early spring and they are still small. But do I cut those back being so small? Mine are about 3 ft tall very young. Ty

[@sandra-caz]

I’d like to know that too 🤔 mines new and small

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Darci! 👋 Thank you for watching and great question! That's sooo fun you planted some pampas grass. Yay! If they are young-ish plants, only being around 3 feet tall and were planted not even a year ago, we would suggest letting them be and not cutting them back yet, like you see us doing in this video. The pampas grass in this video are at least 10 years old and can take a hard cutting/pruning as we did in the video. Your young plants need to not be hard pruned for at least 1 or even 2 years to grow in their new location where you planted them so they can get established and be healthy. You could prune away any of the flower plumes and their stalks so you don't spread any seeds and can keep them looking tidy. Just no hard pruning of the leaves yet. If they stay healthy and keep growing steadily, maybe start cutting them back in their 3rd or 4th year in your garden. In this video, these pampas grass are starting to out-grow their space and growing into the lawn areas, so we really cut them back to keep them contained. With your smaller pampas grass, they probably aren't overgrowing their space yet so, no need to prune them too hard. That's how we would handle it. Hope that helps you and please let us know if we can help with anything else. Thanks again for watching! 👍😃

[@LarryBruceBelfairWA.]

What if I never trim and let grow will it bloom every year and stay in say a 5x5' area?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Larbrularbru! 👋 Good question. If you trim it every year, once a year, preferably after it blooms, then it will keep growing and blooming year after year. Pampas grass in general can get quite large and exceed a 5'x5' growing area. You have a couple of options, depending on your garden situation; you can divide the crown to make the plant smaller and it will regrow it's crown OR you can plant it in a concrete planter to contain its size. Hope that helps and thanks for watching and commenting! 😃👍

[@dinoapolito5354]

Is it too late to do this June?

[@chrisfox4466]

Had my Pampas Grass in for 1 year and if I trim it back how long does it take to grow back with the straw like shoots not just the green grass.

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi @chrisfox4466 !! 👋👋 That's a great question and we are super-happy you asked before you did it, because your plant is just planted a year ago, trimming it drastically back, like Sean does in this video, might do more damage than good or even kill it. Since your plant is only a year old in its new home, maybe this year give it 1/2 haircut instead of a whole cut, like in our video. This way your plant won't be too stressed from a hard-pruning and you still get to enjoy some of its grass blades while it grows back. Completely up to you, but we would suggest a 1/2 cut this year and then, once it gets up to 2-3 years old AND is starting to spread, give it a harder cutting (pruning). Hope this helps and thanks for watching and for your question! 😊😁👍👍

[@chrisfox4466]

@@SpokenGarden thanks I will do that this year great help thanks.

[@motorradingaround1220]

What is proper time of year to trim the pompas grass is it spring or fall

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Motorrading Around! 👋 Great questions! We always recommend to prune any plant generally after it is done flowering so it has a chance to go through it's reproductive cycle. For pampas grass, you can prune out the tall flowering canes once the feathery flowers start to either turn brown or have lost their feathery look cause the seeds have blown away. You can cut these canes down into the grass to hide your cuts. If you want to trim your pampas grass into more of a ball shape, then you should wait until early spring after the threat of frost has past. This is what we do here in our area, Zone 8B. Basically, wait to shape the pampas grass until it has woken up from dormancy over winter and is starting to actively grow. Otherwise a hard pruning to shape it could stimulate new growth at the wrong time of year with cold temperatures that could do a lot of damage to the new growth and tissue that was stimulated by the shape pruning. If you need to prune for rights-of-way or safety and security, then that can be a whole different approach taking into account what's needed for safety and then balancing that with the plants needs and how much pruning it can withstand. We hope that makes sense. Let us know if you have more questions. Thanks for watching and for commenting! Great questions! 😉👍

[@dariawielebinski182]

@@SpokenGarden We live in Corola NC, when should we trim our grass and how short? We have new plants that are not too big. Thanks!

[@QuantumRadii]

Thanks for the video! I have a question regarding a neglected pampass grass cluster (actually three clusters). We cleaned out all the dead foliage on the ground and low to the ground. The largest plant is 3.5 feet tall before the green foliage begins. Should we cut everything off and take it all the down to, or almost to, the ground? I’m building a deck and need to trim them back, but don’t want to kill them but the previous home owner clearly never pruned them at all, let alone annually. Thanks for any advice!

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi D Carlson! 👋 Great question. We actually talking about your question last week on our Saturday Live (2/6) kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYfIeZ-Pjr-Mp9E because it was such a great question and pulled from both maintenance and design for gardening. Really, we would only cut it back to maybe half (or less than half) of it's original size for height and then shape the sides around it. Mounding is a typical shape to prune these plants into, fyi. Make sure to wait until they are done flowering so they run through their biological/reproduction cycle and don't get confused later on. Cutting them almost or all the way down to the ground can unintentionally create massive stress for this or any plant and take your pruning into the rehabilitation (extreme) side of things which you might not want to do. This type of pruning creates dieback above and below ground and can lead to other pest and disease issues, especially with older, slower growing plants that can't adapt very fast (or have the ability to adapt at all). If these Pampas Grass are really close (within 3 feet) of your home or your new deck, we would recommend that you continue your construction, but transplant the plants within the 3ft-zone of home or deck to be relocated elsewhere in your yard so you don't run into the same close-growing issue (or other issues) in the future. Hope that helps and let us know how your deck project goes! Thanks for watching and commenting! 😉👍💪

[@stephanieshort]

I have read that they should be cut down to ground level and to dig up and thin them out, now I don't know what to do.

[@buddy77587]

couldn't you use a hedge clipper

[@mechellewebb2038]

What time of year is best to stim this kinda bush?

[@Brockton153]

Late winter

[@southernpatriot6169]

Much easier to tie it up or use duct tape and then cut it with hedge trimmers below the string or tape. No mess!

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Southern Patriot! 👋 Interesting idea. The duct-tape would keep it in place and together for an easier cleanup, definitely. But ... what about the duct-tape mixed in with all the yardwaste and debris? Would it all mixed together make it then garbage and not green waste? Thanks for commenting and watching! We love out-of-the-box ideas, so keep them coming. 👍😃

[@hillaryly9124]

How do I start growing this grass?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Hillary! ✋ Good question. You will be looking for (latin name) Cortaderia selloana or commonly known as Pampas Grass. It is an evergreen perennial grass that is hardy to USDA zone 7. It loves full sun and will grow in almost any water conditions (just not in desert conditions). It can grow in nutrient rich or poor soils. It can reach a mature height of 8+ feet tall and 4+ feet wide, so make sure it has plenty of room to grow into. It can self-seed and spread around your garden and your neighbors, so weeding will be needed to control any spreading of this plant. Hope that helps and thank you for watching and commenting. 😃

[@numbnerve]

That beast needs to be divided before the middle dies out. You should show others just how much work THAT is 😓

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Numbnerve! 👋 Good point. Som other pampas grasses on this property are already starting to have their middles void of growth, and are definitely "beasts" as you put it. If definitely is a lot of work and we should get a tractor for that, right. 😉 Power tools and machines are always a good idea! Thanks for watching and commenting! 👍😊

[@agaan1897]

what happen if you go another feet down?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Aga An! 👋 Good question. If your Pampas grass is in good health, it could take a further cutting down about a foot, but it will create more stress on that plant and could open it up to either pests or some other problems if growing conditions are the best. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching! 😃

[@ericw7381]

I’ve found that pampas grass is hard to kill. I trimmed one way down and dug it up with plans to dispose of it. About 2 weeks later my neighbor asked for it. We drug it to his yard, dug a shallow hole and dropped it in. Within days there was new growth and a month or so later was getting big.

[@edragerful]

If I were to cut the stem half way up, leaving the bottom half rooted, would the stem grow more pampas grass?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Emilia! 👋 Good question. Technically, each flower stalk is only for that one flower, so once you cut it, that should be it until next year when a new stalk will grow from the base of the plant. Now, there could be a one or two cultivars out there that might have continual flowering if regular flower harvesting happens, but this specific plant in our video only produces the one time flower stalks for each flower. Once they are cut, it won't regrow on that specific stalk again. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching! 😊👍

[@markfisher5628]

Pampas grass is illegal here in New Zealand, we have a native variety called toetoe i need to trim 25 plants but they are the mountain variety so don't get as big as yours 👍

[@zippitydoodah5693]

My neighbor has 6 of these on the property line. He burns his every year.

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Zippitydooda! 👋 Wow, we haven't heard of or seen anyone actually burning their pompas grass plants on a yearly basis to keep them maintained. Glad it works for him and there are always different ways to do things. Thank you for watching and for commenting!

[@hailbop2121]

I know a person who sells the blooms for big money. I believe they sell to fancy hotels for flower arrangements. I think papas has its ugly 😕

[@SpokenGarden]

Wow! Interesting they use them for flower arrangements. 🤔 The grass looks beautiful in beachy settings when it moves in the wind but does take a lot of work to maintain (if you want to do it right).

[@andywash894]

Using a hedge trimmer is much easier

[@carolingram7473]

Thank you

[@SpokenGarden]

You're welcome! We hope this was helpful!