How to Trim a Pampas Grass Plant

Pampas grass in your landscape provides a low maintenance ornamental addition to your garden. The grass provides a stunning decorative plant with long leaves and fluffy plumes. These hardy plants can withstand cooler temperatures, requiring minimal pruning to retain the shape. The need to trim back pampas grass stems from a number of reasons, including removal of dead leaves and controlling plant growth. Pampas grass should be trimmed just before new growth emerges in the spring. Many gardeners prefer to leave pampas grass intact throughout the winter despite the brown leaves because this plant looks beautiful even with brown, dried leaves.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Long-sleeved shirt and pants
• Gloves
• Hedge clippers
• Lopping shears
• Chain saw
• Rake

1. Evaluate the condition of current pampas grass. Make sure the plant has plenty of room to expand as needed. Pampas can reach 10 feet or more in height and literally take up as much room as you allow for spreading. Pruning presents the perfect opportunity to decide if you need to remove and transplant some of the grass to control the size of the plant.

2. Dress in a long-sleeved shirt and pants with heavy gloves. Pampas grass blades can be razor sharp so protect any exposed skin as needed.

3. Time your pruning session for the spring, preferably when new growth is just beginning to appear at the base of the plant.

4. Use hedge clippers or a chain saw for trimming larger plants. Prune the old leaves down to 4 to 5 inches from the soil surface. Do not clip any new growth around the base of the plant. Use hedge clippers or lopping shears for smaller plants.

5. Place a rake inside the plant and pull outward to remove any dead leaves and debris from around the base of the plant. This allows plenty of breathing room for new shoots to grow and thrive. Dispose of any old growth in a compost pile or as yard waste.

Tips & Warnings

• Easily divide and transplant pampas grass after you prune by digging up a section of the ornamental grass clump. Replant in amended soil in a different location. For a more uniform plant, dig up the entire root ball, cut away transplant sections and replant the remaining plant in its original location.

References

• University of Florida
• North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension
• University of Georgia