Pampas grass: planting and growing features

Beautifully decorated garden plots are always pleasing to the eye and delight in neighbors. To ennoble the garden, they usually use flower crops that grow in lush color, but ornamental grasses are often forgotten. However, it is they who are able to radically transform the appearance of the site, making it unique. One of these herbs can be cortaderia or pampas grass, which we will get to know more closely in this material.

Cortaderia Sello is a perennial plant native to South America, belongs to the family of cereals. It is worth noting that in their homeland, culture is not at all appreciated - it is believed that it is a weed. Nevertheless, the plant looks quite impressive.

Let's consider its main features:

• maximum height - 3 meters;
• the length of the leaves is about two meters, the ends and edges are sharp;
• the color of the foliage varies depending on the variety - it can be green, light gray, blue;
• inflorescences are paniculate, their size reaches 40 centimeters, mostly white, but sometimes other colors can also be found, for example, pink.

The cortaderia blooms in August, and this process continues until the first frost. If you want to see lush, beautiful bushes on your site, choose young female specimens of the culture. They perfectly resist bad weather and remain unchanged throughout the fall, while the male ones quickly wither and wither.

Despite the fact that the plant is considered a weed in its homeland, it does not always survive in the climatic conditions of Russia. It does not tolerate winter very well, therefore gardeners who have already encountered its cultivation recommend paying attention to winter-hardy varieties.

Let's get acquainted with the best varieties of Cortaderia selloana for cultivation in different regions of the Russian Federation, including the Moscow region.

• Pumila. "Pumila" - one of the most popular varieties among Russian gardeners. Its height is 1 m, and the plant itself is famous for its beautiful cream-colored paniculate inflorescences. It tolerates frost pretty well.
• Rosea. This variety is higher than the previous one - about two meters. It is interesting for its unusual pink inflorescences with a silvery tint. Blooms in autumn.
• White Plume. A large, very elegant plant that can decorate a large summer cottage. Lush white inflorescences gather at the top of the plant, creating the illusion of a snow cap.
• Rose Plume. This variety is one of the tallest, growing up to 3 meters. It blooms from August to November in large pink inflorescences, adding a certain tenderness and airiness to the garden.
• Remorino. An excellent frost-resistant variety, quite tall. It blooms magnificently, the color of the inflorescences is white with a silvery sheen.
• Patagonia. This variety grows up to two meters high, also tolerates winter well. Its leaves are green with a bluish tinge, and the inflorescences are beautifully cast in silver.

To propagate the cortaderia, gardeners use several popular techniques. Let's describe them in more detail.

When choosing this method, it is important to remember that female plants look more interesting than male ones. Therefore, it is recommended to separate them for reproduction. The timing of the procedure is the end of spring or the very beginning of summer. The strongest, well-developed plants are selected and dug up. The tuber is divided into several parts, at the same time you can prepare pits about 45 cm deep. The bottom is lined with a thin layer of drainage, and the soil is fertilized with manure. The divided roots are planted in holes, covered with earth and watered.

Cutting is another way to propagate pampas grass, although it is almost never used. At the end of August, several stalks are cut from the selected bushes. Their length should be about 5-6 centimeters, and more is possible. The ends of the stems are soaked in growth accelerators and then planted in open ground.

Seed propagation is the most difficult method and is not always profitable. The fact is that the seeds for the most part will give male flowers, and no one guarantees that the plant, in general, will bloom.

In early March, you should prepare containers with moist and nutritious soil. The seed is laid out on the surface of the soil, slightly pressed down and covered with a film, in which there are several small holes for air flow. The boxes are placed on the sunny side, making sure that the light falls on them for at least 8 hours a day.

The room temperature should be about 20 degrees, maybe a couple of degrees more. The soil is moistened with a spray bottle, preventing it from drying out. After a couple of weeks, sprouts will appear, then the film can be removed. Upon reaching 10-15 cm, the seedlings are transplanted into separate spacious containers, which must be exposed to the air in the summer. With the onset of frost, boxes with seedlings are brought into greenhouses, which do not need to be heated, the main thing is that they are protected from drafts and insulated.

Before you start planting, it is very important to think about how much space you are willing to allocate on your site for this crop. The plant has a high growth and distribution rate, it can grow strongly, filling the entire area. Therefore, this point must be taken into account, unless the cortaderia is the only crop that you are going to grow.

In its homeland, pampas grass does not make absolutely any requirements either to the place of planting or to the soil. She also does not need human participation. However, in the Russian climate, it does not always take root well, and it is necessary to carefully approach the choice of the area in which it will be grown.

The landing area should be very sunny, no shade, as well as wind. Experts recommend planting pampas grass in places where drafts do not pass, for example, near the walls of a house, near trees that can protect the culture from gusts of wind.

Pampas grass needs light soil that is good for air permeability. Excessive moisture is unacceptable, since the roots will quickly rot, thereby destroying the plantings. Let's see how to plant a cortaderia on different types of soil.

If the soil is sandy, it is necessary to make a hole to a permeable layer, and then make a mixture consisting of the following components:

• 50% fertile garden soil;
• 10% sand;
• 20% peat and humus.

The seedling is lowered into the hole, and then covered with the resulting composition. In addition, you will need to create a small embankment that will serve to drain excess water.

On impermeable or clayey soils, the planting pattern looks somewhat different. Drainage is a must here, without which it will be impossible to get rid of excess moisture. Pebbles, for example, can be used as drainage. Also, you do not need to use garden soil if most of it consists of clay. It would be more reasonable to increase the content of humus, peat and sand.

The drainage layer should be at least 20 centimeters, and the hole diameter should be about 150 cm. As in the previous case, a mound is made around the seedling, the height of which is at least 50 cm.

It is not difficult to grow beautiful and lush pampas grass, but it should be taken care of regularly. Therefore, the cortaderia is often not recommended for beginners who do not know all the intricacies of caring for such crops.

This crop loves water, so it needs to be watered regularly, especially before flowering. The frequency of watering is increased in hot weather. You need to water the plant in the early morning or late evening, so that the liquid does not get on the inflorescences or foliage. Despite such a need for moisture, it is simply necessary to observe the measure of watering - at the slightest stagnation of water, the plant will begin to rot. In addition, one cannot be insured against prolonged rains, which will additionally provoke the accumulation of moisture.

The best option for feeding for cortaderia is organic, thanks to which the grass grows well and blooms profusely. Before flowering, the plants are fertilized with compost, but it is important not to overdo it with the amount, the fertilizing layer should be thin. For the entire season, you need to fertilize 2 times - in May and June.

And you can also use complex fertilizers for growth and flowering, which will contain a lot of nitrogen. They are dissolved in water according to the instructions and the culture is watered. Another good option would be azofoska, which should be administered once a month.

Not all varieties of pampas grass are able to withstand the winter. Above, we have indicated some of the varieties that can be planted in cold climates. However, they also need careful shelter for the winter.

When the grass turns yellow, it is trimmed so that the height is no more than 40 cm. The middle and top are tied up, achieving the shape of the sheaf. The plant is then covered with a non-woven fabric filled with dry foliage. The same foliage is used to cover the trunk circle, and the layer should be thick, and earth is poured on top. The layer of earth and soil can be additionally covered to avoid moisture ingress.

If you live in places where cold winters reign, for example, in the suburbs, then additional measures will be required here. Culture, in addition to foliage, is wrapped in a good layer of straw, you can even equip an impromptu roof. But in regions such as Siberia or the Krasnodar Territory, it is not advised to grow pampas grass, because it will be extremely difficult for it to overwinter.

But here, too, there is a way out - this is a plant transplant. Cortaderia is planted in separate containers and brought into a room where the temperature will be about 10 degrees Celsius. In the spring, both garden and overwintered grass in the house is pruned, removing dead and withered stems and inflorescences. But when going to use this wintering method, it is worth considering two important things:

• a culture that is 3 meters tall will not feel comfortable in a pot and indoors, so only low-growing varieties are suitable;
• constantly digging and planting pampas grass will not work back - the rhizome grows quickly underground, and sooner or later, even the most careful gardener will damage it.

Cortaderia is incredibly hardy, it is able to delight gardeners for many years with its beauty and resistance to many diseases. Nevertheless, they can appear, and most often the reason for this is mistakes in care.

Powdery mildew will be one of the most common diseases. This fungal disease appears in absolutely all cultures, and pampas grass is also not immune from it. The reason is over-watering, as well as infected tools that were used to cut diseased plants.

Powdery mildew looks like a white bloom, and this bloom from the leaves gradually spreads to the stems. The foliage turns yellow and withers, the plant deforms, stops flowering.

The second unpleasant disease that pampas grass can pick up is anthracnose. This is also a fungal disease that multiplies rapidly in warmth and moisture, quickly capturing other nearby crops. It is manifested by the appearance of brown spots: first they appear on the foliage, then they move on to the stems. Over time, the spots will merge into one, and the culture will begin to rot.

Among the pests, aphids and spider mites can be noted, although they appear quite rarely. Aphids prefer foliage, it parasitizes on it, depriving the plant of vital juices. The best medicine would be insecticides. It is also worth checking if there are any anthills in the garden. All found anthills are destroyed, because ants contribute to the rapid spread of aphids.

A spider mite can be easily detected by the thin cobwebs with which it braids the foliage. Initially, the pest almost does not cause anxiety in the gardener, but if you miss the moment, it will multiply and may well cause the death of plantings.

Due to its spectacular appearance, cortaderia is very often used to decorate gardens and summer cottages. Basically, gardeners prefer single crop plantings, as tall, round bushes with delicate inflorescences look quite impressive. However, if your plans are to create a variety of compositions, it is worth knowing what else this plant can be combined with.

One of the best ideas is to combine pampas grass with crops that change their foliage color in the fall. For example, it can be birch, maple, willow, viburnum and mountain ash. Flower crops include bells, carnations, asters, lavender and iris.

Kortaderia symbolizes peace and relaxation with its appearance, therefore it is often decorated with gazebos and benches, recreation areas. In this case, the culture is recommended to be combined with calm, delicate plants: hydrangeas, roses, boxwood.

And finally, a few interesting examples of how you can effectively use the cortaderia on your own site.

• The pampas grass design of the bench creates an excellent zone of comfort and relaxation. Here it is best to choose high varieties of culture.

• Cortaderia combined with pink perennials. It looks unobtrusive, but very beautiful.

• The unearthly pink pampas grass on the site will immediately attract attention. Merging with each other, pink inflorescences form a wonderful ensemble, which is hardly possible to repeat with other cultures.

• A single, solitary planting is liked by many. And it will look even better if you decorate the bush with stones and various undersized plants.

• In large areas, you can plant a cortaderia between round bushes. This design is perfect for parks, walking areas, sanatoriums.

• Cortaderia goes well with purple crops. This can be, for example, lavender or irises. The colors contrast with each other, creating an eye-pleasing composition.

For more on growing pampas grass, see the next video.