- Should I water the switchgrass regularly?
- Does the ornamental grass require fertilizer?
- When and how is switchgrass cut?
- Does winter protection make sense?
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When the switchgrass adorns itself in late summer with feathery spikes of flowers that sway over elegantly curved stalks, you as a gardener have done everything right. These instructions for caring for Panicum virgatum show how easy it is to get there.
Smaller switchgrasses need more water than older ornamental grasses
Should I water the switchgrass regularly?
The need for watering decreases with age. Please water a freshly planted switchgrass regularly as soon as the surface of the soil has dried. Do this for the first two years. A well-established Panicum virgatum should be watered deeply once or twice a week during summer droughts. Otherwise, the ornamental grass is content with the normal amount of rain.
Does the ornamental grass require fertilizer?
The more nutrient-rich the soil, the more magnificent the play of colors in switchgrass. Therefore, fertilize the ornamental grass every 4 weeks from March to September with compost or liquid fertilizer. Rake compost, horn shavings, (32.93€) bark humus or guano granules lightly into the root disk and pour over. In the bucket, simply add the liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water.
When and how is switchgrass cut?
The dead stalks protect the heart of the plant from moisture and cold in winter. In addition, switchgrass serves as a safe shelter for numerous beneficial insects during hibernation. How to cut the ornamental grass correctly:
- In March, cut back the switchgrass to a hand’s breadth above the ground
- To do this, collect the stalks in bunches and cut them off
Please make sure that no budding is visible yet. If you cut into the fresh blades of grass, the look is spoiled for the rest of the year because the cuts turn brown.
Does winter protection make sense?
Switchgrass is hardy down to -28 degrees Celsius. Permanent wetness in the eyrie, on the other hand, causes root rot. Therefore, do not cut back the dead stalks in autumn, as they protect the heart of the plant. No further precautions need to be taken in the bed. Place the bucket on a block of wood and wrap the container with jute ribbons, fleece or bubble wrap.
tips
Switchgrass is a wonderful neighbor in the large garden with autumn flowers that are as tall as a man. If you arrange the elegant ornamental grass together with the 150-190 cm high candelabra speedwell 'Lavender Tower' and the 140-180 cm high, white October daisy, you can be sure of admiring looks over the garden fence.