Pennisetum forms large clumps over the years and, depending on the variety, reaches a height of between 30 and 150 centimeters. The color of the stems and leaves is usually bright green or purple. If the leaves turn yellow, this can have natural causes or be an alarm signal for care errors.
Pennisetum shouldn't turn yellow before the fall season
Attractive autumn colour
Lamp cleaner grass is one of those ornamental grasses that change leaf color with the seasons. In autumn, the golden-yellow stalks set beautiful accents.
Yellow leaves in the middle of summer
If only a few leaves change color during the main growing season, don't worry, this is a natural process. You can simply cut out these plant parts with scissors.
However, if the entire foliage turns yellow prematurely, this is a sign of a care error. Either you have not watered the plant enough or the soil is too compacted.
Pour enough
- Pennisetum grass in the tub always needs watering when the top centimeters of the substrate feel dry.
- Pennisetum grass cultivated in the garden should also be watered as needed. Daily watering may be required in hot summers. Water preferably in the evening hours.
Poor soil quality
If the soil is too compacted and the water cannot drain, this leads to root rot. The storage organs can no longer fulfill their task. Even if there is sufficient moisture available, the leaves of pennisetum will first turn yellow and then dry up.
If you dig up the lamp cleaner grass, the roots are usually already dead, brown and mushy. If the entire root system has not yet been affected, you can try to save the plant:
- Raise Pennisetum from the ground.
- Cut back all infected root parts to healthy tissue.
- Before replanting, loosen the soil with sand and/or gravel.
- Ensure good water drainage with a drainage layer in the planting hole.
chlorosis
If the leaves of the pennisetum turn yellow before the start of autumn, there may be an iron deficiency. This element plays a central role in the molecular structure of the green plant pigment chlorophyll.
Regular fertilizer applications with a commercially available fertilizer for green plants provide a remedy. Iron is added to these preparations in the optimal amount for plants.
tips
You can enhance the effect of the beautiful autumn colors by combining Pennisetum with evergreen or red-leaved plants. These colors make the golden yellow shine even more intensely.