Fountain Grass Lays Open, Looks Bad

Question

My fountain grass had a big growth spurt then grass lays open, almost laying on the ground. Only the broader variegated leaf plants did this, not the thin leaf. What is causing this?

Answer 1

When a plant goes through a fast growth spurt, sometimes, the new growth doesn’t have time to ”harden off” before the growth gets so heavy it cvan’t support itself. Is the grass in full sun? If not, the plant will not be as “strong, robust or hardened off” as it would be grown in full sun. Although the plant may thrive in part shade, it just can’t get ”enough starch in it’s spine” to stand up straight. Also, winds can blow the plant around and cause it to not stand straight. We had a Miscanthus zebrinsus that wouldn’t stand up for the world. It was in full sun, grown ‘hard’ and protected from the wind. So, what we did was to sink 3-5 t-posts in the ground around the perimeter of the plant, strung some nylon string 5-6 times to make a corral. This was done immediately after pruning back in the spring. As the plant grew, the foliage covered the posts and string. viola’ problem solved!