Is It Okay To Transplant Pampas Grass In June?

Question

In 1995 my mother was gifted with a pampas grass plant which we immediately planted in the front yard. It grew like crazy and at its best was probably 10’ tall, with gorgeous plumes that would wave like many flags in every breeze. The only problem was that the brittle stalks were easily damaged by storms, and it was very hard work to prune the stems since they are full of tiny bristles, and the edges of leaves can cut into your skin. In recent years I had a hired mowing man just whack it off in winter. For a few years now, big weeds like pokeweed have been trying to take over. I have used stump killer on them, it works for awhile but the weeds keep coming back bigger and thicker every year. I considered getting rid of the pampas grass entirely, in hopes of eradicating the big weeds. Classic case of throwing the baby out with the bath water… But then I wondered about dividing and transplanting a healthy piece of the plant to a new location. After reading about this, I understand that it is high time this was done, in fact it’s recommended that it be done about every 3 years. This grass is 25 years old! There is a big empty circle in the middle where the soil is loamy but there are chunks of the grass rotting off in there. It’s June now and although it is growing, the leaves are thin and small. —- So is it too late in the season to try to divide this grass? Or, considering how old and out of condition it has become, does it sound worthwhile or should I eradicate it and start over with new ornamental grass? —- Thank You

Answer 1

You are very fortunate that this is still alive! Pruning in Winter is often a death sentence for this grass.

Now would not be a good time to transplant. This should be done in early spring, right before or as new growth starts for the year. This is the same time that pruning should occur.

Here are some articles that will help:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/pampas-grass/moving-pampas-grass.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/pampas-grass/growing-pampas-grass.htm