Question
QUESTION: I have purple fountan grass in urns on either side of my steps. I planted them about two months ago, a little later than ususal. Hoewver, they are not thriving. I see fountain grasses in gardens all over my city that look gorgeous, full and flowing. Mine have  more brownish dry stalks than green or purple. It is August, but still very hot here. They get plenty of water. I even checked the root systems to see if they were root bound. They are not. I moved them to full sun. It didn't seem to help. I realize they are annuals, and won't outlast the fall/winter. What can you suggest that I may have done wrong, or could do to perk them up? Even though they don't have flowers, I think putple fountain grass is one of the pretties plants in the world! Help if you can.

ANSWER: Patricia,
I agree that this a one of the most beautiful plants!  In my experience, browned leaves on this plant happen either because the plant has dried out in between waterings or because of fertilizer burn. You mention that it is hot in your area, so perhaps the plant got very dry a time or two before it was watered again. Once these blades dry they don't "bounce back" quickly, as many plants will. Secondly, if these were fertilized with synthetic fertilizer that was a bit too strong, or if they were fertilized when the soil was dry, this can cause browned leaves that look burned. This is because the salts in the fertilizer can burn roots if it is too strong or if the plant hasn't been hydrated first.

Finally, I'd make sure that your containers have drainage holes and that there is no "filler" in the bottom of the urns. Grasses have deep root systems that need as much soil as possible, but they also want good drainage, so you need a hole in the pot but don't put rocks, mulch, etc at the bottom.  Many people think that they need a layer of rocks "for drainage" but this is bad for plants. (Notice that any plant you buy from a professional grower never has rocks in the bottom of the pot!)

This plant does best in full sun, so moving them there was the right thing to do. In the future, plant them in fresh soil with some time-release fertilizer such as Osmocote and be sure that they don't ever go completely dry.

Right now, cutting off the brown, dried leaves will make them instantly look better. If you haven't fertilized at all, water them well first and a couple of hours later give them an application of synthetic fertilizer mixed according to directions. Repeat that in another couple of weeks.

all the best,
C.L.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your very thorough advice. One more question.. can I keep these over winter? I recently read an article that suggests planting ornamental grasses in fall, which seems contradictory to what I've learned. I have always kept fountain grass as an annual, but if I could cut them back and keep them over winter that would be a bonus. BTW, I live in zone 7B, North Carolina. Thanks again; I'll give you good ratings!!!

Answer
Patricia,
I think that most grasses get better established when planted in the spring or early summer, but with this one it doesn't make any difference because it's not hardy where you live. Unfortunately, it is also a very hard plant to overwinter indoors. You can give it a shot by putting it in a cool but not freezing place and letting it stay pretty dry, but I've not had any luck with this myself. In the garden, however, we learn to "never say never", right?

all the best,
C.L.