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Miscanthus giganteus help

ezelottezelott Posts: 22
in Problem solving




Hello,

Over night my 3 year old miscanthus has started to collapse, I usually leave it up until early spring then cut it down as it usually stays upright. Is this common with large grasses or could there be a problem that I'm unaware of. 
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  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited September 2023
    It's quite normal for grasses to lean over after wind or rain, some more than others. Give it time to dry off and it should right itself within a few hours.  If not, you could thin out some of the stems, cutting them to ground level. By removing some of the weight of leaves and stems, you should get less of a problem.  Then cut them all back in spring.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • ezelottezelott Posts: 22
    Plantminded said:
    It's quite normal for grasses to lean over after wind or rain, some more than others. Give it time to dry off and it should right itself within a few hours.  If not, you could thin out some of the stems, cutting them to ground level. By removing some of the weight of leaves and stems, you should get less of a problem.  Then cut them all back in spring.
    Thanks for the advice, I was thinking the same but I don't know a great deal about grasses, I was never a fan of them until I saw a mature miscanthus giganteus. :)
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    You might like M. Zebrinus too!
    ]
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • ezelottezelott Posts: 22
    Plantminded said:
    You might like M. Zebrinus too!
    ]
    Very nice! I'm sure I can find a spot for a few of those.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Just a further thought, don't give your grass any fertiliser/food - too much nitrogen makes the stems lax and prone to falling over, particularly when in flower.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • ezelottezelott Posts: 22
    Plantminded said:
    Just a further thought, don't give your grass any fertiliser/food - too much nitrogen makes the stems lax and prone to falling over, particularly when in flower.
    Oh right! I think that could be the problem then. I've recently gave my bananas and gunneras their last feed of the year and I thought I'd put the last of the pellets around the miscanthus, probably about 10 handfuls. 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @ezelott I agree with @Plantmined never feed Miscanthus. Treat them tough. They can be lifted and split as they come into growth in the spring. Perhaps a two person job and a broken spade speaking from experience with this Miscanthus Kliene Fontane.
    I grew a dozen or so different grasses in my old garden. 

    An old photo sorry it is wrong way round. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • ezelottezelott Posts: 22
    GardenerSuze said:
    @ezelott I agree with @Plantmined never feed Miscanthus. Treat them tough. They can be lifted and split as they come into growth in the spring. Perhaps a two person job and a broken spade speaking from experience with this Miscanthus Kliene Fontane.
    I grew a dozen or so different grasses in my old garden. 

    An old photo sorry it is wrong way round. 
    I think I got a bit too excited when I saw it growing from a little clump in April to a huge 12ft in September, I thought more food the better unfortunately. I'm used to feeding bamboos, gunneras, darmeras and bananas so I stupidly thought that my miscanthus would like the same amount of food. :s
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @ezelott On last friday's Gardener's World Monty Don had decided to dig up two very large Miscanthus not sure but could be same as yours. He said they were out of proportion with the surrounding plants.

    I only lifted M Kliene Fontane once not easy but splitting it was the worst. It did stop the falling over problem, probably because there was less weight on the stems in wet conditions if you onderstand my thoughts!
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • ezelottezelott Posts: 22
    @GardenerSuze yes dividing is something I've thought about doing. I've got a total of 4 miscanthus giganteus and 3 arundo donax that need doing, I think I'm going to be busy  :)
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