How to Kill Pampas Grass: Two Ways to Control and Stop Its Growth

Pampas grass, scientifically known as Cortaderia selloana, is a tall flowering grass which is very common in South America. This flowering grass grows up to ten feet high, making them quite a stunner. While some people would love to grow this type of grass for aesthetic purposes, there are also some people who want to get rid of this plant, especially those individuals who are into crop gardening.

Fully mature pampas grass bears flowers in different colors

Why would people want to kill pampas grass? Is it harmful to your crops? Today’s article covers significant information about pampas grass, as well as efficient ways on how to kill pampas grass in no time.

Pampas Grass: An Overview

While a field full of pampas grass can be quite a view, having this flowering grass in your garden can be a major threat. Most gardeners don’t consider this grass as an agricultural weed. This means that growing this plant together with other crops is not advisable. The following are a few reasons why you need to learn how to kill pampas grass in your garden:

1. It is Very Competitive

Pampas grass is known to be very competitive. What does being competitive mean? Well, the logic here is actually simple. Since pampas grass is a competitive plant, growing them alongside other crops means the two plants competing for the nutrients in the soil. This could potentially lead to your crops not having enough nutrients to bear fruit, or worse, your plants may die in the long run.

Pampas grass is a competitive plant

2. It Can Seed Prolifically

Since pampas grass can bear flowers when they mature, you can already expect that they can multiply through germination. And we are not talking about a single seed here, but millions of seeds in the course of its lifetime. If your purpose of growing pampas grass is to create a field full of it for aesthetic purpose, then germination is actually helpful.

However, for vegetable and fruit garden, even a single pampas grass may pose a threat. Therefore, learning how to kill pampas grass in your garden is a must. Experts suggest that you kill this garden menace as early as possible because once they mature and have flowers, they can multiply easily.

Kill the pampas grass before they bear flowers to prevent pollination

3. They Have Large And Deep Seated Roots

So, what if they multiply easily? I can just kill them before they have time to pollinate. Well, good luck doing that!

Unfortunately, getting rid of this flowering grass proves to be difficult because of its deep-seated roots. The pampas grass can actually root up three and a half meters deep! So, if you wish to get rid this grass for good, you might need to dig a little bit deeper.

How to Kill Pampas Grass in Two Fastest Ways

I have a lot of people telling me that the best way on how to kill pampas grass is to burn them. However, after thorough research from credible sources, I dare say that burning is not the best method at all. In fact, it will only help the plants to grow faster.Want to know the quickest ways to kill pampas grass? Read on!

Clear the area first before doing the manual digging

1. Manually Removing The Grass

While many people think I am insane by suggesting this, this technique actually works when you started the process at an early stage of the plant. As mentioned earlier, pampas grass’ roots are deeply seated; hence, burning them only destroys the upper part, but the roots can still grow back in time.Manual control of pampas grass can be a tedious task, but you can be sure that the plants will not go back anytime soon.

Pampas grass in white color

Manual control tips:

You need to use garden shears to cut the tall grass first before digging the roots.
Dig out the roots and make sure not a single one remains underneath. You can also hire someone to do the digging for you.
Pampas grass can be itchy and has pointy blades, so wearing gloves and pants is highly recommended.
Before digging the roots, harvest the crops nearby first (if there’s any) and clear the area to make sure you aren’t going to harm the crops in the process.

The downside of this process is that it takes a lot of time, especially if you have to cover a wide area. Also, if you already have an existing garden, you might have to wait for harvest time and clear the area first before starting the manual control.

2. Chemical Control

Now, if the first method is way too tedious on your part, I suggest you resort to this method. It is easier and is commonly used by many. Using the recommended herbicide to kill pampas grass is the way to go if you want to see fast results. The following are the most common herbicide used.

How to kill pampas grass? Use any of these chemicals:

Round-up is a popular root killer herbicide

Glyphosate

Using Glyphosate like Round-up is the most common chemicals to kill pampas grass. Spray about 100 ml of Glyphosate with 20 ml penetrant for every ten liters of water.

Haloxyfop

Haloxyfop is another type of herbicide which is only used in selective grass control. This is not used commonly as compared to Glyphosate because the properties of this herbicide can cause human health concerns, environmental issues, and etc. Just spray 150 ml of Haloxyfop like Gallant with ten liters onto the newly cut grass.

Please be reminded that when using herbicide like the ones mentioned above, always read the instructions carefully to ensure safety and avoid accidents.

Kill pampas grass before they mature and grow tall

Final Thoughts

In general, getting rid of pampas grass proves to be a challenge, especially for beginner gardeners. The two ways to control the plants as shared above can be very helpful for every individual who has been frustrated by the sudden and fast growth of this grass. For young pampas grass, manual control can work just fine, but for the mature pampas grass, it looks like chemical control is the best option.

What do you think about these two ways of controlling and killing pampas grass? Are you convinced that these are effective? Thank you for reading and don’t forget to comment below!