what's up with my zebra grass?

18 years ago

new member, hope someone can help!

I bought 2 zebra grass plants at Lowe's a couple of weeks ago. They looked very healthy and are young plants in maybe 1/2 gallon containers. Had old growth underneath that had obviously been cut back earlier in the year. Now they are all withered up on the ends, bent over, and looking quite "stringy". I planted them on the south side of my house where they do get some sun but aren't in full sun all day long due to a large pine tree. They should be getting at least 4-5 hours a day. The soil is nice and black (haven't had it tested yet but I thought ornamental grasses in general did quite well in most soil types) and they have gotten ample water. The crowns are just at soil level. Do you think they might just be in shock from being planted? They're really looking pretty awful right now and i'm afraid they may be on their way out. The other thing is that it was about 80 degress when i planted them and we've had a bit of a cold snap in the meantime (40's at night and 60's during the day). any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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Comments (5)

deep___roots
18 years ago
Miscanthus varieties can get mealy bug infestations, which can make the plants look deformed and screw up their blooms.

But this time of year, most miscanthus will have new growth popping, and should look erect and green.

The good news is, lowe's guarantees plants...so just take them back for replacement or refund. It definitely sounds like something is wrong. Maybe bugs, or your soil could be too rich & wet. Grasses don't like to be pampered. Those temperature variations are no problem for miscanthus in general.
achnatherum
18 years ago
If it is just the ends of the grass blades it may not be quite that dire.
If the grasses have been 'brought on' in a greenhouse and are planted out in sun & cold/cool temps you may just have a case of leaf burn. My Miscanthus in the garden are barely starting to show their leaf shoots and certainly none of the leaves have started to unfurl. Like other greenhouse grown plants grasses should be slowly exposed to strong sunlight. AND .. it is quite common in 'our zone' to have Miscanthus come along a little quickly in an unseasonable warm period and then to have brown leaf ends from cold/frosty nights. How about a little sun screen and & woolen sweater for those cold nights? :o)
Fingers crossed for you.
A.
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Thank you for your help! Below is another picture, probably as close as I can get with this camera. This coloration seems to be more like something you'd expect after a drought. The weather here has been pretty crazy these past few weeks. From hot humid temps in the high 80s to nights with frost warnings. We've been getting rain, mostly in the form of downpours, over the past few weeks. Not a lot of long, steady rain. The pre-emergent I used was Scott's. There was no burning as might be evident by yellow streaks. The CGM I put down was just cast around by hand, and not especially thickly. The front lawn got the same treatment (i.e. crabgrass) as the back, but it doesn't have this yellowing. Then again, it gets more shade and I used the shade mix there. The crabgrass treatment appears to be working. So far there is no sign of it in the lawn, but has been sprouting along the edges and untreated areas. I do have lawn weeds of all descriptions but none except that creeping stuff with the little white flowers is much of a threat (clover, the odd dandelion and plantain, some strawberry-looking stuff, other odds and ends). The new grass is doing the job of crowding a lot of it out. So far. Because of my garden beds I have lots of turns and corners and so it's easier for me to use a reel mower. I do have an electric rotary but it's a PITA. I do suspect the reel mower blades of being dull - I can't find any place that will sharpen them. I do use the electric when things are really thick and I want to mulch the cuttings as I go. That's about all the info I have on this lawn. It's new to me and I don't know its history. I do see, even with my untrained eye, a variety of grass types in it.
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It'll just look funky this year. Cut off any broken foliage, and leave the rest until it's next haircut, early next spring. The foliage you cut will probably add some growth, but will have a squared-off end.
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Just a thought~ If you have neighbors or friends who have raved about your zebra, ask them if they would like to have them. Of course you will provide encouragement and liquid refreshment while they dig. There is a "new" zebra - Miscanthus s. 'Little Zebra' available today. It grows to 3-4' and has a cold hardiness of (Z5-10). This might be just what you are looking for! Here is a link that might be useful: Grasses & Gargoyles
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pezhead
18 years ago
I'm in zone 8 and my Miscanthus are just now pushing new growth in gallon containers so it does seem pretty early to worry about the plant. My concern would be more along the lines that 1. 'Zebrinus' is a rangy cultivar prone to flopping (versus 'Strictus') and 2. 4-5 hours of sun may be just barely enough for a Miscanthus to flourish.
meredith77
Original Author
18 years ago
The plant that was getting more sun is looking better since we had a nice mild weekend...I ended up moving the other one over a few feet, which should give it a couple more hours of sunlight per day. Hopefully that will help! thanks for the advice!
kjblex
17 years ago
We had the same issue last year. In the fall we planted 6 zebra grasses. At the time of purchase they were beautiful, but after 3 weeks they all started to die back. We followed the planting instructions and I was concerned that they all died, since we had trouble with other plants in the same area previously. This year it looks like they are coming back in full swing. I think it was just transplant shock so you might have the same issue.

what's up with my zebra grass?

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deep___roots

achnatherum

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what's up with my zebra grass?

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deep___roots

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