Pompas Grass?

[Big Timber]

Just wondering if anyone has tried planting pompas grass for wildlife cover. I heard it takes a couple of years to bloom but reaches heights of 6-12 feet tall. Let me know or even if you would suggest something else.

With this rain were gonna have plenty of growth.

BT

 

[5465]

hey big timber! what i know about pompas grass is this: a buddy of mine planted it 3 years ago it stood about 3 1/2 feet tall in the first year and about 4 1/2 feet tall the last 2 years! i have only hunted with him on the farm that he planted it on 5 or 6 times. i did see deer every evening but they spent very little time in the feed basically they would use the rows of pompas grass as part of their travel only taking about 4 or 5 bites and then walking out the other side to graze in the field! so yes from my experience it draws the deer in! the plot was planted about 50 yards off of the property owners back porch(his back yard is a 112 acre field) and he swears that he sees deer in it every night, and i believe him! in fact was just shedding there last weekend and he showed me a pic of 37(yes i said 37) feeding in the field next to it! basically it's something i would consider planting! also after that stuff dies off it looks just like a bunch of freshly cut corn stalks

 

[bjkpharmd]

I'd make sure you consider some of the unintended consquences when you introduce exotics or nonnative species. Pampas (sp) grass is a problem in some areas where it has escaped urban lawns. It will out compete native species in many places. Get some input from a local biologist, there a quite a few lawn type shrubs & grasses that should not be planted in the wild.

 

[TimberPig]

I dont know anything about pompas grass, is that the tall grass I see ocasionally growing in ditches, golden brown in fall with a feather seed head on top? I see people picking this stuff in the fall now and then, I assume arts and crafts projects.

As an alternative, you might consider Cave-In-Rock switchgrass. I planted a 3 acre patch last spring. I skipped the last maintenace mowing in a small patch and it ended up around 3' tall. I expect it to be 4'-5' this year and most other places I have saw it around 6' and very thick. I wouldnt suggest an 80 acre field of it though, almost too thick to walk in and its hell to find a downed bird in. I have jumped deer in mature fields of it and watched them run 20 or 30 yards and lay right back down. Must be pretty good security cover. My grandfather-in-law has a 25 acre patch of it and I dont think you could ever run a deer out of it if they didnt want to come out.

 

[oldgene]

I think I would stay with Iowa native plants, like a mixture of big blue stem, indian grass, little blue stem with some clover, etc. That big blue will get 4 to 5 feet tall and it will draw in the deer, especially to bed down in, I also think that those old bucks hear for that deep grass as soon as they hear that first shot, and don't come out until after the season is over.

 

[Big Timber]

Thanks for the responses,
I had heard that the grass does a good job of overpopulating. It is nice stuff though, too bad.

Thanks,

BT

 

[BigfootWillow.com]

If anyone looks at old topics, should be noted that the real pampas grass(Cortaderia selloana) can't even grow in Iowa, which is native to the Argentina pampas. I tried growing a special cold hardier cultivar of it, mulched it too, just fizzled away after awhile, think that one was zone 6, and regular is at least zone 7 for plant hardiness.

There is also a grass that is called hardy pampas grass(Saccharum ravennae), and seed source is critical for that, some is zone 6, but can get some zone 5 plants. That is also a clumping grass and I doubt it is invasive in areas where it isn't fully hardy. It doesn't run and does not flower early enough for viable seeds. Its leaves are a few feet tall, but what is special about this plant is the plumes that rise way above the leaves.

I have a feeling from what I read, that the running Miscanthus sacchariflorus was the grass talked about in this topic. It has white plumes, so I guess I could see why sometimes it could be called that, but is why botanical names become important.
Not 100% sure, but I've read doesn't even seed here and have not seen proof that it has either, so is only locally aggressive where planted. Is one of the parents to that Giant Miscanthus a lot of people are planting.