pampas grass pruning

by isabelle
(Nags Head, NC)

I have just pruned the pampas grass and cut it back quite a bit. In the center I just pulled out handfuls of "mush" and many stalks, as they were like dried hydrangea sticks.
Is this normal for the plant. I took so much out of the one, it's just an outer circle now. Will that fill in when it comes ot life in the spring. I'm in a coastal area and everybody has them here and they all seem to do great. We have pruned before the past few years but I never did get into the center of the plant as I did this time. Maybe because I pruned and not my husband ! ( Ha Ha)
Thanks for any pointers you can give me.

Doug says that as long as the grass isn't sitting in a really swampy spot, it shouldn't be a problem. This plant will regrow, fill in blank spots etc and you can expect some center die-off as the plant matures. If it's really large, you might consider digging and dividing to renew it.

Having said that, do take care when you're working around this plant (you already know this) because those leaves are quite sharp and wickedly able to do some damage to tender gardening skin.

In general, this is a pretty trouble free plant that will survive almost any condition of soil.

Do give it a shovel or two of compost in the spring to keep it happy and growing strongly.