Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)

15 March 2023

Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana) 

Florist delight, garden escapist and environmental weed!

This diverse species is regarded an environmental weed in Victoria, New South Wales, ACT, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. Preferring open sunny places with consistently wet soil, pampas grass is best removed during summer and early Autumn to maintain our beautiful coastline.

Why is it considered a weed? 

• Infestations exclude most of the native ground flora and seriously impede the recruitment of trees and shrubs 

• Each plume can hold anywhere from 100,000- 1,000,000 seeds 

• The seeds are wind dispersed and can be carried by the wind up to 25km 

• Pampas grass is highly flammable, and when an infestation occurs can become a serious fire hazard. 

Control 

• Physical removal is the preferred control method. 

• Be sure to wear long sleeves and gloves as protection from the sharp leaves 

• It is easier to remove after rain when soil is moist. 

How to remove:

1. First remove any seed head, place in a plastic bag and dispose into general waste bin 

2. Slash or cut the foliage to 10-30cm above the ground level 

3. Dig out the grass and roots