Giant Chinese reed is now increasingly used as an energy plant because of its rapid growth.
Appearance of the Miscanthus giganteus
This Ornamental grass grows thick and tall, impresses with its light and transparent appearance and is extremely robust. So it can be used as a natural privacy screen in open borders or gravel beds. In growth it is light green with a white central rib and in autumn the leaves take on a golden yellow color. The winter gives the grass with hoarfrost a fairytale, graceful appearance.
Location for giant Chinese reeds
Sunny to partially shaded places are particularly suitable for Chinese reeds. The plant likes moist, humus-rich clay soils that do not tend to waterlogging and are not very sandy.
- Location as sunny as possible.
- light shade is well tolerated.
- a lot of shade creates weak growth and little flowering.
- moist, deep soil without waterlogging.
Planting tips
Sowing should be done at a soil temperature of 20 ° C, the soil must be kept moist. If the plant forms leaves after a germination period of at least three weeks, it can be planted out in May. Young plants also prefer this time of planting outdoors. The planting distance should not be less than one meter. The grass forms rhizomes, long horizontal roots that form new seedlings at a distance from the mother plant. A rhizome barrier can be dispensed with, as the roots are not overgrown.
- nutrient-rich and humus soil
- Enriching the soil with compost increases the moisture content
- Moist, but slightly drained soils are ideal
- the drainage should be as permeable as possible
- accumulating moisture damages the plant
- compacted soil structure is unfavorable
- Maintain a planting distance of at least one meter
- Chinese reed can be combined well with phlox, sun bride or torch lilies
- Regular weeding is mandatory when replanting
- Rhizome barriers against Chinese reeds are only necessary for adjacent, maintenance-intensive green areas
Care of the giant Chinese silver grass
Chinese reed is easy to care for. For planting, it should be watered daily for three months. After that, this is only necessary when it is dry. You can safely do without fertilization, the plant grows completely adequately without artificial nutrients. Young plants need at least two summers before they bloom. Flowering time is September after warm summer months. The grass is hardy and insensitive to frost and cold. A cut back to about 10 cm should only be done in spring, when the days are warmer again. The dry, above-ground leaves guarantee sufficient winter protection. In addition, the nutrients migrate back into the roots, which ensures strong budding in spring.
- freshly planted Reeds, Water the young plant a lot and sufficiently
- Soil should always be moist
- Fertilization is only necessary for soils that are poor in nutrients
- young plants must not be fertilized
- Pruning in spring 10 cm above ground level - pruning in autumn leads to rot
- is sufficiently hardy
- Tie leaves and stalks together to protect against wind and snow loads in winter
Multiplication of the giant reeds
An increase
is recommended in spring after pruning by dividing the clumps with a spade. You dig up the divided grass and immediately plant it again in another place so that new roots can be put down quickly. Self-sowing is only possible in areas with high levels of radiation in autumn.- March, April by dividing the rhizomes
- September by self-sowing after a sunny summer
Avoid care mistakes
Weeds are poison for Chinese reeds in the year they are planted. So pluck weeds regularly to guarantee the best possible start to planting. You should make sure that the plant is properly labeled to obtain specific information about the variety of Chinese grass. Also important: Always pay attention to the space required by the perennial so that it can spread comfortably according to its species. A maximum of four plants per square meter with a distance of half a meter between each other is a golden rule. - Blossom: beige or strong red-brown, feather-like, large panicles of flowers, usually only appear in very warm summers
- Flowering period: September to November
- Leaves: arching overhanging, yellow, light brown autumn colors, broad-leaved
- Growth: strong, upright growth, forming eyelids
- Growth size: up to 4 meters high, up to 2 meters wide
- Location: sunny-partially shaded
- Soil: loamy, humic, fresh, loose soil in which the plant can spread well
- Special feature: fast, vigorous growth after each pruning
- Winter hardiness: very frost hardy and cold-resistant
- Use: privacy protection plant, solitary plant, wind protection, Hedge plant, Edging of ponds, as a container plant in dry gardens, guide perennial in mixed planting
- Required space: 1-3 pieces per square meter, row planting; 2-4 pieces per running meter
- Life expectancy: at least 20 years with little maintenance
Worth knowing about the giant Chinese reed in brief
Giant Chinese grass acts as a deciduous Specimen plant As in the series, it is extremely decorative as a sight and wind protection. It grows quickly and upright, has impressive reed-like foliage and is really easy to care for and hardy. In combination with evergreen shrubs and trees, it is the ideal designer of ponds and pools, and enriches every garden with its graceful and accentuated growth. As a dry plant, it can serve as an insect hotel for wild bees and can also be tied to mats as wind and sun protection. It also cuts a fine figure as a container plant on the balcony or terrace. Chinese reed becomes more and more expressive in color and structure of the leaves and flowers over the years.
Use of giant Chinese reed
The Chinese reed has a variety of uses:
- It is suitable as an excellent privacy screen when planted in close proximity.
- Smaller varieties are often used as background or border planting of woody and perennial borders.
- It can even be used in agriculture as pulp for making paper, pots and plates.
There are all sorts of varieties. They differ considerably in size. While that M. sin 'Yakushima Dwarf' is only 100 cm high M. floridulus up to 300 cm. There is also something for almost all tastes when it comes to the shape of the leaves. There are varieties with whitish-colored leaves (“Variegatus”), with yellowish-striped leaves ("Zebrinus"), which has a silver groove ("silver feather"), but also reddish colored leaves ("Dronning Ingrid"). The ears bloom in silver-white, brownish or reddish color. But there are also some varieties that do not flower here, such as B. the giant reed or the Eulalia grass.
Incidentally, the use of the Chinese silver is not limited to its decorative function in your garden. He also gives you some material for the flower arrangement in the house: you can cut off its inflorescences like cut flowers and use, and the reeds themselves hold up quite well in the vase and can be used as the basis for many magical floristic works of art can be used. The remains of your Chinese reed that the cut provides in the spring can then be chopped up into one more excellent peat substitute that gives the potting soil of your indoor plants the necessary permeability confers. If you have a large number of specimens of this beautiful reed plant in your garden, it is probably worth checking whether they are Chaff of your type, such as that of Miscanthus giganteus, can be used for mulching or as litter for a wide variety of pets can.
What to watch out for when cultivating and caring for Chinese silver grass
- The easy-care Miscanthus could get into trouble if a soil is very compact, here you should plan a season with green manure beforehand.
- As I said, the Chinese reed, which comes from swamps and damp meadows, likes slightly damp soils dearest, especially the newly planted plants need additional watering in case of doubt will.
- The young plants are initially sensitive to competition, so weeds should be fought carefully.
- If the Chinese reed feels really good, it can also have its disadvantages: After a few years it forms extensive rhizomes that produce new plants all around.
- This can be critical, if the Miscanthus is to stay in its place for a long time, you should consider putting it in the ground in a mortar bucket.
- If a Chinese reed spreads in the wrong place, you can usually put a stop to it, if you continuously cut it down to the ground, then it has no more strength left for rhizome formation.
