Chinese reed in a bucket: Caring for reeds in a pot

Chinese reed (Miscanthus sinensis) can be cultivated very well in a tub. If you also want to keep the popular ornamental grasses in the pot, you have to pay attention to certain points when caring for them.

Substrate

In order to make cultivation in the tub as pleasant as possible for the Micanthus species, the substrate must be right. These are undemanding plants that above all need good drainage, as they are moisture-loving. However, they do not tolerate waterlogging. You should consider the following points with the substrate:

• select high quality substrates
  
• potting soil, potted plant substrate or garden soil are suitable
  
• Enrich garden soil with compost
  
• loosen with quartz sand

Tip: Sterilize the garden soil before use. In this way you kill possible eggs and young animals from pests, as well as mold spores and pathogens.

Repot

Chinese reed in the bucket and Flower box is very easy to grow and spread, which makes it necessary to repot the plant annually. Repotting has a positive effect on the growth of the plant and protects against a lack of nutrients. The process is also important if you have bought a new copy. You should repot it immediately after buying it, as the tubs used are simply too small. If you need to repot your established specimens, we recommend an appointment in early April. After that, the plant has enough time to sprout again. The following instructions will guide you through the necessary steps when repotting:

• Use buckets with drainage holes
• new bucket two to three times as big
• Lay a drainage layer in the new pot
• Drainage material: pottery shards, expanded clay, gravel
• fill with substrate
• Remove the plant from the old container
• wear gloves
• Chinese reed stalks are sharp
• Check roots
• Remove rotten, dead or dried up roots
• Dip the roots in water for a few minutes
• then put the plant in a new pot
• must sit 8 to 10 cm deep in the substrate
• fill up with substrate
• press carefully
• water thoroughly

Location

After you have placed the plant in the new pot or repotted your previous specimens, you still need the right location. The Chinese reed is a plant that, due to its size and requirements, is ideal for balconies, patios and courtyards. With the exception of winter gardens, interiors are only suitable to a limited extent, as it becomes too warm and dry for them, especially over the winter. You should consider the following properties when looking for a place for the ornamental grasses:

• Light requirement: sunny to partially shaded
  
• Sun is preferred
  
• Shade will not be tolerated
  
• sheltered from the wind

to water

Micanthus species are grasses that depend on a moist substrate. For this reason, it is important to water them regularly as the plants suffer from drought damage quickly. It happens quickly, especially when keeping the bucket Drought stressbecause there is less substrate available than when cultivating outdoors. In addition, you have to make sure that young specimens never dry out, otherwise they will perish much faster. Proceed as follows when pouring:

• Water spring to autumn
• Use water with little lime
• Always keep the soil slightly moist
• check daily for moisture
• Do not allow the top layer to dry on
• In any case, water every day during hot periods
• either in the morning or in the evening
• never over lunchtime
• too much irrigation water evaporates due to high solar radiation
• never water the plant directly
• only the substrate

Note: You can cover your specimens with a layer of mulch made of brushwood so that the irrigation water administered does not evaporate again immediately in dry periods.

Fertilize

If you keep Chinese reed as a container plant, you must expect higher nutrient consumption than in the open field. The grasses are very hungry and must be supplied with sufficient nutrients accordingly. The advantage: If you repot every year, you can do without additional fertilizer, as the fresh substrate gives the plant all the nutrients it needs until the next year. If you have missed the substrate change, you have to fertilize during the growing season from late spring to autumn. This works as follows:

• fertilize every 4 weeks
  
• use organic garden or bamboo fertilizers
  
• Administer via the irrigation water
  
• dose according to the manufacturer's instructions

Cut

The pruning is one of the most important care measures so that the reeds do not grow over your head and the new shoot is encouraged. Culms from last year have a negative effect on budding. This is why you should Cut Chinese reeds in spring, ideally before repotting in a new bucket. By cutting early, you also reduce the risk of being cut by the stalks when repotting. In addition to gloves, you will need pruning shears for the cut that have sufficient leverage. Since the stalks of Miscanthus species are very robust, weaker secateurs are not sufficient. The reeds are cut back as follows:

• put on gloves
• Sharpen and disinfect secateurs
• combine several stalks in bundles
• Cut the bundle back to 5 cm
• repeat for the entire plant
• Dispose of stalks on the compost or in organic waste

Be sure to wash off any areas of the skin that have come into contact with the sap of the Chinese silver grass. It is phototoxic, which makes the skin more sensitive to UV radiation, which leads to an increased risk of sunburn, blistering and itching.

Overwinter

A big advantage of the Chinese reed in the bucket is the winter hardiness. The grasses can easily be kept on the balcony, terrace or in the winter garden over the winter without affecting the vitality of the ornamental grasses. You can even leave the individual specimens in their original location, as long as they are not too dark or permanently exposed to melt water. As protection from the weather, you can place the ornamental grass in the doorway or under a roof. Despite the winter hardiness, you need to prepare the specimens cultivated in the pot for the cold season:

• Time: mid-October to mid-November
• put on gloves
• Tie the straws together
• Use sturdy cord, sisal or hemp
• Tie together in the upper and middle third
• then pack the bucket
• Use garden fleece or brushwood mats
• Place the bucket on the styrofoam
• water moderately at regular intervals
• Additions of fertilizers are not required
• unpack in early spring
• ideal just before repotting

Tip: The material protects against drying out and possible frost damage, because young Chinese reeds are not yet as robust as adult plants.

Multiplication

If you want to propagate your Miscanthus plants, dividing the root ball is best. This way, you can easily distribute even larger specimens in smaller pots and at the same time increase the amount of grass. The ideal time to divide is in early spring when you cut and repot the reeds. Since you remove the plant from the old bucket when repotting, you have immediate access to the individual rhizomes and can use them for propagation. The following instructions explain the division step by step:

• put on gloves
• use a sharp knife
• be sure to disinfect beforehand
• Cut the reeds beforehand
• Then remove the plant from the pot
• remove damaged, dead or rotten roots
• Choose rhizomes
• cut with a knife
• Put rhizomes in new tubs
• Use substrate as when repotting
• water sufficiently
• put in a suitable location
• maintain as usual

Propagation via seeds is possible all year round at temperatures of 20 ° C to 25 ° C and a germination period of 14 to 21 days. However, since the seedlings take a long time to reach the desired height, division is preferred for propagation.

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