Pampas Grass problem

[Scylax]

My neighbour has a large patch of Pampas Grass which grows through my open-mesh fence and reaches a height of 10' or more. The wind has now broken most of the stems and these hang over into my garden in an unsightly mess. He has agreed to get rid of this
grass entirely, but doesn't know how. Nor do I. Do we burn it, in situ ? Advice, please.

[NazNomad]

If you burn it, then leave it, it will come back better than ever.

Burn it and dig out the root ...that'll get rid.

[LoftyLottie]

Just wondering if spraying it with Roundup might work. I would chop it down to about 3' so that there is still plenty of foliage and then give it a spray with roundup and keep doing it until it dies!! Burning it could be a bit dicey if it got out of control.

[rowanwitch]

Hack it to ground level when it shoots again apply tough weed killer to the new growth repeat as necessary

although in common with most large grasses if you keep strimming it off to ground level it will weaken it so the weed killer approach later in the year will be more effective....

[askyourgran]

Pampas grass looks nice but it is awful stuff, my next door neighbour had it on her front lawn, However the seeds started germinating on my lawn, she eventually got the message when her lawn started sprouting large grass stalks. I believe she had it cut right down and dug out the roots.

[woofgang]

fastest cheapest way is dig it out, easiest is to get a gardener to dig it out, easiest, cheaper but slow way is to put weedkiller on the new growth again and again

[LoftyLottie]

Yes actually agree with Rowan now. Apply the Roundup to the new foliage it will work better that way!! And as she says, if you keep doing it as more new foliage comes up it will give up in the end. Make sure though that the new foliage is reasonably high before spraying so that it takes in more spray.

[Scylax]

So far, so good. Useful advice, folks.

Digging out the roots will be a Herculean task. I tried it once with a patch of Pampas Grass in my front garden, some 20 years ago. It damn near killed me, and the exposed roots needed my car, a towbar and a length of hefty chain to unearth them. I guess the hired gardener and a gallon of Roundup is required now. My gratitude......

[LoftyLottie]

Just make sure that the Gardener resembles the Incredible Hulk. Actually, I think it would need a ground worker with a mini digger, rather than a gardener, to do this.

Good luck!!

[woofgang]

ooo ooo rent a mini digger and charge your mates to have a go.

[dennisb66]

I cut down two Grasses to 12inch off the ground,then sprayed with Roundup root killer every few days,worked a treat.

[AlBags]

You can dig out a Pampas root. It grows as a lump ... and not too deep.
You need a good spade and a peck.

[dennisb66]

A peck!!!!

[saxy_jag]

We tried everything on the one we had. It was old and the root was too large to dig out. We tried a flame-thrower and then industrial-strength bleach, eventually managing to 'get rid' of it. We wanted the area as a grassed parking space and parking the van over it on a daily basis, which did at least keep it in check.

I drove past the old place the other day. It's grown back in the intervening years and is now almost as high as the house itsself.

[LoftyLottie]

Get yourself a chicken then for the pecking!!

[LoftyLottie]

Sorry Allbags. Just joking - not meant as a dig at you.