How Often Should You Water Fountain Grass?

Fountain grass is a mound-forming decorative grass that is a garden favorite since it is low maintenance and requires little maintenance.

The name comes from the cascading leaves of the plant that make it look like a fountain. Clump-forming grasses are those that grow in clumps or mounds, making them suitable for a wide range of environments without becoming invasive.

How Often to Water Fountain Grass?

Despite its high drought tolerance, you have to water fountain grass by the book as the roots are established. New fountain grass plants should be watered one inch every week. The beauty of this ornamental grass is that it is highly adaptable. Specimens that are already established don’t have to be watered regularly.

How to Tell if Fountain Grass Needs Water?

For newly planted fountain grasses in typical garden soil, you should not be required to water them daily. Only water when necessary to maintain the rootball. That is, add water only during periods with no rainfall.

Fountain grasses are drought resilient after they have established themselves. Plants will benefit from thorough soakings now and again during long summer droughts, according to the USDA. If you see drooping or discoloration of the leaf, check the soil moisture and give the plants a thorough deep soaking if needed.

How Do You Know When Your Fountain Grass is Sufficiently Watered?

Generally speaking, if you stick to the recommended watering requirements that we talked about earlier, your fountain grass should always have enough water. If it’s not sufficiently watered, the plant will let you know through visible signs.

It’s important to know that different factors will impact just how much water fountain grass receives. For instance, you might not have to water the grass very much in spring and fall. Avoid watering at all during raining season.

Sunlight exposure also plays a major role here. While fountain grass can handle full sunlight pretty well, the very intense summer heat can also cause it to lose water much faster and might water more frequently.

Can You Overwater Fountain Grass?

Fountain grasses prefer damp but well-drained soil, which is ideal for growing. When they are established, they can withstand periods of drought, but they demand moist soil when they are first established. Many other decorative plants dislike consistently moist or wet soil. Fountain grass is no exception to this rule, so make sure you don’t overwater it.

What are Signs of an Overwatered Fountain Grass?

If you’re dealing with browning fountain grass, the culprit might be excessive watering. The tricky thing here is that brown grass can also be caused by other factors, such as exposure to sunlight during very hot days or having too much fertilizer in the soil. To determine the exact cause, you might have to do a step-by-step evaluation of your fountain grass.

How Long Can a Fountain Grass Go Without Water?

Since fountain grass is ornamental grass, it can survive for a decent amount of time with very little water. This, however, only occurs if the grass is well-established. If you suspect that your fountain grass is suffering due to the lack of water, look for the more obvious signs, such as browning leaves. Performing a soil moisture test can also help.

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