Pampas grass seeds are small and narrow, with a dark brown to black color. They are long and pointed, with a slightly curved shape and a hard, shiny surface.
The seeds are enclosed in small, fluffy plumes that form at the top of the plant in late summer or early fall. As the plumes mature, the seeds are released and can be dispersed by the wind or other means.
Planting Pampas grasses is as easy as planting other plants or crops in your garden as you can conveniently grow it from its seeds. You only need simple materials and a fertile soil to grow it.
What Does Pampas Grass Seeds Look Like
As mentioned above, it looks like a brownish wheat grain but it is lighter inside without the chaff.
According to some studies, a single mature Pampas grass plant can produce as many as 400,000 seeds.
Each plume of this grass has the capacity to hold up to 100,000 seeds which causes it to grow and scatter fast.
Moreover, the female pampas grass produces more seeds than the male ones. You can identify the female grass by the size and fluffiness (bigger and fluffier) of their plumes.
When to Harvest Pampas Grass Seeds
When your Pampas grass is mature enough and produces fluffy plumes, that is also the time that they release thousands of seeds.
Harvesting Pampas grass seeds takes a lot of patience as it is done manually or by hands.
Just take one and place it in your palm and put your thumb pressed down on the outside of it, and angle your nail so it digs in like a blade.
Then, pull the grass by your hand by using your other hand to pull and holding with the thumb on it.
This will push all the seeds off, so do it over the area you want to seed.
How to Store Harvested Pampas Grass Seeds
After picking the seeds from the plumes, separate them from the chaffs by blowing them slowly with your mouth or a fan until only pure seeds left.
Then store them in a dry, dark room temperature place and let it dry for 1-2 days to prevent it from molding and rotting.
How to Grow Pampas Grass from Seed
If you want to try planting this grass from seeds, plant them during summer or spring and follow these steps:
- Plant the seeds 3/16 Inch deep in a tray of seedling compost or soil. Then place them on a warm, sunny window ledge or in an area with bright, indirect light.
- Germination should occur in germinate in 21 days or about three weeks. The seeds need consistent light for at least 6-8 hours a day during germination.
- When the seedlings are large enough to handle, repot them into larger pots.
- Finally, plant them outdoors when it starts to produce a bushy-like appearance after your last frost when they are 3 – 4 inches tall. Plant them in small bunches, spacing the bunches 8 feet apart.
For the first year, regularly water them and keep its soil moist. It will start blooming and producing fluffy plumes after 2 to 3 years.
Conclusion
So what does Pampas grass seeds look like? It’s as tiny as a grain of wheat. As tiny as it seems but it can grow as tall as a tree.
