Pennisetum – Red Bunny Tails – Fountain Grass – Pennisetum messiacum

Dead-Heading Not Necessary
Grass
Heat Tolerant
Maintenance Notes
Red Bunny Tails is a neutral-grass. Where temperatures get colder than zero degrees F, the plants should be treated as annuals. Once the grass turns brown it can either be removed immediately or removed in the spring. It should not be expected to live through the winter and begin growing again in the spring.
In areas where winter temperatures remain above zero degrees it should be considered a perennial and the following information should be useful. Evergreen or neutral grasses are usually plants that look like grasses but aren't actually classified as grasses, they are generally called grass-like plants.
Divide evergreen or neutral grasses and grass-like plants in spring only.
Evergreen grasses don't ever go dormant. Dividing plants wounds them to some degree. For evergreen grasses this wounding will really affect their ability to live through the winter.
Uses Notes
Use in beds, borders and large containers
Maintenance Category Easy
Water Category Average
Bloom Time
Flower Form Container, Cut Flower, Dried Flower, Grass, Landscape
pH B - pH 5.8 - 6.2
EC (2:1 Extraction Method) 0.6 - 0.9
Fertilization 100 - 150
Light Requirements High
Water Requirements Moderate to Moist
Rooting Out Temperature 65 - 72° Fahrenheit
Growing On Temperature 70 - 75° Fahrenheit
Holding Temperature 40 - 50° Fahrenheit
Planting and Timing Information
Spring to Fall Sales. Standard PPP.
Finishing Times [weeks]
4-5" and Quart Pot : 4-8
6" and Gallon Pot : 6-9
7-9" Pot : 8-10
10-12" and Two Gallon Pot : 10-14
Pinching and Growth Regulators
No pinching or growth regulators needed.
Pest and Disease Management
General pest and disease practices as listed in notes.
Grower Tips
Upright Arching.