Planted as small "slips," the most commonly available way to purchase, in Los Angeles in September or October when it was blazing hot an...Read Mored dry. They did not grow. Many were brown, close to death after insufficient watering. Mild winter, respectable 14" inches of rain - they still did not do much of anything besides look less dead.
Once daytime temps started to hit the upper 70's, and with an enhanced watering schedule, they took off like racehorses. In a month, I think they grew 6 feet? They are very graceful, subtle grasses. A beautiful green color. They bend at a sharp angle once they get tall, and nod attractively in the wind.
My opinion is these are tropical climate grasses. They would be much happier in Miami, but they will perform well in Mediterranean climates. They will survive drought - not relish it. They like it hot, sunny, and wet.
Word of warning, the margins of the blades are SHARP
In addition to its many other practical uses, this long-lived, tropical, perennial bunch grass makes a very beautiful garden plant. It ca...Read Moren be grown as an annual north of the limit of its hardiness. It grows quickly where summers are hot.
Evergreen even in semi-arid conditions, the foliage turns a lovely bronze/burgundy color in fall through winter. The habit is stiffly upright, and leaves can reach 7' tall, drooping loosely at the tips. As with many grasses, the leaf edges are sharp. For tidiness, it should be cut back hard in spring before new growth begins. (An electric hedge trimmer makes short work of this. Wear gloves and long sleeves!)
The deep roots run straight down, and so do not compete with those of neighboring plants. Rhizomes are very short, and spread is extremely slow. (Some vetiver hedges are 200 years old.)
Vetiver makes wonderful hedges 6' high and 18" wide within a year after planting, spacing one plug every 6 inches.
Clumps never require division, but are easily propagated by crown division in spring. (The crown is about 6" below the surface.) They are also easily removed by digging out the crown, or by glyphosate herbicide. There are no significant pests or diseases.
Extraordinarily adaptable, vetiver can survive immersion in clear water for up to two months. Because of its deep roots, it also grows well in semi-arid climates without irrigation. It's highly adaptable about soil texture and pH, and tolerant of salt and toxic levels of at least 7 metals. It needs full sun and is intolerant of shade.
The wild species (from north India) has been deemed invasive (by seed) in some places, such as the Caribbean and Australia, but modern cultivars of south Indian provenance (such as 'Sunshine') rarely bloom and, when they do, produce sterile seeds. They are not invasive. 88% of samples taken from countries outside south Asia were found to be a single clone genetically indistinguishable from 'Sunshine', the product of thousands of years of selection. http://www.vetiver.org/USA-USDA-NRCS_Sunshine.pdf
This grass has many uses, and all are valuable. It is sometimes grown in gardens for the ornamental foliage effect. The leaves are traditionally used for animal fodder (when young) and for thatch, and now for biomass fuel production and phytoremediation of industrial contamination. They also make a great mulch. The roots and leaves have been used in weaving and basketry. The essential oil distilled from the roots has a sandalwood fragrance and is used in soaps and as a fixative in perfume, as well as in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Various biologically active compounds are under investigation, as (for example) a fungicide and a termite repellant. In India, vetiver hedges grown on contour have been used to stabilize steep eroding slopes and establish terraces (and to increase water infiltration) for hundreds of years. They are also used as windbreaks, fire breaks, and nurse plants. http://www.vetiver.org/USA-USDA-NRCS_Sunshine.pdf
I have vetiver growing in a pot that I bring inside for the winter (zone 7a) and put near a south-facing window. Got it from companionpla...Read Morents.com 2-3 years ago. It's in a pot that gives it about 15" for the roots, but is probably root-bound. The crown is about 6" across; the longest blades over 7 ft tall tho bent so they're not nearing the ceiling. I keep it moist year-round. Will bring it outside this week for the season and divide and repot either into deeper pot that I can still carry and/or trim the roots. So far I haven't gotten any flowerheads -- don't know if my strain is sterile or fertile.
New Orleans, LA (Zone 9a) | August 2010 | positive
Vetiver has been used for centuries not only for erosion control, but for it's fragrant roots. The roots are harvested, dried and used fo...Read Morer its amazing, subtle scent. I had a large pot that I harvested each fall and used the roots to scent my closet. A hint if you'll be harvesting the roots: Use a plastic pot. The roots are so tenacious that they will go into the walls of a terracotta pot. And don't be afraid to take an axe or a saw to overgrown roots. The plant will come back healthier than ever.
However, Katrina flooding destroyed my lovely vetiver, along with the rest of my garden. I really need to get some more.
I bought some of these plants from http://www.theherbcottage.com.<...Read More/a> It is the only plant she sells. Some of the plants I got were already big enough to divide. They are all growing well. See the website for an incredible picture of the roots of one plant. Highly recommended for tropical or subtropical locations, especially for erosion control.
I haven't grown this grass but would love to give it a try. I'm adding the positive note for the wonderful qualities it has. As already m...Read Moreentioned by careyjane, it is excellent to use for controlling soil erosion. So well known is it, that this method of holding soil from erosion & heavy rain runoff is called the Vetiver System!!
However, the reason I'd like to grow it is for its roots if wisely harvested. The roots can highly fragrant when dried & since they grow downwards, are long. In India, the roots are loosely woven into mats & hung in doorways during hot weather. Then, they're sprayed with water & the evaporation cools the room while imparting a lovely scent to the home.
The oil extracted from the roots forms the base notes to a great many expensive perfumes. The fragrance is rich, earthy without smelling like dirt or roots. It's similar to freshly mown hay but lighter & sweeter. Years ago, I had a small vial of khus-khus oil (the Indian name for the plant) that I've never forgotten & tried to find again - but with no luck.
The essential oil vertiver (I've seen it spelled both ways) that's sold in health food & aromatherapy stores is nothing like the oil I had. It smells cheap & rather unpleasant to me despite the stores' assurances that it's genuine. It's one reason I'd like to grow the grass itself to have my own roots although I wouldn't try to distill them. Besides, I love the look of tall unusual grasses in a garden setting.
This seems to be the most amazing plant: it is useful in erosion control, water purification, planting on public waste landfill sites and...Read More many other things too. Its roots are very deep -- up to 1.5m -- and it resists methane gas in dumping grounds, salty water and soil.
Being sterile, it is not invasive, but can live for 100 years in the same place, forming hedges which prevent erosion, stop topsoil and water from being lost from sloping sites. On top of that it is very attractive and takes on a burgundy red glow when in flower. With it's leaves chopped off straight across the top, it forms a zen, very architectural plant.
I am enamoured with it and hope to explore its many possibilities in the future.
Planted as small "slips," the most commonly available way to purchase, in Los Angeles in September or October when it was blazing hot an...Read More
In addition to its many other practical uses, this long-lived, tropical, perennial bunch grass makes a very beautiful garden plant. It ca...Read More
I was wondering if there is a comparable graminoid that is hardy to zone 5?
I planted this grass around my pond to stop erosion. It has become one of my favorite plants - no fuss and pleasing look throughout the year.
I have vetiver growing in a pot that I bring inside for the winter (zone 7a) and put near a south-facing window. Got it from companionpla...Read More
Vetiver has been used for centuries not only for erosion control, but for it's fragrant roots. The roots are harvested, dried and used fo...Read More
I bought some of these plants from http://www.theherbcottage.com.<...Read More
I haven't grown this grass but would love to give it a try. I'm adding the positive note for the wonderful qualities it has. As already m...Read More
This seems to be the most amazing plant: it is useful in erosion control, water purification, planting on public waste landfill sites and...Read More