Will Horses Eat Pampas Grass
Q. I want to plant Pampas Grass along a fence line. We have problems with our neighbor’s horses eating any plants we plant. We do not want to close our property in with a fence, so we are looking for vegetation that will help. Will horses eat Pampas Grass? Any help you can give will be appreciated. Thanks… Farley Dodson - Pensacola, Florida
A. Well in past questions I have warned people cutting back or dividing Pampas Grass to wear protective gear since the leaf edges are razor sharp and can cut skin (imagine getting compound paper cuts). I think this is the reason Pampas Grass is resistant to deer browsing. I would guess it isn’t very pleasant on the tongue either. Now resistance does not mean deer proof and a deer is not a horse but the odds are in favor of horse resistance. In addition I assume your neighbors feed their horses regularly. Deer will often eat resistant plants when there is little else to eat and their option is starving. Test one plant out to minimize your loss should my theory not hold. Let me know how it goes.