Nassella tenuissima

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

Mexican feather grass is a fine-textured ornamental grass, not a houseplant, but its airy plumes look wonderful in a full-sun container on a patio or balcony.

Quick Details

• Container Size: A roomy pot sized to the plant, potting on as it grows
• Indoor Suitability: Not a true houseplant; grows best outdoors
• Best Spot: Full sun (grower notes half shade is not ideal)
• Soil & Drainage: Aerated, organic-rich mix (peat or coir with perlite or vermiculite); must drain freely
• Watering in Pots: Water moderately; it is drought-tolerant once settled and dislikes soggy mix

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• Houseplant limits: As a sun-loving grass it flops and thins in indoor light; it needs strong outdoor sun.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Light & wind: Give it full sun and let the plumes catch the breeze; comb out old growth each year. Walls and paving reflect heat, so pots dry quickly – check moisture often in hot weather.
• A note of caution: It can self-seed freely and is invasive in some regions – deadhead spent plumes if that is a concern where you live.
• Practicalities: Set the pot where drainage runoff won’t stain, and remember a full, wet container is heavy to move.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Pot & drainage: A container with strong drainage holes and no standing-water saucer, to avoid root rot; terracotta breathes and dries faster, glazed or plastic holds moisture longer.
• Potting mix: A well-aerated, organic-rich mix – peat or coir with perlite or vermiculite.
• Feeding: Potted plants exhaust their soil quickly – feed a little more often, since watering leaches nutrients away.
• Repotting: Refresh the top of the mix each year and pot on every couple of years, trimming the root ball lightly.

Bloom & Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Spring through autumn
• Time to First Bloom: Usually flowers in its first season from a spring start
• Flower Appearance: Fine, silky, feathery plumes in greenish-white to soft gold, held on slender stems
• Edibility: Ornamental only – a grass grown for its plumes, not for eating

Detailed Blooming Overview

Mexican feathergrass is all about movement: the hair-fine flower plumes flow and shimmer in the slightest breeze, opening greenish and maturing to a bleached gold. It flowers over a long stretch from spring into autumn.

Flower Characteristics

• Feathery plumes – the grower likens them to a feather or horse’s tail – in yellow to white tones.
• Very fine textured, giving a soft, flowing look.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Tidying: Comb out or trim old plumes and foliage to refresh the clump.
• Self-seeding: It seeds itself freely – remove spent plumes before seed drops if you want to limit spread.
• Water: Very drought tolerant once established.