Weeping Love Grass (African love grass) care

Light

Aim for at least 4-6 hours of direct sun on the leaves. Full sun is essential for best growth and density. Tolerates light shade but becomes open and less weed-suppressive. Thrives in exposed, hot positions where few other grasses perform well. If your only bright window faces south, that's perfect for weeping love grass — same window any aroid would fry on.

Watering

Watering weeping love grass: every 3–4 weeks once established; weekly during establishment. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. One of the most drought-tolerant ornamental grasses available. Deep, infrequent watering encourages deep roots. Waterlogged or poorly drained soil is poorly tolerated. Once established on appropriate soils, supplemental irrigation is rarely needed.

Soil and pot

Weeping Love Grass grows best in sandy, loamy, or gravelly well-drained soils. Thrives in poor, sandy, or eroded soils — this is its primary ecological niche. Adaptable to clay if surface drainage is good. Tolerates acidic to slightly alkaline conditions (pH 5.0–7.5). Avoid fertile, moist, or waterlogged conditions. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Weeping Love Grass sits happiest at around 20–60% humidity and −10°C to 42°C (14°F to 108°F). Native to drier African grasslands and highly tolerant of low humidity. Performs well in arid and semi-arid climates. Does not thrive in persistently humid, wet conditions, which encourage fungal issues. If you keep the room above −10°C to 42°C year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed weeping love grass sparingly. Generally not required. Fertilising in fertile soils promotes excessive, floppy growth. On extremely poor, compacted soils used for revegetation, a single low-nitrogen slow-release application at planting can aid establishment only. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on weeping love grass in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Invasive spread — Prolific self-seeding makes this species invasive in parts of Australia, South Africa, and the southwestern United States. Check local weed registers before planting; deadhead before seed sets to limit spread in garden settings.
• Stem rust (Puccinia spp.) — Orange-brown pustules on leaf sheaths and blades in humid conditions. Improve air circulation; avoid overhead irrigation. Severely infected clumps can be cut to the ground in early spring to remove inoculum.
• Poor establishment in shade — Fails to thrive under tree canopy or in low-light spots. Growth becomes open and the erosion-control mat function is lost. Always site in full, open sun.

Propagation

Seed sown on the soil surface in spring at soil temperatures above 18°C germinates in 7–14 days. Established clumps can be divided in early spring. Seed viability is high and self-seeding is prolific. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Weeping Love Grass is pet-safe. Eragrostis curvula belongs to the grass family Poaceae, which contains no known toxic principles for dogs or cats. The ASPCA does not list love grasses as toxic. It is widely grazed by livestock without ill effect. Considered safe around pets. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Weeping Love Grass deep-dive guides

Every aspect of weeping love grass care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Weeping Love Grass watering schedule
• Weeping Love Grass light requirements
• Best soil mix for weeping love grass
• Weeping Love Grass fertilizing guide
• When to repot weeping love grass
• How to propagate weeping love grass
• Weeping Love Grass growth rate & size
• Weeping Love Grass cold hardiness
• Weeping Love Grass temperature & humidity
• Is weeping love grass toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is weeping love grass toxic to cats?
• Is weeping love grass toxic to dogs?
• Getting weeping love grass to bloom

Featured in these plant shortlists

Weeping Love Grass qualifies for 10 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best pet-safe houseplants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — every one verified against the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
• Best drought-tolerant houseplants — Houseplants that prefer to dry out — forgiving of forgotten watering and ideal for travel or busy weeks.
• Best flowering houseplants — Indoor plants grown for their blooms — selected from the flowering species in Growli’s plant-care library.
• Best pet-safe low-maintenance plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and forgiving of forgotten watering — the easiest safe choices for a busy pet household.
• Best pet-safe flowering plants — Flowering houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — colour and blooms in a pet home, without the worry.
• Best pet-safe plants for bright light — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in a bright, sunny spot — safe plants for your best-lit windowsill.
• Best houseplants for full sun — Houseplants that want direct sun — the species for a hot south or west-facing windowsill where shade-lovers scorch.
• Best fast-growing houseplants — Houseplants documented as fast or vigorous growers — quick to fill a pot, cover a pole or trail down a shelf.
• Best cat-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats (and dogs) — safe greenery for a home with a curious cat.
• Best dog-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to dogs (and cats) — safe greenery for a home with a curious dog.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Weeping Love Grass is also commonly called weeping love grass or African love grass.

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