What's eating my tall moor grass?

Tall Moor Grass is remarkably trouble-free. Rust fungus is the chief concern in wet summers, producing orange pustules on the tall blades. Aphids may colonise new shoots, and sod webworm caterpillars occasionally feed on leaf tissue in summer. Deer and rabbits generally avoid it. Good siting and a hard spring cutback keep most problems in check.

Orange or rusty-brown pustules erupting on blade surfaces; heavy infection causes premature yellowing of the towering foliage. Remove infected material promptly; cut the clump to ground level in late winter. Improve spacing for air movement. Apply myclobutanil fungicide if infection is severe.

Larvae feed at night on grass blades near soil level, creating irregular brown patches or notched leaf tips through summer. Apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or spinosad to soil and lower foliage; beneficial nematodes (Steinernema carpocapsae) watered into the root zone.

Clusters of small insects on young shoot tips, producing sticky honeydew and slight leaf curl. Strong water spray to dislodge; insecticidal soap if populations build. Tolerate low numbers — beneficial predators usually control them.