pampas grass

I have a pampas grass and have had it for some 5 years now, it came with the property.
I have not fed it, or done much with it at all.
I have heard that they are better off being burnt back every few years how essential is that? and how does it benefit them.
do they need the charcoal type stuff produced from the burning, or does it just clear all the dead leaves away. leaving it space to grow?
I have enclosed pic of it in all it's glory, and you can probably see from the pic that is is close to a fir tree and a silver birch and hence I'm nervous of putting a match to it. lower down on the slope behind the pampas I have many heathers and have other firs, I don't really want a bush fire on my hands!
Opinions?

Hi Volric. There are arguments on both sides ...to burn or not to burn...Pampas grows like a bad weed here in So Louisiana, so lots of folks have opinions on the proper care.

From the info I collected, Pampas grass should only be burned if there is a large accumulation of dead stalks/grass that can not be removed any other way and never more often than every three years, but only in the winter when the plant is dormant. It is my understanding that the safest method is to remove the tall dead growth with a weed-eater/whipper-snipper and remove it from the area first. That way you can assess how much dead plant matter is left and it makes for a much more controllable fire. My neighbor uses a propane "weed burner" , soaks the ground around the plant, and keeps the garden hose at hand. According to him, the plants should be at least 5 to 6 years old before you even consider using a burn-off method and again no more than once every three years.

My neighbor down the street just cuts his back to about 2 ft tall in late February every year and lets it go. If you google " burning pampas grass", you will get both the pros and cons in a number of sites.

Our pampas grass is close to our front wood lot so we chose to use a chain saw to cut it back to about two feet and then rake out all the dead stuff with an iron rake. It worked great. BTW, we had a couple clumps we needed to get out of the way because they were in a bad location. We cut those two down as far as we could go with the chain saw (mere inches from the roots) and both died. We did them in the early fall so the cold weather could work on them.

I have seen on 'you tube' videos of people burning their pampas grass,
and thats why I haven't just gone for it. the stuff is quite explosive.

I normally cut the 'flowers' off in december (mine doesn't start doing anything until september) when the winds are high and they are getting blown over. I was developing quite a stash of vases full of pampas grass... but chucked the old ones out this year.

As for reading pro's and con's of burning it. All I'm seeing is people claiming that it's indestructable. So I guess I'll leave it as is. Its nice, it fills a gap, it's not doing anyone any harm, I just wondered if it needed it. If it don't I'll leave well alone.
thanks
Volric

It will absolutely need cutting back every so often to remove the dead stalks. Good luck with it...it makes a nice addition in your yard.

I'm In UK and have used burning as well as hacking into as much of the dead fronds / spikes whatever people call them, the fire was huge, had the garden hose running, thick gloves and protective eye covering as this grass will take your eyes out, I have to admit, had I knows how strong, far spreading and dangerous this plant is, I would never have planted it in my garden. The roots are so invasive and tough that even after about 10 years, we still cant remove it, the huge clumps just keep expanding, because it is so overcrowded now, the lovely flowering spikes are few and far between and can only assume it is because the roots are so cramped and over crowded to allow light into the middle of the plat.
Either way is the right way to get rid of the dead stuff but you need to look at the situation the plant is in for safety, as soon as you put light to the dry plant, it is instant WOOOOOOOsh (then the fire is about out) but close to other tree's, sparks might cause damage and spread, IF you decide to chop, cut or machine remove the dead stuff you need to make sure there are no sleeping animals inside the thatch, as you do with the fire burning, we have removed hibernating hedgehogs etc from ours so be careful.
Hope this helps you prepare with great thought as to what way you want to go.
Good luck, WeeNel.

Thanks Guys
It's not being invasive. it just sits there pretty as a picture. it had ten flower spikes 5 years ago when I moved in. it still had 10 flower spikes this last year.
So I guess it's in just the right position, behind it in the photo there is a steep slope down to the road and I figure it probably only just gets enough rain/water, which is why it flowers so late, several of my neighbours have pampas that starts earlier than mine, and at the top of that slope the rain water must pour off it.
I don't use machimes to clear out the dead stuff, just a pair of leather gloves and a knife. it was very 'composty' in the middle this year, although that is probably how it feeds itself?
I had considered moving it to facilitate a burn, but from what people are saying its not going to happen, apparently they don't come up easily and there sounds to be little point to it.
thanks again Volric

I planted my pampas grass on steep slopes (they run down into a creek) deliberately because they do get a huge root system and are, therefore, good for erosion control. Mine are doing an excellent job of that too.