Some instructions about what to do as soon as your vetiver slips arrive.

The type of vetiver grass permitted in Australia is the cultivar Monto and is considered sterile as it does not produce viable seeds. This study conducted in 2002 looked at the possibility of vetiver grass spreading naturally from plants growing on the roadside in Cape York Peninsula (Far North Queenland). The study concluded:

“The level of fertility is considered far too low to allow significant natural spread of vetiver by seed.”

Yes - vetiver grass can grow in partial shade, but other factors will determine how well. This photo essay identifies how sunlight intensity and duration impacts growth in different growing conditions.

This study concluded "vetiver grass is quite suitable for treating polluted water under moderate saline aquatic environment."

Will livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, etc.) eat vetiver grass? Yes — read more about the nutritional content of fresh and dry vetiver grass.

Vetiver grass can grow incredibly fast in ideal conditions (about 2.5cm per day). If you wait until the end of summer growth, you will have a valuable resource — mulch! You can use the trimmed vetiver grass as you would any mulch: to suppress weeds, hold moisture, provide organic matter back into the soil, etc.