Normally I would not buy such a large plant; however, we needed instant privacy for our patio. This grass was labeled "zebra grass" but it is obviously not.

It was 3' tall, upright, healthy looking, and green, so I went for it. I'm fairly certain it's some type of Miscanthus, though.

I bought it on May 10th and transferred from its nursery pot to a 24" plastic container within 3-4 hours of purchase. 24" container has five 1/2" drainage holes in bottom.

It was very root bound with only a small amount of mix spilling out, and it easily slid out of its pot. I gently teased the roots around the sides - having been told I needed to go easy with the roots - and I soaked the roots under a hose for five minutes. Then I planted in MG potting mix (which I had already moistened), tamped down a bit, then watered deeply until my moisture indicator read in between moist and wet.

I sat it in its home which is in full sun from 11am-4pm. The day after planting the leaves starting curling and turning brown. Plus there were what look like rust spots on the leaves.

The temps the first week were 80s with lots of sun. Temps the second week were more mild, cloudy days, 60s during day, 35-45 at night. I've been checking moisture daily.

After doing much research I'm thinking it's the roots. What do you think? Should I remove it from the pot, cut the bottom, free up the roots, then re-pot? Keep it in the shade for a few days after that?

Is there any chance it'll come back during this growing season? As mentioned earlier, the whole purpose in buying such a large plant was for the privacy. If it's no go for that this year, I may return it and go with something else.

Thank you in advance for your help!