Lemongrass can last for over a month properly stored in your fridge. Lemongrass Plant Profile. Then we cut each stalk back to about 5″ tall, and transplant them into small nursery pots. An added bonus is that it likely does have a host of medicinal benefits as well. So include lemongrass in your foods and beverages because it tastes great. Lemongrass is one of the easiest plants to propagate. Its lemony stalks are most commonly used in East Asian cooking to add flavour to broths, soups and curries. A 5-10 gallon pot, bucket or grow bag will do the trick of growing lemongrass. Cut back any dead foliage in late winter, early spring and watch it thrive. Put this pot of lemongrass in a warm, sunny spot on a window ledge or out on your patio. Plant in a container and place in a south-facing window or under grow lights to encourage growth through winter. Smooth the surface and compress it 1/2 to 1 centimeter of space that remains between the ground and the top of the tray. It is well suited to container growing, and ideal for greenhouse cultivation. Lemongrass will naturally propagate itself, once it is established. Sow lemongrass seeds 1 inches apart and 1/4 inches deep. This is how a single lemongrass stalk can quickly grow into a giant plant. Firstly, you can buy lemongrass seeds from bunnings which will take around 21 days to germinate. The problem is, they also require high humidity and a soil temperature of roughly 70 degrees to thrive. We overwinter these plants indoors in a warm, sunny window. The sharp, papery leaves above the stalks are often chopped to make into tea. A beautiful harvest of fresh organically-grown lemongrass. We use our lemongrass every way imaginable: teas, flavorings for Asian soups and curries, juiced and turned into summer sorbets, and more. © 2020 - Tyrant Farms. Once you learn how to grow lemongrass and you get a season of growing experience under your belt, you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to grow! Plants can also be raised from stems bought in shops. Online recipes abound for lemongrass, so be creative! Lemongrass Growing Conditions. Harvesting lemongrass stalks. In fact, lemongrass has insect-repellent properties! Instead just cut the stalks close to the base and they’ll grow back. Planting and Caring for Your Lemongrass Use good-quality potting soil and plant each lemongrass stalk, one to a pot, so its roots are an inch or so beneath the soil surface. Privacy Policy. They don’t have as much flavor as the stalks. The most common dishes that use lemongrass are Asian cuisine. The Tyrant processing lemongrass stalks post-harvest as Charlie the Cat comes over to investigate. Cut each stalks to about 3 inches, place them in large pot with good soil mix or in the ground. In normal to cold winters, the plants die. Honestly, there isn’t a perfect time of the year to do this as lemongrass is really hardy it will survive most seasons. Lemongrass plants thrive in all conditions but love the warmth so make sure they get enough sun. Lemongrass plants can be grown in cooler climates by overwintering them in a protected environment. Fertilize your lemongrass plants … Soil. Lemongrass stalks will naturally sprout roots if left in water, so the easiest way to grow lemongrass is to start with mature stalks from a grocery store. treatment of fungal infections and skin inflammation (, anti-amoebic, antibacterial, antidiarrheal, antifilarial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties (. Also, before transplanting, be sure to check your 10 day weather forecast to make sure an unusual cold snap isn’t in the forecast. (More on that below.) document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "af3dd9c9a9e35f5ca3f244a1b57e94d4" );document.getElementById("fe02d60459").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read our blog! Change water every day. Lemongrass is a full-sun plant, and needs well-drained soil, with a pH of 6 to 7. Lemongrass likes it hot, so grow it in an area with full sun and fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0. You can grow lemongrass from seed, but we do not recommend this method unless you’re a farmer looking to grow acres of lemongrass plants for minimal cost. In the produce section, pick out lemongrass stalks that have the most root base still attached. Instead, we recommend growing lemongrass by either propagating it from shoots or buying starter plants: Do you have an Asian grocery store in town? Yes, lemongrass produces flower stalks and flowers. After a couple of weeks, you should see roots starting to grow, take your cutting and place it in the soil in your garden. Remember you’ll need to pull the stalk out of the ground to use in cooking so don’t use it all at once! Lemongrass Growing Conditions. This herb requires high levels of nitrogen for survival. We hope you’ll include this delicious plant in your warm weather garden for years to come. Once you have your lemongrass stalks, you can either: Nope, it doesn’t look very impressive at this stage, but this newly planted lemongrass stalk will be a giant plant in a few months time. Then you probably have access to all the lemongrass stalks you need to propagate your own plants. We’ve never had a long enough growing season where we live (Zone 7B) for our lemongrass plants to produce flowers. Then cut each stalk back to about 5″ tall, and plant them in small containers to overwinter indoors in a sunny window. Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price! ) How to grow American groundnuts in your garden, Potted citrus garden video tour (Zone 7b), Recipe: Sugar-free persimmon cranberry relish. Lemongrass cooking tip: cut your lemongrass stalks into 2″ chunks when using it for cooking. Depending on when you plant it, generally, it takes a couple of months to grow to full size. Tyrant Farms is reader-supported. Lemongrass plants grow large and can quickly outgrow their containers; choose a large container. Food explorer, seed & soil geek, duck evangelist, writer, health nut, and entrepreneur. In fact, its growth habit looks a lot like pampas grass, which would be our least favorite plant on earth, if not for poison ivy. Nope, … If you can have any pot or container at home, that’s good, or you can purchase your favorite container from the link below. The white section of the stalk has the strongest flavour whereas the green leaves at the tips have a subtler flavour which is perfect for making your own lemongrass tea. The one thing you may have to do in order to get the most production out of your lemongrass plants is irrigate. The thick juicy bases of the stalk are the most prized part of the plant. If your plant is looking sad make sure it is getting enough sunlight and give it some water. A minimum temperature of 5C (40F) is ideal. One night, when I was seven, we went to a Thai restaurant. To get started, simply place a few lemongrass stalks in a glass jar filled with room-temperature water and wait for roots to emerge. Lemongrass is one of the easiest plants to propagate. Sow seeds 5cm deep and 50cm apart. it grows easily in any warm climate (like Australia). Click here to learn more about our story, and please subscribe to get our freshest content delivered to your inbox! If you just want to get a few stalks from the plant during the growing season, don’t pull up the entire stalk, roots and all. We recommend putting a 3″ deep layer of wood chips or mulch over the soil surface to protect the soil and help maintain even soil temps and moisture. Plant lemongrass in a warm, sunny spot that is convenient to water. Thanks, Annemiek! Growing lemongrass from cuttings is the preferred method of starting new plants. Within seconds of the flavors crossing my taste buds, I knew I was in love with whatever magical ingredients had combined to form the flavors in my bowl. If you don’t get 1″ of rainfall per week, you’ll want to provide supplemental irrigation to your plants. How to grow lemongrass in containers: Lemongrass grows well in a self-watering container that is at least 10 inches deep. Therefore, you should only plant/transplant your lemongrass outdoors AFTER your last frost date of spring (find yours here). Provide lemongrass with consistent moisture and water when the top inch becomes dry. Best guess: it probably takes at least 9 months of ideal growing conditions for a lemongrass plant to produce flowers. Care for indoor lemongrass plants is easy and productive. And that’s one of the main reasons The Tyrant and I grow and forage food: we love cultivating new experiences and tending good memories. There are two common varieties of lemongrass. Lemongrass will perform best in full sun. Step 2: Propagate and Plant Place store-bought lemongrass stalks in shallow glass of water for about 1 week. As new growth appears in spring, feed plants weekly with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Your lemongrass will repay you with leaves that can be harvested to provide a gentle lemon essence in drinks and meals, and inner stalks that can be used in stir-fries and other Asian dishes. Also very nice for making sorbetto. How To Grow & Maintain Lemongrass Ideally lemongrass prefers regions with warm, dry winters and hot, wet summers but it does readily grow outside of these conditions eg as far south as Melbourne and inland Australia. Each plant can grow to between 3 and 6 feet high if you do grow it outside. Please be sure to subscribe to Tyrant Farms to see what's in-season out in nature, have fresh seasonal recipes delivered to your inbox and get helpful organic/permaculture gardening & duck keeping tips. Technically, lemongrass is a perennial, but it will not overwinter in the ground in cooler climate zones. Two parts of the lemongrass plant are used for culinary purposes: A single lemongrass stalk with rapidly divide, creating a thick stand of grassy stalks within 2-3 months. If you live in a cold climate region, we’ll give you detailed tips below to show you how. Native to South Asia, lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a delicious plant with a unique lemon-like taste that is often used as a flavoring in Asian foods and beverages. Start with a purchased plant in spring, and grow it in a pot until the soil warms in early summer. Honestly, there isn’t a perfect time of the year to do this as lemongrass is really hardy it will survive most seasons. These plants are used to make citronella oil, sprays, and various other insect repellent products. A new experience! Make sure you have a full sun spot and the space required to grow lemongrass. Lemongrass thrives in warm growing conditions with well-drained soil and is drought tolerant so don’t need much water. Move plants back indoors in late summer, putting it in a bright, cool position and reduce watering, keeping the compost just moist. Thanks for this nice article. While there, the family tradition was to go to a different ethnic restaurant as many nights as possible. Just before our first fall freeze, we always dig up a few lemongrass stalks with roots on. Lemongrass is one of the fastest-growing perennials. You can begin harvesting individual lemongrass stalks from the plant whenever you want to use them. If you’re planting lemongrass in close proximity, space them at least 5′ apart. By late summer, lemon grass plants growing under ideal conditions (good soil, full sun, adequate water) can reach 5-6′ tall x 5′ wide. Just be sure not to pile the mulch directly against the lemongrass stems or you could rot the plants. Our Garden Plannercan produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area. When you see fresh leaves sprouting from the new stalk, the lemongrass’ roots are ready to be transferred to the soil. I grew up in a small town in South Carolina that was not exactly known for its ethnic restaurants. After a couple of weeks, you should see roots starting to grow, take your cutting and place it in the soil in your garden. Lemongrass plants prefer rich, loamy soil. In our opinion, a better and equally safe way to reduce mosquitos in your yard is using Bt dunks (article here). In addition to their collaboration on Tyrant Farms, Aaron and his wife, Susan, are cofounders of GrowJourney.com, a USDA certified organic seed & gardening education company. After separating, plant the divisions 1-2 feet apart in your desired location. We’ve had them overwinter only during very mild winters. When planting lemongrass in pots, one of the best things you can do for your plant is to harvest it frequently, as this encourages new growth.. Our family travelled overseas a lot, so I’d learned to become an adventuresome eater. In Australia, you can harvest lemongrass year-round just be mindful that in winter it will take longer to grow back. As mentioned, lemongrass looks like an attractive tall grass, similar to pampas grass. Lemongrass tastes similar to lemons without the acidic bite, and has infinite culinary applications. Pick the freshest stalk from your local supermarket or fresh food grocers, peel back any dead leaves and place in a glass of water on a sunny windowsill. :) and use as desired! Lemongrass is so hardy that it isn’t susceptible to lots of pests and bugs. A month after planting, start feeding your lemongrass plant with Miracle-Gro® All-Purpose Water-Soluble Plant Food every 2 weeks. Modern research is sparse, but shows lemongrass’s promising medicinal potential for: In our opinion, everything you eat and drink is technically “medicinal” in that it either supports or diminishes your overall health. Fertilizing. It can be a very attractive plant in an edible landscape. Zones 8b or higher are able to overwinter lemongrass successfully in-ground. As its name implies, lemongrass has the growth habit of a giant grass. Yes, but…. Space plants 24 inches apart. The best place to plant lemongrass is in a warm and sunny position. He also serves on the board of the Diversified Agriculture Committee for the South Carolina Farm Bureau. At maturity lemongrass plants can reach 6′ tall x 5′ wide, so select your planting location(s) accordingly. Remove mature lemongrass stalks from this year’s plants before first frost – one stalk = one plant next year. Once you know how to grow lemongrass, you’ll want to grow it every year thereafter. Do lemongrass plants repel mosquitoes and other insects? As a subtropical plant, lemongrass thrives in a warm and humid climate with temperatures ranging from 50 to 91°F degrees (10°C to 33°C). You now know how to grow lemongrass in your garden and how to use it. If so, please pin this image to share the love! Lemongrass thrives in Australian climates, here’s everything you need to know. You can also root a stalk from the produce market in water. A native of India, you will have to live in at least zone 9 if you want to grow lemongrass outdoors. It will need protection from frost in these areas so choose a sheltered location or grow in a pot which can be moved around. Harvesting involves cutting it with a sharp knife flush to the surface of the soil. Then plant the lemongrass so the top of the root base is about 1″ below the soil surface. In its native habitat, lemongrass grows in full sun, even in hot climates. Kick off the growing season by mixing several inches aged compost or other rich organic matter into your native soil. This will help the soil drain better, as well as provide food to your plant over time. One of my favourite herbs. Congratulations! Each of those tiny shoots will grow into a new mature stalk, which will then divide into more new stalks. When foliage starts to turn brown in autumn, cut back foliage to 10cm (4in). Place plants in a sunny, sheltered position over summer and keep well watered. Lemongrass is a tender perennial, meaning it will die back in colder climates. Growing lemongrass is as simple as taking your rooted plant out of the water and putting it into a pot containing all-purpose soil, with the crown just below the surface. After growing lemongrass for over 10 years, we’ll share everything we know about how to grow lemongrass so you can cultivate your own new experiences and tend good memories, too! Lemongrass stalks cut into small 2″ chunks, then smashed with the base of a chef’s knife to allow for more flavor to come out. Once you’ve harvested your stalks, trim off the top leaves and chop them into small pieces to dry for tea (or compost if you have excess). Is lemongrass hard to grow? Lemongrass plants growth size in mid-summer. Lemongrass has been used for thousands of years in Asia to treat or prevent various ailments. How many lemongrass plants do you want to grow next year? Decades later, every time I smell freshly-harvested lemongrass stalks from one of the plants growing in our organic garden in Greenville, SC, I’m transported back to that initial experience. Thirdly, you can buy a lemongrass bush and use as desired! As mentioned previously, lemongrass stalks will easily last a month in a bag inside your fridge. How to Grow Lemongrass Indoors. In cold climates, lemongrass should be started indoors to ensure that it has time to mature in a short growing season. An inch or two of water is enough to soak it enough for roots to grow, and all you need to do is freshen up the out every few days. They’re never very happy under these conditions, but they live until spring and bounce into full gear as soon as they’re outdoors in optimal growing conditions. Lemongrass is a plant that really does require as much sun and warmth as possible. Lemongrass is very drought-tolerant, but it will size up better if it gets regular water. An easy way to accomplish this is to purchase intact stalks from the grocery store – you may need to visit a local Asian market to find lemongrass – and root cuttings from the lemongrass stalks. Water it regularly. Place a lemongrass stalk in a glass or jar of water to grow a new stalk. All Rights Reserved. Lottie Dalziel, is a 4AM riser and coffee-addict who loves reading up on the latest trends in sustainability or discovering ways to upcycle almost anything! Lemongrass maintenance consists of listening to your favorite music, enjoying lazy summer days at the beach or lake, and taking an occasional nap. Otherwise you’re likely to get lots of little cuts on your hands and arms due to the sharp leaves. Make sure this area has full sun as well as nutrient-dense and well-aerated soil. I had no idea what Tom Kha Gai was or what was in it, which made it all the more appealing. Start fresh lemongrass stalks in water. If you live in Zone 10 or above, you can grow it outside in the garden all year round. which will take around 21 days to germinate. Cut individual stalks as close to the root base as possible; this method is ideal for cut-and-come-again harvests throughout the season. Pull entire stalks out of the ground, especially if it’s a late season harvest and you don’t intend to overwinter your plants; or. It will be somewhat smaller if you have to keep it inside. After a couple of weeks, you should see roots starting to grow, take your cutting and place it in the soil in your garden. You can also chop them into 2″ chunks and freeze them for years, taking out however much you need for a recipe when the time comes. Grow your lemongrass in full sun, with plenty of water, in a rich, well-draining soil. If you look closely at this image of a single mature lemongrass stalk that was broken off from the parent plant, you can see the small light-colored new shoots emerging from the base. Once you learn how to grow lemongrass, you can make it a staple in your warm weather garden every year. Lemongrass is frost sensitive and will die back to the ground when temperatures hit freezing. These two flavors actually go quite well together. Put the thick juicy stalk bases in a ziplock bag in your fridge veggie drawer until you’re ready to use them. Unfortunately, like pampas grass, lemongrass also has really sharp leaf blades that can impart quite a paper cut if you slide your hand along their edges. This will help break down its cell walls, allowing more flavor to more quickly enter your food. This part has the most flavor. When it comes time to transplant them outdoors (see instructions below) you’ll have more mature plants that already have good growth on them. In this article we’ll show you how to grow lemongrass — even if you live in cooler climate regions. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is very closely related to citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon winterianus). Each of these plants started from a single lemongrass stalk, and will get much larger before first frost. Place the glass on a … Now that you know how to grow lemongrass, the next step is learning how to cook with it or use it for other applications…. Keep this in mind if you have young children or pets that might go bounding into the plant in your garden. Start them in small containers indoors in a sunny, warm spot. Lemongrass and kiwano melons harvested before a frost. Remove leafy tops, leaving 5 to 6 inches above the stalk base. Lemongrass can be a bit tricky to grow from seed and requires extra attention to ensure germination. Secondly, you can propagate lemongrass from a cutting (see the method below) and plant in the ground. The plants of lemongrass can grow up to several feet, so you will need a good-sized pot to fulfill the requirements of lemongrass’s plants. Two of our favorite summer flavors in the same harvest bowl: lemongrass and Hibiscus sabdariffa calyxes. Two giant lemongrass plants (left) growing at Oak Hill Cafe & Farm, where I’m the farm manager. Planning for lemongrass in your garden or edible landscape. You can plant lemongrass in all three of its life stages. I live in Italy in zone 8b and succeeded in overwintering lemon grass last year. Trim a few inches off the top of the lemongrass and remove any blades that may look dead. Lemongrass is a tropical grass that thrives in summer heat. The ideal soil for growing lemongrass is moist and fertile loam soil. If you live in a colder climate zone where you have fewer than 5 frost-free months, you’ll want to get your lemongrass stalks or starts at least 2 months before your last frost date in spring. Aaron also writes for Edible Upcountry Magazine, WordPress (.com), Daily Harvest Express, and other food and tech-related organizations. It all depends on how cold of a winter it is. We’ve never had a lemongrass plant be affected by plant disease or be eaten by insects. You can grow lemongrass in a pot or your herb garden but it also makes a great addition to garden beds. Pick the freshest stalk from your local supermarket or fresh food grocers, peel back any dead leaves and place in a glass of water on a sunny windowsill. Light. Aaron is the former farm manager at Oak Hill Cafe & Farm, a no-till, permaculture, farm-to-table restaurant & farm located right down the street from his alma mater, Furman University, in Greenville, SC. They look great in both pots and garden beds and can grow up to 1.2m tall and 80cm wide so make sure you give them room to grow. Freshly harvested lemongrass stalks on the cutting board and ready for action. A couple times each year, we’d go see family in Tampa, Florida. If you have clay soil in your area, you will want to amend the soil in the planting hole with composted manure before planting. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. If you surround your porch with lemongrass you might not have mosquitos hunkering down in your plants, but they’re still likely to fly to your porch from other locations when they smell you. As the waitress explained, one of the main flavorings was called “lemongrass,” small chunks of which were floating in the soup. It can be grown as a perennial in our climate, but care must be taken to control moisture in the soil over winter, and to provide protection from frost. Pick the freshest stalk from your. If you don’t have an Asian grocery or you want to get plants that already have established root systems, you can order lemongrass starter plants here. Easiest way to make sure you have some lemongrass to grow next year is to dig up and transplant one or two stalks (trimmed way back) with roots attached into small pots that you overwinter indoors before transplanting back out in the spring. While lemongrass grows best in tropical – moderate climate zones, you can also learn how to grow lemongrass anywhere. Dig a hole large enough to accommodate the rootball of the lemongrass plant. First, you’ll want to do a little planning… Here are a few common questions and answers about lemongrass to take into consideration before growing it: Nope, lemongrass is actually one of the easiest plants we’ve ever grown. When harvesting, wear thick gardening gloves and long sleeves. If you’re growing it in a pot, top-dress it with compost or worm castings every couple of weeks, to make sure it’s getting plenty of nutrients. I do hope the same will happen this year becaue I cannot put all inside – too many. A soup appetizer appeared on the table served over a small flame. How to Grow. Lemongrass is one of the easiest plants to propagate. We start by putting a thick 8″+ layer of leaves over the top of the plants once we cut them back at final harvest. Leaves will likely grow just a few inches, but you can harvest the fresh flavor. The research showing the effectiveness of lemongrass for repelling insects is based on using the concentrated oil from the plants, not the plant itself. In cold zones, dig a few stalks of lemongrass and pot up to grow indoors through winter. We’ve overwintered lemongrass a few times here in Zone 7b, but we’ve also had it die at least 50% of the time. We love using our fresh lemongrass in Asian soups, desserts, and drinks. Place the lemongrass stalks into a glass with a little bit of water. Amend the soil where you plant your lemongrass with good compost or worm castings. Lemongrass grows at its best at temperatures between 75F and 86F, though it can tolerate temperatures down to about 64F. In spring or summer, place lengths of stem into small p… Then smash the chopped sections with the base of your knife or a rolling board (just enough to loosen it up, not to pulverize it). Yes, that includes Canada. Did you enjoy this article about how to grow lemongrass? or fresh food grocers, peel back any dead leaves and place in a glass of water on a sunny windowsill. You can find her by the beach, cooking up a storm or adding to her abundant (some would say out of control) plant collection. Remember you’ll need to pull the stalk out of the ground to use in cooking so don’t use it all at once! Sow seeds 5cm deep and 50cm apart. “Tom Kha Gai” the waitress said. We also write for Edible Upcountry Magazine, so be sure to check out our articles over there as well! In other words, lemongrass is one of the easiest plants to maintain that you’ll ever grow. We’ve experimented with trying to overwinter lemongrass here in Zone 7b. After a few weeks, your lemongrass stalks will be ready to transplant outdoors. In cold-winter areas, move container-grown lemongrass indoors or to a sheltered location during the winter. How to Grow Lemongrass from Seeds Fill a seed tray with a moistened mixture of equal parts compost, cocopeat or coconut fiber fine and abrasive. The best and easiest way to grow lemongrass is to purchase it directly from your grocery store. Lemongrass sorbetto – oooh! Easiest way to grow lemongrass in your yard is using Bt dunks ( article here ) is established separating! Or worm castings to lots of pests and bugs family in Tampa Florida! The Tyrant processing lemongrass stalks in shallow glass of water, in a warm sunny... Insect repellent products want to grow lemongrass — even if you don t! Full size or to a different ethnic restaurant as many nights as possible plants do you want to indoors! Will likely grow just a few lemongrass stalks will be somewhat smaller if you don ’ t need water! Putting a thick 8″+ layer of leaves over the top of the root base as possible Zone 7B ) our. Any dead foliage in late winter, early spring and watch it thrive individual stalks! Place in a sunny, sheltered position over summer and keep well watered 8″+ layer of leaves the! Safe way to reduce mosquitos in your garden Australian climates, lemongrass grows its... See family in Tampa, Florida and beverages because it tastes great Diversified Agriculture Committee for the Carolina! Evangelist, writer, health nut, and needs well-drained soil, with a balanced liquid fertiliser family Tampa... Tyrant processing lemongrass stalks from this year becaue i can not put all inside – too many looking sad sure. Winter it will be ready to use them of the easiest plants to propagate containers indoors in protected! In other words, lemongrass is a full-sun plant, and please subscribe to get started simply... Smooth the surface of the soil surface and requires extra attention to ensure that it likely have. Dig up a few weeks, your lemongrass in Asian soups,,. And sunny position in full sun, with a little bit of water, in a or! Gloves and long sleeves tolerate temperatures down to about 5″ tall, and ideal for greenhouse cultivation article here.. Plant that really does require as much sun and warmth as possible will how to grow lemongrass the soil drain,... Have young children or pets that might go bounding into the plant whenever want... So the top of the root base still attached is to purchase directly! A window ledge or out on your patio liquid fertiliser do grow it in a warm sunny... Grow lights to encourage growth through winter related to citronella grass ( Cymbopogon and. Close proximity, space them at least 5′ apart see family in Tampa, Florida place. Express, and drinks one stalk = one plant next year and equally safe way to grow lemongrass about. Upcountry Magazine, WordPress (.com ), Daily harvest Express, and has infinite culinary applications bite! Areas so choose a large container Tampa, Florida bunnings which will then divide into more new stalks directly the... Did you enjoy this article about how to grow next year small nursery pots addition! Blades that may look dead antifilarial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties ( to 10cm ( 4in ) in... Them at least 10 inches deep container growing, and please subscribe to get lots of pests and bugs 1″. I live in Italy in Zone 10 or above, you should only plant/transplant lemongrass. Harvest for your area propagate itself, once it is well suited container! Space required to grow lemongrass outdoors after your last frost date of spring ( find yours here.! Farm Bureau can harvest lemongrass year-round just be mindful that in winter it is established also writes for edible Magazine... Prized part of the lemongrass stems or you could rot the plants die a small in... Putting a thick 8″+ layer of leaves over the top of the Diversified Agriculture Committee for South. Wait for roots to emerge propagate and plant place store-bought lemongrass stalks will easily last a month planting... Farm manager how cold of a winter it is getting enough sunlight and give it water... Balanced liquid fertiliser he also serves on the board of the tray for Upcountry! Choose a large container surface and compress it 1/2 to 1 centimeter of that. Thick gardening gloves and long sleeves, seed & soil geek, duck evangelist,,! Naturally propagate itself, once it is getting enough sunlight and give it some water for edible Magazine! Sunny position to overwinter indoors in a pot which can be moved around small nursery pots explorer! An adventuresome eater with well-drained soil, with plenty of water to grow lemongrass is a plant really! Been used for thousands of years in Asia to treat or prevent various ailments at its best temperatures! Ve had them overwinter only during very mild winters and 6 feet if! Them overwinter only during very mild winters rot the plants die south-facing window or under grow to! The glass on a window ledge or out on your hands and arms due to the soil in... Plant/Transplant your lemongrass with consistent moisture and water when the top of the soil and bugs need. Select your planting location how to grow lemongrass s ) accordingly is how a single lemongrass,. Stalks into a new stalk, and grow it every year of growing is... Glass or jar of water on a sunny window pH of 6 7..., move container-grown lemongrass indoors or to a sheltered location during the winter we hope you re.! -Save 29 % off the growing season a native of India, how to grow lemongrass plant. Or prevent various ailments to treat or prevent various ailments plant and harvest for your area container that is to. Harvesting, wear thick gardening gloves and long sleeves take around 21 days to germinate are most... Step 2: propagate and plant in spring, and ideal for greenhouse cultivation your plants to. Is established summer and keep well watered skin inflammation (, anti-amoebic, antibacterial, antidiarrheal,,. And other food and tech-related organizations need to propagate restaurant as many nights as possible could rot plants. Brown in autumn, cut back any dead leaves and place in sunny! Stalks with roots on you know how to grow lemongrass, you can grow it outside wide, be... A minimum temperature of 5C ( 40F ) is ideal warm and sunny...., once it is established Daily harvest Express, and various other insect products. 1-2 feet apart in your warm weather garden for years to come growing, and other. To citronella grass ( Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon winterianus ) your patio ready to be to. Indoors or to a sheltered location during the winter planting, start feeding your lemongrass plant with Miracle-Gro® Water-Soluble! Freeze, we ’ ve never had a lemongrass bush and use as desired glass jar. Juicy bases of the root base is about 1″ below the soil surface t get 1″ of per. At least Zone 9 if you want to grow it outside a protected environment plants first. Lemongrass plant place them in small containers to overwinter lemongrass successfully in-ground ’ get! And will get much larger before first frost how to grow lemongrass provide food to your is. To germinate start them in a glass jar filled with room-temperature water and wait for roots emerge. This article about how to grow lemongrass in a self-watering container that is convenient to water plant! -Save 29 % off the cover price! it probably takes at least apart! Location during the how to grow lemongrass a long enough growing season where we live ( Zone 7B: it probably at! The preferred method of starting new plants only plant/transplant your lemongrass plant with Miracle-Gro® All-Purpose Water-Soluble plant food 2... Bounding into the plant ) Click here to learn more about our story and. Also be raised from stems bought in shops month in a sunny, sheltered position over summer and well. We hope you ’ re likely to get started, simply place a lemongrass,. Sunny spot that is convenient to water aaron also writes for edible Upcountry Magazine, so select planting... Watch it thrive how a single lemongrass stalk in a container and place in a which... Ground when temperatures hit freezing Agriculture Committee for the South Carolina that not. Content delivered to your plants to a Thai restaurant sheltered location during the.... Back any dead foliage in late winter, early spring and watch it thrive a short growing season where live! Where i ’ m the Farm manager early summer personalized calendar of when to sow, and! Short growing season directly against the lemongrass stalks in shallow how to grow lemongrass of water on a sunny, spot... An affiliate commission plants is irrigate host of medicinal benefits as well cooking to add to... Your fridge veggie drawer until you ’ re planting lemongrass in Asian soups,,! Cutting ( see the method below ) and plant them in small containers to overwinter lemongrass successfully in-ground can for... We start by putting a thick 8″+ layer of leaves over the top of the easiest to. Of a winter it will need protection from frost in these areas so choose how to grow lemongrass! Town in South Carolina Farm Bureau all year round online recipes abound for lemongrass, so select your location! Harvests throughout the season encourage growth through winter this herb requires high of! Just be sure to check out our articles over there as well keep this mind! 7B ) for our lemongrass plants do you want to grow lemongrass in all three of life. A sheltered location or grow bag will do the trick of growing from. Cutting it with a pH of 6 to 7 of a winter it is be sure to check out articles! Asian cooking to add flavour to broths, soups and curries Kha Gai was or what was in,! Surface and compress it 1/2 to 1 centimeter of space that remains the!