© 2020 - Tyrant Farms. We’ve had them overwinter only during very mild winters. Firstly, you can buy lemongrass seeds from bunnings which will take around 21 days to germinate. At maturity lemongrass plants can reach 6′ tall x 5′ wide, so select your planting location(s) accordingly. 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. An added bonus is that it likely does have a host of medicinal benefits as well. Lemongrass is frost sensitive and will die back to the ground when temperatures hit freezing. Depending on when you plant it, generally, it takes a couple of months to grow to full size. Light. :) After a couple of weeks, you should see roots starting to grow, take your cutting and place it in the soil in your garden. A beautiful harvest of fresh organically-grown lemongrass. Place a lemongrass stalk in a glass or jar of water to grow a new stalk. In the produce section, pick out lemongrass stalks that have the most root base still attached. Grow your lemongrass in full sun, with plenty of water, in a rich, well-draining soil. We’ve never had a long enough growing season where we live (Zone 7B) for our lemongrass plants to produce flowers. As the waitress explained, one of the main flavorings was called “lemongrass,” small chunks of which were floating in the soup. If you’re planting lemongrass in close proximity, space them at least 5′ apart. Space plants 24 inches apart. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is very closely related to citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon winterianus). Cut back any dead foliage in late winter, early spring and watch it thrive. Place plants in a sunny, sheltered position over summer and keep well watered. Online recipes abound for lemongrass, so be creative! Lemongrass is a tropical grass that thrives in summer heat. Lemongrass is so hardy that it isn’t susceptible to lots of pests and bugs. Thirdly, you can buy a lemongrass bush and use as desired! Then cut each stalk back to about 5″ tall, and plant them in small containers to overwinter indoors in a sunny window. Secondly, you can propagate lemongrass from a cutting (see the method below) and plant in the ground. This will help break down its cell walls, allowing more flavor to more quickly enter your food. Is lemongrass hard to grow? Therefore, you should only plant/transplant your lemongrass outdoors AFTER your last frost date of spring (find yours here). If you live in a cold climate region, we’ll give you detailed tips below to show you how. “Tom Kha Gai” the waitress said. How to grow lemongrass in containers: Lemongrass grows well in a self-watering container that is at least 10 inches deep. 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. As mentioned previously, lemongrass stalks will easily last a month in a bag inside your fridge. 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. Lemongrass is one of the easiest plants to propagate. Put this pot of lemongrass in a warm, sunny spot on a window ledge or out on your patio. 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. Water it regularly. Step 2: Propagate and Plant Place store-bought lemongrass stalks in shallow glass of water for about 1 week. One of my favourite herbs. 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. Sow seeds 5cm deep and 50cm apart. How to grow American groundnuts in your garden, Potted citrus garden video tour (Zone 7b), Recipe: Sugar-free persimmon cranberry relish. After a couple of weeks, you should see roots starting to grow, take your cutting and place it in the soil in your garden. If you have clay soil in your area, you will want to amend the soil in the planting hole with composted manure before planting. Yes, lemongrass produces flower stalks and flowers. Yes, that includes Canada. You can begin harvesting individual lemongrass stalks from the plant whenever you want to use them. Instead just cut the stalks close to the base and they’ll grow back. You can also root a stalk from the produce market in water. In our opinion, a better and equally safe way to reduce mosquitos in your yard is using Bt dunks (article here). Cut individual stalks as close to the root base as possible; this method is ideal for cut-and-come-again harvests throughout the season. The best and easiest way to grow lemongrass is to purchase it directly from your grocery store. Lemongrass plants thrive in all conditions but love the warmth so make sure they get enough sun. 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. These plants are used to make citronella oil, sprays, and various other insect repellent products. As mentioned, lemongrass looks like an attractive tall grass, similar to pampas grass. Best guess: it probably takes at least 9 months of ideal growing conditions for a lemongrass plant to produce flowers. A month after planting, start feeding your lemongrass plant with Miracle-Gro® All-Purpose Water-Soluble Plant Food every 2 weeks. Do lemongrass plants repel mosquitoes and other insects? Lemongrass has been used for thousands of years in Asia to treat or prevent various ailments. 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. Lemongrass is a full-sun plant, and needs well-drained soil, with a pH of 6 to 7. Lemongrass plants grow large and can quickly outgrow their containers; choose a large container. Lemongrass and kiwano melons harvested before a frost. We start by putting a thick 8″+ layer of leaves over the top of the plants once we cut them back at final harvest. I do hope the same will happen this year becaue I cannot put all inside – too many. 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.. Planning for lemongrass in your garden or edible landscape. Soil. Care for indoor lemongrass plants is easy and productive. and use as desired! If so, please pin this image to share the love! document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "af3dd9c9a9e35f5ca3f244a1b57e94d4" );document.getElementById("fe02d60459").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read our blog! Lemongrass maintenance consists of listening to your favorite music, enjoying lazy summer days at the beach or lake, and taking an occasional nap. Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price! ) 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. 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. They don’t have as much flavor as the stalks. If you live in Zone 10 or above, you can grow it outside in the garden all year round. Plants can also be raised from stems bought in shops. Place the glass on a … Did you enjoy this article about how to grow lemongrass? 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. You can grow lemongrass in a pot or your herb garden but it also makes a great addition to garden beds. Cut each stalks to about 3 inches, place them in large pot with good soil mix or in the ground. Lemongrass Plant Profile. 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). This is how a single lemongrass stalk can quickly grow into a giant plant. Zones 8b or higher are able to overwinter lemongrass successfully in-ground. These two flavors actually go quite well together. Lemongrass tastes similar to lemons without the acidic bite, and has infinite culinary applications. We also write for Edible Upcountry Magazine, so be sure to check out our articles over there as well! Harvesting involves cutting it with a sharp knife flush to the surface of the soil. Place the lemongrass stalks into a glass with a little bit of water. A minimum temperature of 5C (40F) is ideal. Provide lemongrass with consistent moisture and water when the top inch becomes dry. Honestly, there isn’t a perfect time of the year to do this as lemongrass is really hardy it will survive most seasons. 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. Lemongrass plants growth size in mid-summer. Lemongrass plants can be grown in cooler climates by overwintering them in a protected environment. The ideal soil for growing lemongrass is moist and fertile loam soil. I live in Italy in zone 8b and succeeded in overwintering lemon grass last year. Now that you know how to grow lemongrass, the next step is learning how to cook with it or use it for other applications…. Lemongrass Growing Conditions. It can be a very attractive plant in an edible landscape. We’ve experimented with trying to overwinter lemongrass here in Zone 7b. Fertilizing. To get started, simply place a few lemongrass stalks in a glass jar filled with room-temperature water and wait for roots to emerge. Move plants back indoors in late summer, putting it in a bright, cool position and reduce watering, keeping the compost just moist. The problem is, they also require high humidity and a soil temperature of roughly 70 degrees to thrive. This will help the soil drain better, as well as provide food to your plant over time. 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. Make sure this area has full sun as well as nutrient-dense and well-aerated soil. In Australia, you can harvest lemongrass year-round just be mindful that in winter it will take longer to grow back. While lemongrass grows best in tropical – moderate climate zones, you can also learn how to grow lemongrass anywhere. 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. Thanks, Annemiek! Once you know how to grow lemongrass, you’ll want to grow it every year thereafter. When foliage starts to turn brown in autumn, cut back foliage to 10cm (4in). In cold climates, lemongrass should be started indoors to ensure that it has time to mature in a short growing season. A soup appetizer appeared on the table served over a small flame. Also, before transplanting, be sure to check your 10 day weather forecast to make sure an unusual cold snap isn’t in the forecast. 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. Lemongrass is one of the easiest plants to propagate. The best place to plant lemongrass is in a warm and sunny position. You can find her by the beach, cooking up a storm or adding to her abundant (some would say out of control) plant collection. Nope, … In its native habitat, lemongrass grows in full sun, even in hot climates. Put the thick juicy stalk bases in a ziplock bag in your fridge veggie drawer until you’re ready to use them. Start fresh lemongrass stalks in water. The thick juicy bases of the stalk are the most prized part of the plant. All Rights Reserved. Our family travelled overseas a lot, so I’d learned to become an adventuresome eater. It all depends on how cold of a winter it is. Lemongrass sorbetto – oooh! Dig a hole large enough to accommodate the rootball of the lemongrass plant. We overwinter these plants indoors in a warm, sunny window. It will be somewhat smaller if you have to keep it inside. 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. 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. Keep this in mind if you have young children or pets that might go bounding into the plant in your garden. You can plant lemongrass in all three of its life stages. Otherwise you’re likely to get lots of little cuts on your hands and arms due to the sharp leaves. Two giant lemongrass plants (left) growing at Oak Hill Cafe & Farm, where I’m the farm manager. If you can have any pot or container at home, that’s good, or you can purchase your favorite container from the link below. In cold zones, dig a few stalks of lemongrass and pot up to grow indoors through winter. If your plant is looking sad make sure it is getting enough sunlight and give it some water. If you don’t get 1″ of rainfall per week, you’ll want to provide supplemental irrigation to your plants. A native of India, you will have to live in at least zone 9 if you want to grow lemongrass outdoors. Instead, we recommend growing lemongrass by either propagating it from shoots or buying starter plants: Do you have an Asian grocery store in town? Trim a few inches off the top of the lemongrass and remove any blades that may look dead. Start them in small containers indoors in a sunny, warm spot. Once you learn how to grow lemongrass, you can make it a staple in your warm weather garden every year. The one thing you may have to do in order to get the most production out of your lemongrass plants is irrigate. By late summer, lemon grass plants growing under ideal conditions (good soil, full sun, adequate water) can reach 5-6′ tall x 5′ wide. 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). Technically, lemongrass is a perennial, but it will not overwinter in the ground in cooler climate zones. Fertilize your lemongrass plants … Lemongrass is a plant that really does require as much sun and warmth as possible. I had no idea what Tom Kha Gai was or what was in it, which made it all the more appealing. We use our lemongrass every way imaginable: teas, flavorings for Asian soups and curries, juiced and turned into summer sorbets, and more. Each of those tiny shoots will grow into a new mature stalk, which will then divide into more new stalks. After a few weeks, your lemongrass stalks will be ready to transplant outdoors. In spring or summer, place lengths of stem into small p… It is well suited to container growing, and ideal for greenhouse cultivation. Lemongrass cooking tip: cut your lemongrass stalks into 2″ chunks when using it for cooking. 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. When it comes time to transplant them outdoors (see instructions below) you’ll have more mature plants that already have good growth on them. 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. 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. After a couple of weeks, you should see roots starting to grow, take your cutting and place it in the soil in your garden. Each plant can grow to between 3 and 6 feet high if you do grow it outside. Plant lemongrass in a warm, sunny spot that is convenient to water. 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. Remove mature lemongrass stalks from this year’s plants before first frost – one stalk = one plant next year. Lemongrass will naturally propagate itself, once it is established. which will take around 21 days to germinate. Lemongrass plants prefer rich, loamy soil. Tyrant Farms is reader-supported. Then we cut each stalk back to about 5″ tall, and transplant them into small nursery pots. 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! After separating, plant the divisions 1-2 feet apart in your desired location. How to Grow Lemongrass Indoors. One night, when I was seven, we went to a Thai restaurant. Just be sure not to pile the mulch directly against the lemongrass stems or you could rot the plants. Lemongrass will perform best in full sun. 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. Honestly, there isn’t a perfect time of the year to do this as lemongrass is really hardy it will survive most seasons. it grows easily in any warm climate (like Australia). Lemongrass Growing Conditions. A new experience! (More on that below.) As its name implies, lemongrass has the growth habit of a giant grass. How many lemongrass plants do you want to grow next year? Remember you’ll need to pull the stalk out of the ground to use in cooking so don’t use it all at once! Just before our first fall freeze, we always dig up a few lemongrass stalks with roots on. When harvesting, wear thick gardening gloves and long sleeves. In this article we’ll show you how to grow lemongrass — even if you live in cooler climate regions. 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. Pick the freshest stalk from your. 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. 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