Lemongrass, grouped with herbs in many classification systems, is a grass that grows rather tall. Even though it’s considered a tropical or subtropical plant, it grows well in my area, which gets frosty in the winter – hardiness zone 9b. It is an essential herb for Thai, Vietnamese, and other East Asian recipes, and is rather expensive at my grocery store, so it’s nice to have some in my garden – and it’s a beautiful plant!
Botanical Information
Taxonomy
Cymbopogon citratus(Gramineae)
Alternative names:
- oil grass
- takrai
- sereh
- lemon grass
Related Species:
- Cymbopogon flexuosus: Indian lemongrass, alternative source for lemongrass essential oil
- C. martinii: ginger grass, used for its essential oil (ginger-grass essential oil or palma-rosa oil)
- C. nardus: citronella grass, yields Ceylon citronella oil for perfumery
History
Lemongrass-infusions replace yogurt in a fermented dairy cereal food that for Greek and Turkish religious fasting periods must remain milk-free.
Physical Description
Lemongrass is a rather tall and robust tufted grass that forms lovely arching blades that are rather coarse along the edges. It can grow up to 5′ tall, looking very much like a fountain of green. The leaves are a very dark green, almost blue. It can be hard to work around, since the blades of grass are sharp. I wear gloves and long sleeves so I don’t get scarfed up.
The tufts are made up of several stalks, from which many fronds shoot up. The stalks are fibrous and bulbous at the base. This is the “meat” of lemongrass – what is used in cooking.
It is a tender perennial, but can survive light winters with some protection.
Lemongrass grows wild on savannah in southern India and Sri Lanka.
Flowers: flowers are seldom seen in cultivation.
Varieties & Cultivars
Categories or Types of [plantname]
Colors Available
Varieties (link to ../category/cultivars/tag/[plantname])
Growth Requirements
Climate & Temperature Requirements
Air Temperature
Soil Temperature
Humidity
Day Length or Light Requirements
Site Conditions Favored
Warm, sunny sites that are sheltered from cold winds are best for lemongrass.
Soil Requirements
Soil Texture
Doesn’t seem to be picky about its soil – anything from clay to sand and everything in the middle (as long as it’s getting a good amount of water)
pH
Nutrient Requirements
Propagation
Methods of propagation
Seed
Seeds are a reliable method of growing lemongrass in areas where it freezes in the winter.
In mild climates, you can sow lemongrass seeds outdoors in early spring to give them a good long summer, but you will need to protect them from spring frosts. In colder climates, start them indoors.
Germination Requirements:
- Temperature: minimum of 55 deg F
- Humidity: don’t know what percent, but it should be relatively humid
- time: lemongrass is slow to germinate…be patient
Division
Propagation by division is best, if your winters are mild enough, or if it can be protected through the cold months. Division is necessary, in my garden, to control it’s vigorous growth. I think it would take over my entire herb garden, if I let it.
Divide mature (at least one-year old) clumps and plant offsets with their bottom inch buried in rich soil.
Cuttings
I don’t think lemongrass can be propagated by cuttings, but it’s easy to do by division
Transplanting or Potting Up
Seed Saving
Planting Out
Bed Prep & Soil Amendments
Bed Spacing
Row Spacing
Planting Depth
Alternative Bed Methods
Container Gardening
Routine Cultivation & Maintenance
Water Requirements
Lemongrass, like most tropical plants, needs lots of water.
Fertilization Recommendations
Mulching & Weeding
Pinching or Pruning & Dividing
Support
Winterizing
Companion Planting
Helpful Companions
Harmful Companions
Companion to..
Pests, Diseases & Problems
Common Pests
Common Diseases
Symptoms
Whole Plant
Leaves
Stem/Trunk
Flowers
Fruit
Roots
Harvesting & Storage
Edible Parts of the Plant
- Stalk
- lemongrass has a thick, round stalk at the base of the grass frond; several blades come off of one stalk. A yearling (one-year-old) given a good, warm summer, will have many stalks.
- Leaf buds
- Leaves
- lemongrass leaves can be used for flavoring, but are too tough to eat, so remove them before serving
- lemongrass leaves make a great addition to tea or tisanes, and it may ease digestive upsets.
Yield
Days to Harvest / Harvest Timing
Harvest the stalks any time you need some, but wait until they are about the thickness of a pencil or they won’t have any meat to them.
Harvest Methods
Cut the stalks just above the level of the soil, and trim off the leaves
Storage of harvest
Fresh
Canned
Frozen
lemongrass freezes well; I like to cut, slice, mince, or smash it before I freeze it, so it’s ready to use, but it’s more flexible if frozen as a whole stalk.
Pickled
Dried
Cooking
Nutritional Benefits & Values
Lemongrass oil is rich in vitamin A
Toxicity
Cooking
Preparation
Stalk:
- wash the stalk and trim the root end and leaf tip
- remove one or two outer layers of the stalk to reveal the white, tender inner bulb
- then you have your choice of preparation methods, or whatever the recipe calls for:
- chop
- mince
- slice
- smash
Cooking Methods
Recipes (link to …/category/recipes/tag/[plantname])
Lemongrass goes well with chicken, fish & seafood, and curries. It’s great in soups, too.
Other Uses
Lemongrass essential oil is great for repelling mosquitoes. I use it along with Eucalyptus and Lavender essential oils in a base of rubbing alcohol to keep the mosquitoes away.
Resources
Information for this article was taken from these sources. (link to …/category/resources/tag/[plantname])