Growing Lemon Grass

Lemon grass is a beautifully shaped clump of grass with tall stems that wave gracefully in the breeze. Growing lemon grass in the garden will add vertical appeal to the garden landscape. And if you choose the Cymbopodon.citratus variety it can be used as a tea or in cooking, so it is useful in several practical ways, too.

Health Benefits of Lemon Grass

Lemon grass has many health benefits too. In 2006, the Ben Gurion University in Israel found that the citral in lemon grass actually killed cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. The amount needed was only small – about the equivalent of one cup of lemon grass tea per day, using a gram of lemon grass for preparation.

Lemon grass is also used to relieve coughs and colds in ancient Indian medicine, where it is known as Gavati Chaha.

Lemon grass tea has a mild sedative effect, so can be used to help in times of insomnia.

Origins of Lemon Grass

There are many different varieties of lemon grass; one is believed to have originated from Malaysia, where it is frequently used in cooking, as a tea, a medicinal herb and in perfume. However, there are other varieties that come from different countries such as Cambodia and India. These are also used in like manner, but the C. citratus variety is the one more suited to cooking.

In Australia, native lemon grass varieties include Lemon Scented Grass – C. Ambiguous; Silky Oil Grass – C. bombycinus; Silky-heads – C. obtectus and others. However, these are not suitable for cooking. C. citratus can be found in specialist nurseries, or simply grown from what is bought in the supermarket for cooking.

Other varieties of Lemon Grass can be found in Egypt, India, Brazil, Malaysia, Cambodia, Africa, Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand.

Lemon Grass in Cooking

Lemon grass has been used in traditional eastern cooking for centuries. As the world’s population becomes more global, its use is gradually spreading to the western world where discerning chefs use it in a variety of delicious dishes such as soups, curries fish, poultry and seafood dishes, and in teas.

Lemon grass adds a zesty lemon flavor to these dishes that cannot really be replicated by the use of lemons. Thailand’s favorite soup, Tom Yum has lemon grass as a major ingredient.

When purchasing lemon grass for use in cooking, it can be found in several stalks that are tied together. Choose stalks that are crisp feeling rather than rubbery. Bruise it by bending the stalks before adding to soups and stews.

When picking your own lemon grass from the garden, pull off the whole stem from the base of the plant. Cut off the tops and the roots and use the base of the stem – the white or pale green/yellow part, peeling away the outer, tough covering. The tops can be used in tea.

To prepare lemon grass where it is to be eaten in a dish – rather than used for flavoring – it will need to be cut or pounded with mortar and pestle, or chopped up in a food processor.

How to Grow Lemon Grass

Lemon grass is a sub-tropical plant that needs heat and water to do well. It can be grown in temperate climates by making a microclimate in the garden. In other words, grow it in a sheltered spot against a wall or brick fence that retains and reflects the heat. Leave plenty of room around the plant because it will grow to over a meter high and spread out almost the same width in ideal conditions.

If lemon grass is not available from the local nursery, try growing some from what is purchased in the supermarket. Cut off any withered leaf, but leave the roots. Place it in a glass of water on a windowsill or warm patio where it will get some sun and leave there until the roots have grown about an inch or more. It can then be transplanted into a warm place in the garden, or kept in a pot for the winter. Australian native lemongrass is attractive in the garden, but not suitable for cooking.

Lemon grass has been grown as far south as Melbourne, Australia. So mature plants can tolerate some cold, but cannot tolerate drying out. The more water it gets, the happier and bigger the plant will be. It also needs a rich soil.