How to Grow Lemon Grass in Your Garden

Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) will create a dramatic appeal to your garden ensemble. The long bulbous stalks can be found at Asian or whole foods market. They can be transformed to produce amazing narrow green, sword length-blades; giving way to a striking depth of scenic beauty. Learn how to grow lemon grass: follow this step-by-step guide on how to prepare the stalks and the method to proper soil preparation, along with the best location to plant in your garden.

How to Prepare Lemon Grass Stalks

• You will need to root the stalks. Locate the bulbous end of the stalk, measure 5 inches up and trim away the tops; the bulb end is needed to begin root. Save the tops for cooking or brewing your favorite teas.
• Tear away the first two layers to each cut bulb stalk and place in a glass container filled with tap water.
• Place the filed container by a sunny window for three weeks. Change the water or refill once a week until you begin to see roots develop.

In a few weeks you will begin to notice roots emerging at the base of each bulb. Once they have reached 2 inches in root growth, you may begin to transplant them outside.

How to Prepare and Plant your Lemon Grass in the Garden

Late spring to summer is the best time to plant lemon grass with no threat of frost. Choose an area in your garden where it will provide at least 5 hours of full sun light; they will thrive well in tropical hot, humid conditions.

• You will need to dig a ground hole 6 inches in depth by 4 inches in width.
• Add 3 inches of rich compost to the bottom of your newly dug hole, plant three of the rooted bulbs, then with the garden soil mix (you may use a mix ideal for vegetable gardening, available at your local nursery or garden center), fill the soil around the stalks to the top leaving two inches of the tops visible.
• Water every other day, keeping the area moist and well drained, lightly mulch if you prefer to retain good moisture balance.

In a few weeks, long thin and green knife-blades will dramatically emerge. They can reach up to 3′ to 5′ tall with leaves arching over in layers, producing an extraordinary appeal to your seasonal garden.

Lemon grass is a tropical perennial plant and will not survive cold winter temperatures outside. If you live in cold winter conditions, you can try to ‚”winterize” by digging them up, pull back the grass leaves, cut the tops down to the stalks and place them in planting pots. Keep them by a sunny area indoors and water sparingly during the winter months. All the cut leaves can be used for delicious Asian cuisines, brewing teas, making potpourris, and aromatic sachets.