Cymbopogon citratus
Lemon Grass
Lemongrass is widely used as a culinary herb in Asian cuisines and also as medicinal herb in India. It produces makes a fountain of gently arching foliage that can eventually reach 1.5m. Due to its tropical origins, this herb cannot stand frost, so should be grown in a container allowing it to be moved indoors after spending summer outdoors in a sunny position.
Contributed by @KarenLindee
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Full sun
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Occasional watering
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A little frost hardy: 32F (0°C)
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Moist and free draining
Common name
Lemon Grass
Latin name
Cymbopogon citratus
type
Grass
family
Poaceae
ph
6.0 - 7.5 Acid - Neutral
Plant & bloom calendar
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Best time to plant
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When to harvest
full grown dimensions
Cymbopogon citratus
Lemongrass is widely used as a culinary herb in Asian cuisines and also as medicinal herb in India. It produces makes a fountain of gently arching foliage that can eventually reach 1.5m. Due to its tropical origins, this herb cannot stand frost, so should be grown in a container allowing it to be moved indoors after spending summer outdoors in a sunny position.
Planting in containers
From Early Spring TO Early Spring
In temperate climates, plant in a container and place plants in a sunny, sheltered position over summer and keep well watered. Move plants back indoors in late summer, putting it in a bright, cool position and reduce watering, keeping the compost just moist. A minimum winter temperature of 5C is ideal. Plants can also be raised from stems bought in shops. In spring or summer, place lengths of stem into small pots, put in sunny position and water. Roots should appear quickly from the base. When roots appear through the drainage holes at the bottom of pots move into a slightly larger container.