Cymbopogon citratus
lemongrass
Common names: citron grass, sereh grass
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 40 cm, rows 50 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Sowing
- Mar–Apr
- Harvest
- Jul–Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below 5 °C
- Water need
- High
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Lemongrass brings the fresh lemon aroma of Southeast Asian cuisine into the garden, seasoning curries, soups, and tea. This tropical sweet grass is not winter-hardy and thrives best in a pot that can be placed outdoors during summer.
Care instructions
Keep lemongrass in a large pot on a sunny, warm spot and water it generously, as it is very thirsty. Harvest whole stalks close to the ground and use the tender lower stem parts. Overwinter it in a bright place at a minimum of ten degrees Celsius, then it will regrow vigorously the following spring.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–Apr
HarvestJul–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 20 °C, ideally 28 °C
- Days to sprout
- 10 to 21 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- 0.5 cm
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich
Lemongrass needs a deep, loose and nutrient-rich soil with good drainage: waterlogging quickly leads to root rot. In the lowlands of the DACH region, because of its frost sensitivity, it is best kept in a pot with a sandy, free-draining herb substrate.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
Apr–Sep
In spring, when planting out or repotting, work ripe compost and horn shavings shallowly into the soil. During the main growing season from April to September, feed regularly with organic feeds, for example well-rotted compost or nettle manure; from October stop feeding so that the plant hardens off for frost-free overwintering.
Overwintering
Lemongrass is not hardy: before the first frost, bring the tub to a bright, frost-free place (conservatory or bright stairwell, cool at around 10 °C) and water only very sparingly over the winter. From mid-May, when there is no more risk of night frosts, it may go back out. Alternatively, grow the plant as an annual and sow anew in spring.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- Cuttings
- From seed
The most reliable method is clump division in spring (April to May): lift the entire root ball, separate the clump with a sharp spade or knife into sections each with at least 3 to 5 stalks and their own roots, and replant the pieces immediately. Keep them evenly moist afterwards. Avoid crushing the roots unnecessarily, as lemongrass reacts sensitively to this. Older container plants need dividing about once a year anyway, otherwise the clump becomes overaged.
Cuttings are the easiest way to start: stand fresh, untreated stalks (also from an Asian supermarket) so that the lower end dips about 3 to 4 cm into water. Change the water every two to three days and put the glass in a bright, warm place (at least 20 °C). After one to three weeks the first roots appear; once these are 3 to 5 cm long, you can plant the cutting in low-nutrient, free-draining compost and keep it evenly moist.
Sowing is rarely practical in the DACH region, since Cymbopogon citratus hardly forms viable seed under Central European conditions and seed is hard to obtain. If you do have seeds, sow them shallowly in seed compost from the end of January to early March, barely cover them with soil and keep them evenly moist at 20 to 25 °C. It takes several months to a usable plant. Put the young plants outdoors, in the ground or in a tub, only after the Ice Saints (mid-May · week 20).
For your garden
Grow lemongrass yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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