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Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), is a beautiful, tall, arching plant with dual personalities: it has the willowy visual effect of ornamental grass in the landscape, and boasts a variety of culinary and medicinal uses as an herb.
A native of India, lemongrass is widely used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Therefore, when growing lemongrass, you'll want to replicate its native Indian climate by giving the plant full sun, sandy, well-draining soil and average water - do not over-water.
In areas of the country that do not experience freezes, lemongrass will act as a perennial and grow rather large - up to 9', in fact. However, if your winters can get harsh, better to pot up the plant and bring it in to the garage. This will stunt its growth somewhat, but it should survive. (Before storing, first see if it needs divided. Lemongrass is a clumping type of grass, which means you can eventually divide and get several plants out of it...or, of course, you can re-plant some and eat the rest!)
When harvesting your lemongrass, select a firm stalk with leaves that appear green and fresh. If leaves are browning, wilted or dried out, there won't be much flavor. The grass blade can be sliced very fine and added to soups for a lemony twist. Also, the bulb can be bruised and minced for use in a variety of recipes.
Prepare lemongrass by peeling off and discarding one or two layers of the woody exterior leaves. These leaf blades are tough and therefore better for teas, potpourri and flavoring, but not so good for outright eating. Instead, use the tender white inner hearts.
Medicinal herb teas can also be brewed from lemongrass. The tea has been used for everything from lowering cholesterol to soothing digestive problems. Externally, the oil can be used to treat athlete's foot or acne.
Many lemon-scented and lemon-flavored products actually get their lemony goodness from lemongrass rather than from real lemons. Some have reported it being a successful insect repellent.
If you have trouble finding lemongrass at your local nursery or gardening center, check with Asian grocery stores, farmers markets or organic groceries selling fresh herbs. Pick a plant that has fat, healthy-looking stalks and light-green bases with leaves wrapped tight so they do not curl or dry out.
After you get the lemongrass home, peel off the outside leaves, place the stalks in a jar of water and put it on a bright windowsill.The stalks should root in a couple of weeks and be ready for planting outdoors, so long as the soil has adequately warmed.
Lemongrass is especially yummy with fish or chicken. Or, try this fabulous herb oil as a salad dressing or bread dip:
Olive Oil Fresh Rosemary Twig Fresh Lemon Grass Fresh Thyme Twig Clove of Garlic Salt Peppercorns, red and black
Combine all the above ingredients in a clear bottle. Let sit for at least a week. Shake vigorously before serving.
About Tamara Galbraith
I am an avid organic gardener and certified Master Gardener for Collin County, Texas (that's North Dallas).
Despite those lofty titles, I still manage to kill stuff on a regular basis. My gardening experiences are periodically chronicled on my blog at: http://can-u-dig-it.blogspot.com
Posted by harperart (from Montgomery, AL) on June 5, 2008 at 2:10 PM:
I have 2 cats who love to eat lemon grass. When I first brought some in the house for cooking I left the leaves sticking out of the trash bin and my largest cat went over and pulled the leaves out and carried them off to the den and started chewing them. My other cat likes lemon grass as well. They now both turn up their noses at fresh cat nip which I grow for them. Who knew? They have been eating it for years and have not had any medical problems from it and our Vet says it is probably good for their digestion, since it is recommended to give them greens if they are inside only cats. I only give them the new, young, green leaves.
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Posted by TexasTam (from Plano, TX) on June 6, 2008 at 11:06 AM:
That's interesting. I bet it gives them nice breath too...lol! Thanks for sharing.
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Subject: Lemon grass
Posted by DriftingDude (from Charleston, SC) on May 20, 2008 at 5:14 AM:
I'll have to look for some. Good written piece. I enjoyed it.
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Subject: Lemon grass
Posted by GEORGIASWAN (from Port Saint Lucie, FL) on May 19, 2008 at 8:38 AM:
I was delighted to find the many uses for lemongrass that you mentioned as I have an enormous stand of it and need to use more or there won't be room for anything else in the yard.
I have even thought of taking some to the local Thai restaurant.
It is beautiful and graceful and I love to watch it sway in the wind.This is in Central Coastal Florida!
Georgia Swan, St. Lucie County Master Gardener
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Subject: Great information!
Posted by KaperC (from No. San Diego Co., CA) on May 17, 2008 at 1:36 PM:
How timely can it get? I just rec'd two one-gallon lemongrass plants from a DGer. I would like to keep at least one in a pot on the deck. Any recommendations for that, Tamara? And potpourri! I'll have to look for a recipe. I don't like flowery scents in the house - lemon is perfect.
Thanks so much for the article.
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Posted by Pamgarden (from Central, VA) on May 17, 2008 at 6:49 PM:
Again, very timely. Our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm just added lemongrass to their herb garden for the members' enjoyment.
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Posted by Molamola (from Christiansted
(Virgin Islands (USA))) on May 17, 2008 at 7:53 PM:
You said 'bulb'? Does lemon grass grow like guinea grass? I see it for sale sometimes, but what is offered is one measly 'stalk' of grass. Would it take long to grow harvestable stalks? Does harvesting a stalk kill the plant, or make it grow more? Would a 50-50 composted manure best suit the most growth? Will it be OK in alkaline sandy mix?
Oh, dear, sorry!
Mm
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Posted by TexasTam (from Plano, TX) on May 18, 2008 at 1:31 PM:
Wow, lots of questions and comments! Glad to see so much interest in this fab grass. Hope I can help...
Use a BIG pot for container-growing of lemongrass. It grows fast and gets big!
I'm not familiar with how guinea grass grows, but Lemongrass grows in "clumps" - you can easily see the different bulb-like clusters at the base of a whole plant.
Mine grows quite large throughout the summer. To harvesting a clump from a potted plant, drive a sharp knife downward right where the clumps separate - this shouldn't hurt the plant as long as you don't cut into the remaining clump.
In my experience, lemongrass does ok in alkaline soil, although ours is clay - it would probably do even better in sandier soil.
Theoretically, lots of nitrogen (like in manure) is good for grasses, so sure, a 50-50 mix would most likely work well.
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Posted by KaperC (from No. San Diego Co., CA) on May 18, 2008 at 3:06 PM:
Thanks! I do have a couple of BIG pots that the one-gallons are sitting in now. I'll get busy and get them planted - or try one in a pot and one in the ground. Hmmm....
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Posted by Molamola (from Christiansted
(Virgin Islands (USA))) on May 18, 2008 at 6:40 PM:
Oh, gee, now I gotta go find one of those Rasta guys that sell de lemon grass mon....
