Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Lemongrass

Spring Treatment of Lemongrass:

Now that your lemongrass is starting to enter spring, I recommend that you dig it up, lay it on newspaper or a plastic sheet and cut off the tops. Cut it back all back to no more than 2 feet, maybe even less.

Then, look the clump over, allow to dry for a day or two in the shade, and shake to loosen the root ball and get rid of old tired, soil. Using sharp, clean shears, cut the clump into what look like good plants, making sure that each top has a good root system.

Prepare the holes in the area, digging down a foot and loosening it up. Plant the newly separated plants about 12-18" apart. Water in well, do not fed, and stake if you must to keep them upright. Please do not press down on the top soil very much, as that compacts it and squished out the air bubbles.

Begin fertilizing after you see new fresh green growth appearing. Harvest throughout the season to keep the plant in check.

Nicos writes~ I have managed to grow some lemongrass, and I don't know how to take care of it. It has been growing for 2 years now, but this winter after a heavy snowfall most of the leaves and stems are dry. I trimmed one plant from the bottom of the stem, just above the soil, but I left the other as it is. Is it possible to save those two plants? How can I preserve the trimmed stems for using them for cooking in the future?

A. In cooking lemongrass as a flavoring, you only want to use the young green sprouts with the outer skin peeled off and discarded. Any stem which made it through a winter of heavy snow and cold would not be suitable for cooking. This is a tropical plant we are discussing here.

Cymbopogon citratus has gray-green stalks 2-3' long and are as stiff as beach grass. The plant grows in dense clumps as big as 6' in height and diameter and is cultivated for the edible stem and for lemongrass oil. Inside the fibrous stem layers of lemongrass is a paler tubular core that resembles a firm scallion bulb. Cooks sliver this more tender part into various dishes, adding a pungent lemon flavor. It is also used in herbal teas, and baked goods. Oil from lemongrass is widely used as a fragrance in perfumes and cosmetic creams.

The best climate for lemongrass are temperatures ranging from 64-84F, and high humidity (80-100%). Dry environmental conditions favor growth of the plant but not the growth of plant pathogens which go after the crop in tropical areas native to the species.. It uses sunlight very effectively; therefore it should be planted in areas well-exposed to the sun.

Lemongrass grows best in well-drained sandy soils free of weeds and soil borne pathogens as Fusarium and Verticillium. Since the plants rarely flower or set fruit, propagation is usually done by root cuttings or plant divisions. Place plant cuttings in rows 3-4' apart on beds 4-5' wide depending on variety and duration of the season. Raised furrows are recommended to minimize crown root rot problems. I recommend a 2" mulch all around the stems to keep the feeder roots moist.

Even though lemongrass is a perennial crop in the tropics, cooler conditions will kill it off with the first freeze. Therefore the crop is planted as soon as the danger from frost is past to prolong the growing season. You can successfully protect it against cold weather with plastic covers.

Even though lemongrass is a perennial crop in the tropical areas of the world, in northern areas it is seasonal due to the extremely cold weather experienced in the winter months. There it is usually harvested once a year, despite the fact that in other parts of the world, lemongrass can be harvested up to four times per year. Harvest is done by chopping off entire plant clumps from the base. Stems are then separated from the crown. Stems in northern climes do not overwinter, so lemongrass must be replanted each spring.

Assistance from: http://www.island.wsu.edu