Plant lemon grass seeds

Lemongrass Seeds | Park Seed

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Description

Days to Maturity: 95 from direct sow

An essential herb for Asian cuisine, the leaves and stems of lemongrass can be used fresh or dried to impart a distinct lemon flavor. Lemongrass also makes a wonderful ingredient for hot teas, and is attractive enough to grow simply as an ornamental in patio pots or in the sunny garden.

This clump-forming perennial resembles an ornamental grass with its aromatic cane-like stems arising from a central base. The lemon-scented, linear, strap leaves reach 3 feet long, falling over at the tip. It is a honeybee magnet, and a useful addition to any garden friendly to butterflies, bees, and other wildlife.

Lemongrass thrives in moist soil and full sun, growing 3 to 5 feet tall within a single season. The seed germinates in 7 to 14 days, and the plant reaches a good size for picking about 3 months later. If you begin the seeds indoors, transplant the young plants at about 6 inches high.

Lemongrass is hardy only in zones 9-11, so if you live north of its range, you may want to grow it in containers, where it can be brought to a bright, frost-free location for winter. Quite long-lived, it will fulfill all your culinary needs for many seasons.

Details

Skip Product Specs

Genus	Cymbopogon
Species	flexosus
Item Form	(P) Pkt of 100 seeds
Zone	9 - 11
Days to Maturity	95
Fruit Color	Green
Habit	Upright
Seeds Per Pack	100
Plant Height	3 ft - 5 ft
Plant Width	24 in - 3 ft
Additional Characteristics	Bloom First Year, Easy Care Plants, Edible, Evergreen, Fragrance, Herbs, Rose Companions, Variegated
Foliage Color	Blue Green, Orange
Harvest Season	Early Summer, Late Summer, Mid Summer
Light Requirements	Full Sun
Moisture Requirements	Moist, well-drained
Resistance	Drought Tolerant, Heat Tolerant
Soil Tolerance	Normal, loamy, Sandy
Uses	Beds, Border, Containers, Cuisine, Foliage Interest, Hedge, Ornamental, Outdoor

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How to Grow Lemongrass from Seed

Learn

How to Grow Lemongrass from Seed in this descriptive article and cultivate your own patch of this medicinal herb.

If you are wondering about How to Grow Lemongrass from Seeds, we have discussed the detailed Growing Instructions below to help you out!

Find out the Best Heat-Loving Plant Combos for Containers here

Lemongrass Plant Profile

Lemongrass grows wild in wet grasslands and open forests throughout Southeast Asia, where it is widely used as a culinary herb and medicine. Lemon grass grows to a height of 1-5 meters and has a mounding growth habit.

With a plethora of medicinal properties, lemongrass is consumed as a tea to improve the immune system in humans.

Botanical Name: Cymbopogon citratus

USDA Zones: 10-11

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How to Grow Lemongrass from Seedsreddit

Growing lemongrass from seeds is easy and requires minimal effort.

Fill a seed tray with a moistened, well-draining medium mixture of equal parts compost, cocopeat, or coconut fiber fine.
Sow lemongrass seeds 1 inch apart and 1/4 inch deep. Cover with a layer of the medium.
Mist the lemon grass seeds with water from a spray bottle.
Stretch plastic wrap over the seed tray, and seal the edges. Set the tray on a windowsill that receives good light.
Remove the plastic wrap once a week to water the lemongrass seeds. Mist the surface of the soil until the top 1/2 to 1 inch is damp.

Seeds will germinate in 10 – 30 days. Remove the plastic wrap once the seedlings grow up to 1 inch and transplant to bigger pots.

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Requirements for Growing Lemongrass from Seedsmanumunson

Sunlight

Lemongrass needs a minimum of 7-8 hours of bright, direct sunlight to grow well. Plants grown in the shade will show unhealthy growth and are prone to pests and diseases.

Soil

For best growth, use fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5-7. Rich, loamy soil amended with a handful of aged manure will provide all the essential nutrients.

Watering

The tender seedlings need considerably moist soil to grow well. However, as the plant matures, it can tolerate short periods of drought. The best option is to water the plant whenever the top inch feels dry to touch.

Temperature & Humidity

Lemongrass thrives in warm, humid climates and needs a temperature range of 68-86 F or 20-30 C. The plant can take hotter climates but is not resistant to temperatures below 50 F or 10 C.

Also, the plant needs 70-80% humidity to grow well. Keep a humidifier handy for drier days.

Look at the Best Tea Herbs for a Tea Garden here

Lemongrass Plant Caremanumunson

Fertilizers

The plant loves an occasional nitrogen boost for lusher leaf growth. You can also add a layer of aged manure, well-rotten cow dung, or manure tea at the onset of its growing season.

Pruning

Snip the overgrown shoots to maintain the desired shape of the plant. Also, remove the dead and dried leaves after the winter.

Pests and Diseases

Lemongrass is prone to diseases like Leaf Blight, Leaf Spot, and Rust that can be dealt with by spraying insecticidal neem solution on the plant.

Keep the plant in full sunlight and avoid overwatering to keep potential diseases at bay.

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How to grow lemongrass in an apartment and in a country house

What is this mysterious lemongrass and how can it be useful in the household? How to grow lemongrass from seeds and cuttings? How to care for a plant so that a tropical guest can take root in a Russian dacha? Look for answers to these questions in the article!

Lemongrass has many "names": lemongrass, citronella, shuttle beard, cymbopogon and even lemongrass. All these names are usually applied to the plant Cymbopogon citratus which is not entirely correct. The reason for the confusion is that in addition to lemongrass, its close "relatives" are known in domestic plant growing:

Cymbopogon flexuosus (it is called East Indian lemongrass, or Malabar grass),
Cymbopogon nardus (and this is citronella, and it is distinguished by red petioles and pink veins on the stems).

All these plants of genus Cymbopogon belong to cereals, but they are grown not for grains, but for stems and leaves that have a pleasant lemon-ginger taste and aroma. Today we are interested in Cymbopogon citratus , which is lemongrass, lemongrass or West Indian lemongrass.

The plant is a shrub of long, smooth, sharp leaves growing in a tuft. This feature distinguishes it from other cereals that spread throughout the territory. The leaves are light green in color, with a slight citrus aroma.

Origin and useful properties of lemongrass

Lemongrass comes from South-East Asia, is accustomed to living in warmth and is not adapted to open ground in the middle lane - it dies when it gets cold below 0°C. Therefore, we grow it quite rarely and, as a rule, only at home. But this valuable cereal is worth a closer look!

The benefits of lemongrass are hard to overestimate. It is actively used in cooking, especially in oriental cuisine, as a seasoning for sauces, soups and stews - the dishes are fragrant, with a slight "point". Lemongrass tea has a sedative effect, it is advised to drink it for anxiety disorders, insomnia.

Lemongrass essential oil has proven itself in medicine and perfumery - it contains natural antiseptics and is used in the manufacture of soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics. The medicinal properties of lemongrass are diverse: it is used to cleanse the body of toxins, activate digestion and metabolism, cleanse the liver and intestines, and reduce fever. In addition, the oil is an effective tool in aromatherapy: it relieves fatigue and headache, improves mood.

For summer residents, the ability of lemongrass to repel insect pests will be especially relevant. In particular, it is used to protect garden plantings from whiteflies, and helps people get rid of annoying flies, mosquitoes and even ticks.

Other plants with natural repellant properties are listed here:

Growing Lemongrass at Home

Lemongrass is difficult to grow as a perennial in the garden, but that doesn't mean it can't be grown at home. Let's look at the "rider" of this incredibly useful plant!

Born in the tropics, lemongrass loves a hot, humid climate, so the place in the apartment he needs to determine the warmest, well-lit, away from heating appliances. This is one of the few plants that can withstand direct sunlight, so a south-facing window sill or covered loggia is quite suitable for it. The optimum air temperature in summer is plus or minus 25°C, in winter - not lower than 16-18°C. Be sure to monitor the humidity of the air and spray - in a dry climate, lemongrass will feel uncomfortable.

The soil must be loose and breathable. You can buy ready-made soil mixture in the store - for example, universal soil for vegetable crops. Or make the mixture yourself by combining humus and river sand in equal parts, and add perlite or vermiculite for looseness.

If you plant lemongrass in prepared, nutrient-enriched soil, you won't need to fertilize in the first months after planting - just what is in the soil will suffice. Next, lemongrass is fed about once a month. Since the plant is mainly busy growing leaves, top dressing is desirable with a high nitrogen content.

In nature, lemongrass grows up to 1.5-2 m, and in a container it can reach a height of 1 m, which is also quite a lot. Therefore, you should choose a deep pot, with a diameter of at least 25-30 cm.

Lemongrass loves water and is demanding on watering, but does not tolerate stagnant moisture. Therefore, in the container that you choose for planting, there must be holes for water to drain. For the same reason, be sure to pour a drainage layer of expanded clay or shards 1/3 of the pot high on the bottom.

Remember that ceramic containers absorb and evaporate moisture faster than plastic containers. This means that lemongrass planted in a clay pot will require more watering than one grown in a plastic container.

Lemongrass Propagation Methods

Lemongrass is fairly easy to propagate by vegetative means, seeds and root division.

Lemongrass seeds are easy to find in garden shops. It is usually sown for seedlings in March. To do this, the container is filled with fertile soil and moistened (it is better to spray from a spray bottle). Seeds are laid out on moist soil without deepening, and sprinkled on top with a layer of earth or sand 3-5 mm thick. Then they are sprayed again, covered with glass or film and put in a warm place on the sunny side. The sprouts will hatch in about a week, and when they grow to a height of 2-3 cm, the film cover can be removed. Optimum humidity should be maintained, not allowing the soil to dry out. It is recommended to spray the seedlings 2-3 times a week, and after a couple of weeks the grown seedlings can be settled in separate pots.

On the shelves of our grocery stores, lemongrass is not a very frequent visitor. In large hypermarkets, lemongrass leaves are sometimes sold, cut in the middle part, without bottoms. Such material for rooting is not suitable. If you are lucky enough to find lemongrass stalks with a root part on sale, take them without hesitation, because they can not only be used in cooking, but also rooted!

For cuttings, the stems are cut, leaving a length of 5-7 cm, placed in a shallow container with water and sent to a sunny windowsill. After 10-20 days, small roots will appear on the cuttings, which will grow and grow stronger for another week or two. When the roots of the shoots gain strength, you can plant them in prepared containers.

For young plants, it is worth taking several small containers or one wide one if you want to grow lemongrass in one bush.

If you have had lemongrass for more than a year, it is easiest to propagate it by dividing the bush. The ideal time for this is spring or early summer. The plant is taken out of the pot, the roots are freed from the ground, so that the junctions of the beams become visible. Then the rhizome is separated with hands or a knife, the resulting bushes are seated in smaller containers and watered. Since lemongrass leaves have sharp edges, it is best to work with gloves.

Lemongrass in the dacha – is it possible or not?

You can also try to grow lemongrass in the country in the climate of the middle zone, if you do not plant it in open ground, but choose a container growing method. In this case, it will not be difficult to cover the plant with the onset of cold weather - just bring it into the house. In addition, even indoor specimens are often moved to a garden or a flower bed for the summer period - in hot weather they feel great in the air.

Sometimes lemongrass is used in landscape design as a decorative annual, and this is one of the options if you want to plant a plant, but the climate does not allow it.

If you decide to plant lemongrass in your dacha, keep in mind some of the features of this plant.

Lemongrass does not like drafts - their exposure can lead to rotting of the root system. Therefore, it is advisable to plant it in places protected from gusts of wind.
This cereal, like many members of the family, grows quite quickly - which means that its distribution must be controlled and kept "within the limits of what is permitted."
The most important thing in caring for lemongrass is regular watering, control of humidity and air temperature.
The smell of lemongrass is very disliked by mosquitoes and other harmful insects, but often attracts cats. Therefore, you need to make sure that the pets do not get hurt, deciding to treat themselves to sharp fragrant leaves.

We hope that after reading the article you would like to grow this unusual cereal in your apartment or country house. We wish you successful experiments and more useful plants in the garden!

Cultivation of lemongrass

Lemongrass

Otherwise:

Lemongrass, Lemon grass, East Indian lemongrass, Malabar grass, Cochin grass, Cymbopogon sinuous

Cymbopogon flexuosus
Family Cereals (Gramineae)

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Botanical portrait

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) is a fast growing plant that can reach a height of 180 cm in tropical climates and grows best in colder regions where it grows up to 1 m. annual daily temperatures are in the range of +22…+30°C. The leaves are light green, long, smooth, narrow, sharp (they can easily be cut like sedge leaves). It grows in a bunch, does not spread. It blooms, but her flowers are invisible against the background of a huge bunch of leaves. The leaves and stems have a pleasant citrus aroma. Outside the tropical zone, the plant is grown in gardens, pots and greenhouses as an ornamental plant.

Cultivation of lemongrass

In our climate, cultivation of lemongrass is possible mainly through seedlings.

Seeding seed . Seeds are sown in moist nutrient soil to a depth of no more than 0.5 cm. The container with planted seeds is covered with a transparent film and left in a room with a temperature above +20°C. Since seedlings need a lot of sunlight, seedlings are best kept on a south window. Landing in open ground usually occurs in late May - early June. Before planting, seedlings must be put out for a day on the street for several days, and brought into the house in the evening. Then leave seedling boxes with lemongrass outside for several days and at night. And only after such acclimatization, seedlings can be planted in a permanent place in open ground.

Outdoor cultivation of this plant in our country is possible only as an annual crop. The plant is very afraid of low temperatures and dies already at a temperature of + 5 ° C.

As a perennial, lemon grass can only be grown in containers or boxes. In the summer, such a container can be easily buried in the ground or simply placed next to a resting place in the garden. Its lemon scent will not only flavor the air, but also protect you from mosquitoes.

Landing place . Lemon grass loves the sun, although it can grow in areas with light shade. A place in the garden for this plant is better to find a sunny, closed from the north winds.

Soil . Soils are preferred light, well-drained, better - sandy, with a slightly acidic pH. Plants growing in sandy soils have a higher leaf yield and a higher citral content. Lemongrass grows well in swampy areas. The soil should be nutritious and constantly moist.

Watering . To provide the roots with the constant moisture they need, it is necessary to mulch the soil under the plant with a layer of mulch of at least 8-10 cm. Watering is necessary abundant, preferably with soft rain water or warm, settled tap water.

Harvest . Leaves and stems are cut as needed. For drying, cut lemongrass leaves are cut into small pieces and laid out under a canopy. Leaves should be dried as soon as possible within 24 hours, a conventional dryer can be used for this. A long period of drying, for example in the sun, causes the leaves to lose color and the quality of the aroma is reduced. Dried lemongrass should be stored in airtight containers, preferably in glass jars.

Wintering .