Lemon Grass

Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) is native in India and is grown in Sri Lanka, the Seychelles and in Uganda. It also is grown sometimes in herbal gardens. It's name comes from it's strong lemon scented leaves. It's oil is used in the scent-industry where it is used to make fake lemon-oils. It is very easy to grow but difficult to get. Lately, it's strong lemon taste is much appreciated in a growing number of kitchens. Get your hands on a couple of them, grow them, and multiply them. Sell them to your local grocery shop, supermarket, or just give them to those people you know.

Offered by Michel.

It is very easy to grow lemon grass. It needs moderate sunlight. Last year I planted it in the backyard, and did not pay much attention to it until the first frost. By then it was too late to transfer indoors. It will multiply by it self through its roots like bamboo. Regarding the soil itself, I guess if your lawn grass will grow, so will the lemon grass. To plant lemon grass; first, you can get a fairly fresh lemon grass with a fairly green stalk in a Chinatown from a Thai or Vietnamese grocery store, and make a thin slice at the base of the stalk, and then just dip it in a deep glass of water and let it sit for 3 to 10 days until the roots start to grow. After that you can transplant them in a pot with potting soil.

Offered by Tian.

I have some lemon grass here in a pot. It is much like sugar cane, but not 15 feet tall. It grows about 3 feet tall (1 meter) and roots at the joints. I bought some for a Thai soup and rooted the bases, now its about a foot tall. It grows well in rich garden soil, lots of compost. Regular peat is too acid and lacks in nutrients. Rotten leaves and kitchen waste is rich and balanced. It is, however, a tropical. You will need to keep it indoors if you get hard frosts, Zone 9 is the likely northern limit in the East. It survives the winter here in the San Francisco Bay Area, but likes LA better. It looks ratty in the winter, but come March or April it perks up. We get cool rainy winters, but little or no frost.

Offered by Brian.