Hi,
I've brought in my big pot of lemongrass for the Winter and am now wondering if I should cut it back or just leave it "as is". I acquired the plant this past Spring and though it has grown a LOT, the stalks are still pretty skinny. I don't think that I will be able to supply enough light for the poor thing and thought that it might to easier to get some light to it if I cut it back some ----- just don't want to kill it in the process!
any lemongrass experts here?
I live in a VERY different zone that you and I leave my lemon grass outside all year. It does die back quite a bit over the winter. I've both cut it back in the spring and left it and "combed" out the dead growth. I find that it takes much longer to recover when I cut it back than if I leave it and comb out the dead growth. The plant seems to stay much stronger if not cut back. If it's really bushy and you're afraid it won't get enough light you could selectively cut back some of the inner growth to sort of thin it out.
Thanks so much. Even given the difference in zones, I'd say that you answered the crucial question. I will not cut the poor thing back and will just do whatever I can to see that it gets enough light to survive.
I am certainly not an expert on lemon grass only getting my first plant this spring. It was cut back and the grass has grown over 5 feet tall. I have kept it in a pot to keep it watered. I think I need to protect it this winter and will probably cut it back to bring it in. Does anyone know if there is a shorter variety of this??? pod
In my experience, lemongrass does better in the ground than in pots. But, if you have to overwinter it then I guess pots is the only way to go. Lemongrass takes awhile to take hold and thrive. They really like the sun and the heat. You don't really need to trim the leaves, just remove the dead ones.
As a side note, I've found that Lime Basil is a pretty good substitute for lemongrass when used fresh in a salad. It's a lot easier than trying to finely chop those lemongrass stalks.