The lemongrass stalk has roots!!

Hi folks,

I love the flavor of lemongrass. I did not want to pay $$$$ for a teeny weensy starter plant of lemongrass – plus shipping fees. I did a Google search on growing lemongrass and found you could grow it from a stalk purchased in grocery store – if said stalk has some small roots still on the bottom. The Vietnamese store where I sometimes shop always has stalks of lemongrass but they are always really, really, really old and dry on the bottom with absolutely NO roots. I figured that I would give it a try and if it failed I would only have lost a little time and less than $2.

I purchased a bundle of 4 stalks @ $1.75 and stuck them in a jar with 2 inches of water. Changed the water every day – and now after about 3 weeks I have ROOTS!!!!!!! Each stalk has roots!! I am totally excited!! BTW lemongrass can not be left outside over winter in zone 7 and below (6-5-...). I will have to put it in a really large pot and set inside for winter and then put it outside in spring. Folks in zone 8-9 and above can grow it outside.

If you like lemongrass and hate to pay the $3-4 it cost for a really small amount in the store – this might be something you want to try.

What’s next?? Japanese and Okinawa sweet potato plants. The Okinawa sweet potato is purple inside and super sweet in taste. The Japanese is purple/mauve outside and white inside and has a chestnut flavor. You guessed it I found the sweet potatoes at the Vietnamese grocery store. I have already started to root the sweet potatoes and will let them grow into a house plant. In early spring (2008) I will clip some of the shoots & put them in pots --- to get ready to plant out in the ground. Hopefully I will no longer be at the mercy of sweet potato plant vendors ever again :-))

DL

I have mucho lemon grass on the side of my deck and regard it as a weed but after reading your thread I now wonder what you do with it? I'd like to enjoy it also but don't know how? Can you suggest uses?

I chop it up really fine (it's tough, use a sharp knife and be prepared to work at it!) and use it to give a little lemon-y flavor to thai and chinese dishes. Yummy!

Here is a link on how to ""PREP"" the lemongrass and also some recipes.

http://importfood.com/lemongrass_info.html

Enjoy,
DL

Good link! Thank you.

Even in this zone I lost mine last winter. I will cut my plant back this fall and move to a plant shelter. I keep it in a pot.

edited to add: This is invaluable info from that link as I do cut mine back

podster, hope I'm in time to tell you something cool...(and hope you haven't cut your lemon grass yet!).

I grow lots of lemon grass and sell it at the market, usually as plants. However it seems I always have plants than need wintering over. What's fun to do is while the leaves are still nice and green braid them into several pigtails (or ponytails), tying off both ends of the braid with string, ribbon, or rubber bands. When it' time to cut your plants back those braid will be great to be used either as "sachets" in your clothes drawers or in your linen closet.

I also keep trying to remember to let some get really dry and light one just to see if it works as incense!

Have fun!
Shoe

Hey Guys; I already grow the "Okinawa" purple sweet potato.You can get starts either through SSE or Kitazawa.

Great tip ~ Shoe. Ahhh I can feel a dose of papercuts coming on.

You can make lemon grass tea from the leaves. Do try the Larb Gai. It is a delicious spicy salad made with lemon grass. For toasted rice, just toast some rice in the oven and grind it up in a coffee grinder -- electric is quicker.

thanks for the tip about getting lemongrass to root. It has been a long time since I have seen any in the store with roots on it. I will do that next summer. It is pretty cold here in zone 5a.

zebraman,

Thanks for the info on where to get slips for the purple Okinawa sweet potato. If I somehow kill my plant before spring I will know where to go. The reason I want to grow my own slips is because all of the places that sell slips will not ship them to me before late May and my sweets are usually in the ground by mid/late April ---- if ---- the weather cooperates.

DL

pajaritomt,

The lemongrass I started ***did not*** have any roots. As a matter of fact it looked like it was almost dead on the bottom and was REALLY REALLY dry on the bottom. If you see some that looks all dried up and it is really cheap - get it and try to root it. It took mine about 3 weeks soaking in water in a jar. I have nice roots now and will be planting it in a pot in November to keep as house plant. I will put the potted plant outside on my deck in the spring as I can not plant in ground in my zone.

Thanks for posting that link DL.

I have TONS of the stuff and was looking for a resource on how to use, prepare etc

I'm going to attempt to overwinter a patch this year. Any suggestions?

And what is the correct way to harvest it? I cut mine but a customer at market told me it should be pulled not cut as that preserves the flavor.

BB

I just don't know the proper way. The ones in the store are all cut, but maybe they only do that after pulling.

That's what I figured. And I didn't really notice any difference in the quality.

BB

Hi all
I bought several lemongrass to plant around the house last spring not to uses for cooking but because I had read that lemongrass repels snakes. I like to keep those things away from the house. And, since planting the grass there have not been any critter sightings nearby. So I guess its good for that too. Lemongrass grows like crazy!! I had no Idea!! I have to keep clipping it back. It wants to take over the world ;-)

About lemon grass repelling snakes ----- I found a snake in my lemon grass and he seemed perfectly comfortable????

hello DL

Ihave never grow sweet potato's here in florida igrow reg potato in a barrel
how do sweet potato's grow.

Thanks

I have alot of lemon grass too. It goes dormant during the winter and comes back rampant during the warmer months. My wife uses it to cook Asian dishes.

Is yours in-ground, Dean_W? I have mine in a large pot, but am thinking of moving it. It dies back with frost every year but comes back without fail.

Yes, mine is in the ground. I just mulch it really well and it comes back so far w/out fail. Seems like if you have in a pot you'd really have to water it alot.

I have to water everything a lot... Life in the desert, sad but true. I try not to grow anything I don't really love, so I feel like what I am watering is worth it!

True, we get a little more water. Lemongrass loves it.

I grow my own heirloom tomatoes and peppers from seed and have 3 gardens of vegetables, a yard full of fruit trees, blackberries, strawberries and flowers of all kinds with no problems. I have ordered lemon grass plants three times and it was very pricey just for a tiny cup. Every time it dies. I've put it in pots. I've planted it in the ground. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Can somebody help me? I just can't figure it out. Also...the plants I have bought have tiny stems not at all like the ones in the oriental store. Are there different types of lemon grass? I love cooking with it and i'm determined to grow it. I live in East Tennessee and I know I'll have to bring it in for winter....if I could only get it to live and grow.

Bsetiawan ~ How soon does it die for you?

There are a few different kinds of lemon grass. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=lemon+grass&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
Just a couple of thoughts...
It is possible that your l. grass doesn't get old enough to develop bigger stems?
Do you harvest it too much and it can't get the nutrients to live?

At any rate, seeds are also available. I have grown a plant from seeds and they need to be sown on the surface. That may be another way to try.

How many of you that left lemongrass outdoors overwinter still have it? Just curious. My pot went into a plant shelter that saw a few days hovering around freezing. It is still among the living.

Mine did not survive the winter. I had to replant this year.

BB

Mine survives winters here in zone 8b.

Bronxboy, I am sorry you lost yours. Dean, I lost my large pot the first year. Perhaps because it wasn't in ground. This year I provided some winter protection.
And, the one that died on me was West Indian Lemon Grass or
Cymbopogon citratus. The one I have this year ~ started from seed was East Indian Lemon Grass or Cymbopogon flexuosus. Maybe that makes a difference in the temps they can stand.

I'm in 8b/9a and my lemon grass stays outside in its large container over the winter. The top does die back, but comes back rapidly once the weather warms up again. It's gotten big enough that I need to figure out how to divide it pretty soon!

Edited to add, I'm not sure which lemon grass I have, so I can't add any info there. Sorry!

This message was edited May 5, 2008 10:22 AM

Yes, mine dies back down to the roots too. Or some green leaves are left. I don't know which kind mine is either. It's the kind that's found in Asian Supermarkets. Jill, it's easy to divide. Just take a shovel or sharp knife(if potted) and cut in half. I have succesfully divided mine many times.

Mine was the East Indian variety. It appeared to do well until we got a couple of frosts.

I have had no problems with starting from seed

BB

Okay, great--thanks, Dean!

Podster, The lemon grass didn't last long at all. The first one that I ordered I planted in a 6 inch pot. The plant looked tiny but the roots looked bound. I gently got the roots loose a little before planting. I thought it was going to make it but I then planted it in my yard. I live in the mountains but with excellent rich but sandy like soil. We get plenty of sun and I watered it and watched it like a baby. I never picked on it because it was too small. I was waiting for it to adjust. It never did. I reordered two the next time and I planted them directly in a spot in my flower garden. They both sat there and refused to grow. Then one day I noticed it was gone. My husband said he noticed it was dead while working in the yard so he removed it. I'm sure it had to be because he knew I would keep ordering more until I get it to grow. Maybe I'll try seeds. Thanks

Don't know what to tell you, so sorry. Just try and try again. If I had an extra division, I'd gladly share. Good luck...

bsetiawan, what zone do you live in? Living up in the mountains it may get to cool w/out protection.

bsetaiwan, I live in the same zone as you (about 50 miles away) and my dad has grown it for years, but yes, in our winters it does die out. Maybe yours didn't have enough roots?

I hope to get root cuttings soon...I love to cook with it. I like the ideas as using it for sachets. to me, lemon is a clean smell.

I have bought lemon grass plants that grew. I put them, in pots. It likes the most sun and water that you can give it. I brought it in in the winter, then put it out in the summer. I live in a very cool climate in the mountains, but it survived as long as I remembered to water it. The dogs loved it and would eat the leaves. I had to surround it with prickly things to protect it from them. It only died when, one summer, I neglected it.

Dean_WM I live in zone 7. It's a puzzle...but I won't give up. Maybe I just got bad plants. They were tiny babies...but $10.00 each plus shipping. I should have complained but it lived a couple of weeks or so. I thought I did or didn't do something. I'm going to try seeds. I grow lots of plants under lights with lots of luck. Maybe this will work. I have so much stuff growing you'd think I wouldn't care. Thanks for responding.

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nanniepb...yes I do live in your same zone in east Tennessee. I am determined to grow lemon grass. I love cooking with it. I make beef randan as my husband is from Bali, Indonesia he loves cooking with it. He says it grows wild there . I also love putting pieces in some of my chicken dishes for the best fresh taste. I love how it is so mild...yet still has that lemony smell and taste. Of course I can get it in the oriental stores...but I want to grow it myself.You would think I could grow it but I can't make sourkraut that doesn't rot either and I can at least 100 jars of fruits and veggies every year. I'd just keep trying. Thanks

You know what we do. Before the first frost hits my wife harvest all the stalks. Then cover the remaining plants with all the leaves that have been cut off. It helps to insulate them a little.