I am not sure what is happening to my lemongrass please help

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Rachel1919 Madison, FL May 10, 2008

I have (had) a beautiful huge lemongrass growing in my garden. It was very tall and healthy and it smelled heavenly. The entire plant has just turned brown on me all of a sudden, nothing out of the ordinary has happened climatewise here. I am in North Fl zone 9. I was not the one who planted it, the plant was here when we bought the house. I really want to bring it back to life but I am not sure how to go about caring for this plant. Is it normal for it to turn brown at a certain time of the year? There are a few parts that are still green so there may be hope. Should I cut all the dead parts off really short or is it better to just leave the unsightly mess as is? I mean, will it miraculously liven up and turn green again? Please let me know what you think.

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MollyMc Archer/Bronson, FL(Zone 8b) May 10, 2008

Rachel,

Lemon grass is pretty easy to grow and forgiving of errors. I had one that was growing too close to the screen on my orchid house so I dug it up (quite large) and moved it. It went shocky, turned brown and crisy and I thought for sure it was dead. Now this spring it is fresh and new.

If you are anywhere near us, you must be in drought too. First, check and see if an ant pile has moved under it. Get rid of the ants, prune the dead growth off, give it a light dose of Superthrive and water in well for the next couple weeks. It should come back and be fine.

Even in drought my lemon grass does well and we live on a sand hill, so there must be some critters in the roots doing something.

Molly

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Rachel1919 Madison, FL May 11, 2008

I have two of these in different areas. They had both been healthy and then both turned brown at the same time. I cut one back hoping it may help but I left the other one alone for now until I find out what I can doo to bring it back. The one in my garden is very large and when it turned brown it became rather unsightly so that is why I cut it. I'm wondering now if that was a big mistake. I checked on the plant today and the roots look good and there are no signs of pests or disease at all. Since it is in my garden it gets watered every day. I'll put a picture below. Oh what is Superthrive and where can I get it from? Is it possible that I may be overwatering it?

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MollyMc Archer/Bronson, FL(Zone 8b) May 11, 2008

Superthrive is a vitamin B supplement that you give your plants to help them overcome shock. We bought ours at a hydroponics shop, but I believe you can get some at HD or Lowes. If you can't find any, check the vitamin department at the drug store. Get some B-complex, grind it up and dilute in water.

It's quite possible you are overwatering your grass. Most ornamental grasses are drought resistant so over watering can be a problem for them. Give it the B Vitamins and cut the water back to twice a week.

Molly

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