Lemon Grass. C13

Lemongrass is one of the fastest growing perennial plants. Its lemony stems are mostly used in East Asian cuisine to flavour broths, soups and curries.

The white part of the stem has the strongest flavour, while the green leaves at the tips have a more subtle flavour, perfect for making your own lemongrass tea. 

There are two common varieties of lemongrass.

West Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) grows easily in any warm climate.

East Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) has purple tints on the stems.

Lemongrass thrives in warm conditions with well-drained soil and is drought tolerant, so it does not need much water. You can grow lemongrass in a pot or in your garden.

The best place to plant lemongrass is in a warm, sunny area. Lemongrass plants thrive in all conditions, but they love the heat, so make sure they get plenty of sun. They do very well in both pots and beds and can grow up to 1.2m tall and 80cm wide, so be sure to give them room to grow. 

Lemongrass thrives in several ways.

Firstly, you can buy lemongrass seeds from Bunnings, which will take about 21 days to germinate. Sow the seeds 5 cm deep and 50 cm apart.  

Secondly, you can propagate lemongrass from a cutting and plant it in the ground. 

Thirdly, you can buy a lemongrass bush and use it as you wish. Remember that you will have to pull the stalk out of the ground to use it in the kitchen, so don't use it all at once.

Lemongrass is one of the easiest plants to propagate. Pick the freshest stalk, remove the dead leaves and place it in a glass of water on a sunny windowsill. After a couple of weeks, you should see the roots start to grow, take your cutting and place it in your garden soil. Honestly, there is no perfect time of year to do this, as lemongrass is very hardy and survives most seasons.

Lemongrass is so hardy that it is not susceptible to many pests and bugs. If your plant looks sad, make sure it is getting enough sunlight and give it some water. 

Cut back any dead foliage in late winter and early spring and watch it thrive.