Lemon Grass Seeds For Planting (Cymbopogon citratus)

Description

Has a lack of local lemongrass suppliers thwarted your burning desire to explore Asian cooking at home? Are you too intimidated to grow this exotic plant yourself? While this versatile edible grass only thrives year-round as a tender evergreen perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 10-11, it’s easily kept as a container plant so you can bring it inside to avoid killing frosts, or simply grow it outdoors as an annual. You can begin harvesting a few stalks as soon as the plants have become established.

Visually, this showy, clumping, bright green grass makes a fantastic seasonal ornamental. With a mature height of three to five feet and a two- to three-foot diameter, lemongrass makes an excellent background plant in gardens with fertile, consistently moist soil. Not exactly on top of your gardening chores? They’ll do fine if you don’t let them dry out, and as long as the soil is well-draining with a reasonable amount of organic matter. As natives of southern India, they like summer heat, so give them a spot in full sun. They’re a great choice for rain runoff areas or as pond edgings. 

If you opt to grow them in containers, you can keep them in check with frequent harvesting; stems will last up to six months in the freezer when properly cut; remove the top leaves and save the bottom third of the stem. You can cut them into 6-inch sections for easy storage.

Lemongrass isn’t just known for its citrusy flavor. It’s also a popular herbal remedy, treating or preventing:

• Digestive issues
• Convulsions
• High blood pressure
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Cold symptoms
• Nausea
• Pain
• Cough
• Rheumatism