Lemongrass Live Plant – Cymbopogon citratus – 5″ Pot – Culinary Herb

Overview

Discover the joy of growing your own fragrant and versatile lemongrass live plant. This offering features a healthy, established Cymbopogon citratus plant, ready to thrive in your home or garden. Known for its refreshing citrus aroma and distinct flavor profile, lemongrass is a cornerstone in many Southeast Asian cuisines, adding a bright, zesty note to everything from soups and curries to stir-fries and teas. Beyond its culinary appeal, this tropical grass is also cherished for its ornamental value, with tall, graceful blades that bring texture and beauty to any outdoor space. Its natural oils are even known to help repel mosquitoes, making it a functional and aromatic addition to your patio or garden. Whether you’re a seasoned chef, a gardening enthusiast, or simply looking to enhance your outdoor living area, this lemongrass live plant is a must-have.

Our lemongrass live plant arrives in a 5-inch pot, providing a robust start for easy transplanting. It’s a fast-growing herb that adapts well to various conditions, making it an excellent choice for both beginner and experienced gardeners. Enjoy the satisfaction of harvesting your own fresh lemongrass whenever inspiration strikes.

Key Benefits

Growing your own lemongrass offers a multitude of advantages, enhancing both your culinary adventures and your garden’s appeal. This resilient herb provides continuous fresh harvests and a host of practical benefits:

• Culinary Versatility: The fragrant stalks of your lemongrass live plant are perfect for infusing a bright, zesty, and subtly sweet flavor into a wide range of dishes, including curries, soups, stir-fries, and marinades. It’s also excellent for brewing refreshing herbal teas.
• Natural Insect Repellent: The plant’s natural oils contain citronella, a well-known compound that helps deter mosquitoes, making it a functional and pleasant addition to outdoor living areas.
• Aromatic & Ornamental Appeal: With its tall, slender, and graceful blades, the Cymbopogon citratus plant adds an elegant, tropical aesthetic to your garden beds or container arrangements, filling the air with its invigorating citrus scent.
• Easy to Grow: Known for its hardiness and vigorous growth, lemongrass is relatively low-maintenance, thriving with minimal care once established. It’s an ideal choice for gardeners of all skill levels.
• Health & Wellness Benefits: Lemongrass is traditionally used in herbal remedies for its purported digestive and calming properties, offering more than just flavor to your diet.
• Container-Friendly: This lemongrass live plant adapts beautifully to container growing, allowing you to enjoy fresh herbs even in smaller spaces like balconies or patios, and to move it indoors during colder months.
• Sustainable Harvesting: By regularly trimming outer stalks, you encourage new growth, ensuring a continuous supply of fresh lemongrass throughout the growing season.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your lemongrass live plant is straightforward, ensuring a bountiful harvest of this aromatic herb. It thrives in conditions that mimic its tropical origins. For optimal growth, provide plenty of sunlight. Lemongrass prefers full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. While it can tolerate some partial shade, too little light will result in leggy growth and less intense flavor. If growing indoors, place it near a south-facing window or under a grow light, especially during winter.

Watering is crucial for a healthy Cymbopogon citratus plant. Keep the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged. During hot weather, you may need to water deeply 2-3 times per week. Reduce watering slightly during cooler months or when the plant is indoors to prevent root rot. A good rule of thumb is to let the top inch of soil dry out slightly between waterings. Use rich, well-draining soil with good organic matter. A mix of garden soil, compost, and perlite or sand works perfectly, ensuring both nutrient retention and proper drainage. The ideal pH range for lemongrass is 6.0–7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral).

Lemongrass is not frost-tolerant, preferring temperatures between 70–95°F (21–35°C). If temperatures drop below 45°F (7°C), it’s essential to move container-grown plants indoors or provide protection for in-ground plants. It loves humidity, so misting occasionally can benefit indoor plants in dry climates. Fertilize your lemongrass live plant every 4–6 weeks during spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer (like a 10-10-10 formula) or an organic compost tea. Avoid overfertilizing, as too much nitrogen can weaken the leaves and diminish the plant’s aromatic qualities. Regular pruning of older, outer stalks encourages new growth and keeps the plant vibrant. Harvest when stalks are about ½ inch thick and aromatic at the base, using the tender lower part for cooking and the leaves for tea or aromatic baths. You can easily grow lemongrass by dividing mature clumps or rooting fresh stalks in water.

Size & Details

This offering is for a vibrant lemongrass live plant, shipped in a 5-inch nursery pot. The plant is well-rooted and established, providing a strong foundation for continued growth in your garden or patio. Typically, lemongrass can grow quite tall, reaching heights of 3 to 6 feet with a spread of 1 to 2 feet in ideal outdoor conditions, forming attractive clumps of slender, arching foliage. When grown in containers, its size can be managed through regular harvesting and pruning, making it adaptable to various spaces. This tropical herb is a perennial in USDA Zones 9 and warmer, meaning it will return year after year. In cooler zones, it’s best grown as an annual or brought indoors before the first frost to protect it from cold temperatures. Expect a moderate to fast growth rate, allowing for regular harvests throughout the warm season. Your plant will arrive ready for transplanting into a larger pot or directly into your garden bed, providing you with fresh, aromatic lemongrass for culinary and aromatic uses.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this lemongrass live plant get? A: In optimal outdoor conditions, lemongrass can grow 3-6 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide. When grown in a container, its size is more manageable and can be controlled with pruning.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Lemongrass thrives outdoors in warm climates (USDA Zones 9+). In cooler zones, it can be grown outdoors during the summer and brought indoors as a houseplant for the winter.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: Your Cymbopogon citratus plant requires full sun, which means at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day, for the best growth and flavor development.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, lemongrass is generally considered an easy-to-care-for plant. It’s quite forgiving and robust, making it suitable for both novice and experienced gardeners who want to grow lemongrass.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your lemongrass live plant will arrive healthy and well-rooted in a 5″ nursery pot, carefully packaged to ensure its safe journey to your home.
• Q: Can I use lemongrass in cooking right away? A: Once your plant has settled and shown new growth, you can begin harvesting the outer stalks for culinary use. Regular harvesting encourages further growth.
• Q: What’s the best soil for a lemongrass plant? A: Use a rich, well-draining soil mix that contains organic matter. A blend of garden soil, compost, and perlite or sand works well to ensure proper drainage and nutrients.
• Q: How often should I water my lemongrass live plant? A: Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Water deeply 2-3 times per week during hot periods, allowing the top inch of soil to dry slightly between waterings.
• Q: Is this plant good for beginners? A: Absolutely! Its vigorous growth and relatively low maintenance requirements make it an excellent choice for beginners looking to buy lemongrass plant and enjoy fresh herbs.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: Lemongrass is perennial in USDA Zones 9 and warmer. In colder zones, it must be protected from frost by moving it indoors or heavily mulching if planted in the ground.