Do you appreciate the exotic lemony taste and the characteristic touch that lemongrass gives to Asian dishes? If you always want to have freshly harvested lemongrass at hand, you can easily grow the Asian spice yourself and harvest it from the window sill or the balcony if necessary.

Root purchased stalks in a glass of water

You can get fresh lemongrass in many supermarkets or in Asian shops. Soak some of the stems in water about two inches deep and place the jar in a warm and bright place. After about a week, tender roots begin to sprout. As soon as the roots have reached a length of two to three centimetres, you can move the lemongrass to a flower pot with nutrient-rich soil.

Grow lemongrass from seeds

You can get lemongrass seeds for self-cultivation in any well-stocked plant trade. Proceed as follows when sowing:

  • Fill pots with potting soil.
  • Scatter the seeds on the ground and press down a little.
  • Moisten gently with a sprayer.
  • Cover the planter with a hood or a transparent plastic bag (greenhouse climate).
  • Air daily to avoid mold or rot growth.
  • Lemongrass is a warm germ and only sprout at temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius.

New perennials by division

Maybe friends have a strong growing lemongrass perennial from which you can grow new plants by dividing. The right time for division is spring or autumn, when the plant moves outdoors or is brought back indoors for the winter.

  • Take the lemongrass out of the planter.
  • First cut out outdoor plants all around and lift them out of the ground with the digging fork.
  • If possible, carefully pull the roots apart by hand and separate them into individual pieces.
  • You can also cut up densely overgrown root balls with scissors.
  • Remove dead plant matter.
  • Place plants in nutrient-rich soil and water.

When dividing, be careful not to damage the roots and bulbs as much as possible. Lemongrass is quite sensitive in these places and often no new stalks grow from damaged root parts.

tips and tricks

The germination rate of lemongrass is low and is only 40 to 60 percent. Therefore, the seeds can be scattered relatively densely. You can separate seedlings that are too tight as soon as they have reached a size of about ten centimeters and continue growing them in small pots.

SKb

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Herbs