Cymbopogon 'Lemon Grass': East Indian
Lemon Grass is an aromatic tropical perennial herb cultivated primarily for culinary use. There are two varieties of Lemon Grass used almost interchangeably: West-Indian Lemon Grass and East-Indian Lemon Grass. The latter variety is native to India, Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. Lemon Grass has a light, refreshing, lemony flavor and smell without the bitterness that lemon rind can have—with a hint of ginger. It is also known to be used as a cleansing antiseptic. The plants grow in dense clumps up to 6 feet in diameter, with leaves up to 3 feet long. They require warm, humid conditions in full sun to thrive. The coarse, strap-like leaves are ½-1” wide, finely serrated on the edges (rough enough to cut skin), tapered at the end and have gracefully drooping tips. When harvested, the bulbous stems look like scallions, but are pale yellow and more fibrous once the woody outer layers have been removed. The whole stalk itself is too hard to be eaten, so it is usually smashed and simmered in liquid to impart the lemony flavor to the dish, then removed before serving.
Sold Individually
Available in 4", 1 GalEast Indian Lemon Grass requires full sun (6+ hours) for optimal growth. While it thrives in high light, it can tolerate partial shade.
This plant requires consistent moisture to thrive, ideally keeping the soil uniformly moist like a wrung-out sponge. Water established plants once or twice weekly (about 1 inch of water), but increase to daily watering for potted plants that need more moisture in our hot Charleston climate.
To harvest, cut stems at ground level when the stems are about ½” thick. Push an outside stem to the side, then twist and pull it off or cut off with a knife. Discard the leaves and woody outer layers. The entire clump can be harvested (such as at the end of the season just before the first frost), or selected stems can be removed from the edges of the clump. We suggest Bond Drop Forged Purners.
Your plant needs food too! We suggest Espoma Garden Tone.
Proper nutrition is important to the health of your plant and its longevity. To ensure your plant is getting the appropriate nutrition, use a fertilizer labelled for this plant type and apply according to the label.
