West Indian Lemongrass
Plant Size Guide
West Indian Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus
days to maturity:
plant spacing: 1 plant every 3 feet
sunlight requirements: 8-14 hours
look out for: rust
harvest notes: prune
perennial
Lemongrass is a perennial grass often grown for its fragrant leaves and stalks. There are two common varieties of Lemongrass: West Indian and East Indian. West Indian is grown more for its stalk, the East Indian is grown more for its leaves. We prefer West Indian because the plants get larger but also it produces thick stalks that are more traditionally used in cooking than East. While perennial, lemongrass typically has a life span of around 4 years before it looses vigor and should be harvested entirely and replanted.
The stalks (leaf bases) of the plant are commonly used to flavor dishes in Southeast Asia & India and the heart of young shoots may be cooked and consumed as a vegetable. The tougher less edible leaves are used to flavor dishes or made into tea. Try using your lemongrass to flavor marinades for fish, stews and curries.
The extracted essential oil is commonly used in insect repellents, perfumes and soaps, and while people think that means a lemongrass plant in the yard will keep mosquitos away, thats actually not the case since the plant needs to be crushed and its oils extracted in order for it to repel insects. To capture its aromatic oils put fresh plant matter in hot or cold oil or alcohol. Most aromatics are fat soluble and are not easily captured in water.
Our resident herbalist, The Garden Jules, says “Lemongrass is super rich in vitamins A & C, so this is one of my favorite plants to make a Hydrosol out of for my skin care routine. I also love using a Hydrosol blended with a lemongrass and beautyberry witch hazel extract tincture as a natural mosquito repellent."
Delivery Details
Delivery Details
When you place your order we head into our greenhouse to select the very best plants we have in stock for your garden. We label them with handwritten compostable wooden labels and pack them in recyclable boxes to keep them safe on their journey. Our delivery partners, Roadie, take it from there and head to the Redlands to pick up your order. Communication and tracking take place via Roadie and your driver will leave your plants in a safe and covered area.
Plant Care
Plant Care
When your plant delivery arrives, make sure you water your new plants thoroughly with a light spray of water (none of this thumb over the hose stuff). We recommend planting them within 10 days of receiving them. If you do intent to wait to plant them, we recommend placing them in a shallow reservoir (like a baking pan) and filling it with half an inch of water so they can drink the water from below while you are at work and place them in an area with plenty of sun. When planting in your garden always add a dash of Organic granular fertilizer, and give them extra water during their first week in their new home, while they adjust. We recommend disturbing the root ball as little as possible during planting.
About Our Plants
About Our Plants
All of our plants are grown in OMRI certified Organic materials (potting mix, fertilizer, seeds, etc.) and include Organic granular fertilizer, living locally-made compost, and have been cared for with healthy microorganisms from compost tea and microbial inoculants. We only use organic pesticides when needed. We only stock varieties that we have experience growing and that are season and climate appropriate for South Florida. Our curated inventory is simple enough for a beginner and interesting enough to keep an advanced gardeners attention, with new and rare varieties being added weekly.
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Clients Love Us
"Smooth, seamless experience. Professional packaging and delivery. I have two healthy plants... life is good."
"What a wonderful experience. Great customer service, and so helpful with all my questions and very accommodating. Would definitely recommend and will be buying again in the future."
“Healthy foliage when this plant arrived, and pushed out a bloom less than two weeks after being planted. Excellent!”
"As always, awesome customer service, large healthy plants!! Thank you so much!!"
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