Lemon Grass
Forum Archives
GardenNut
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: May-20-2004 at 9:47am
Has anyone tried to start this from seed? I planted some seeds outside and nothing has happened so far.
The marjoram in the same bed is up, though....
The instructions from TSC don't tell me much. Should I be starting it in the house?
Chris Sunset 4 USDA 8a
cjmiller
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Aug-01-2004 at 4:29pm
I have tried, from seed,and from some I got in the grocery store that still had roots attached, No luck. In a Thai Home Cookbook it says that in mild climates it grows well outdoors all year round. I guess that is not PNW. It says to "cut off the bottom 1/4 or 1/2 inch of several stalks of lemon grass purchased at the market and put them upright in a small contaner with just enough water to keep the bottom tips moist. Small roots will form in just a few days. When they do, plant the pieces in rich moist soil and water them frequently, They will grow rapidly and in a few weeks will form full sized stalks. " Well, mine didnt grow either inside or outside, From seeds or from cuttings
Carol
sparklemama
Location: Western Washington
Posted: Aug-10-2004 at 10:39am
That is a bummer cj, i really wanted to grow some lemon grass but i had no idea that it would be so hard to end up with something. guess i will have to give it a try and see how it goes. what if someone tried to grow it inside? or brought it in in the winter?
growsherown
Location: Olympic Peninsula
Posted: Aug-11-2004 at 10:15am
I recall seeing some quite large lemon grass plants at the market earlier this summer and asked about it. I was told it will grow easily here, but requires full sun, tons of water, and a high nitrogen based fertilizer. I regret not picking any up for myself, but my herb garden is jam packed and I had no room.
I guess I need to expand it.......uh oh......there goes more lawn! LOL
GardenNut
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Aug-12-2004 at 5:44pm
So I'm out harvesting the marjoram that I had planted around the lemongrass, and my ever-so-helpful cat is munching on this stuff in the middle of the bed that I took for quackgrass (which tells you the state of my herb garden ). Suprise, suprise! It's the lemongrass!
So I figure the seed either needs a long time to germinate or it needs a lot of heat.
Grows, maybe a pot is in order, then? I haven't been watering the lemongrass any more than I have the marjoram, which isn't much. So I can't think that it needs that much water. Maybe for the fattest leaves, or something.
Now to figure out how to keep the cat away from it!
Chris Sunset 4 USDA 8a
cjmiller
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Feb-07-2005 at 2:16pm
Hey! GardenNut, growsherown, and sparklemama!
I am looking at TSC catalog and wanting to try lemon grass again. It says the germination code is "4". direct sow in the garden as soon as the soil warms to at least 55 degrees. Maybe that is the key. Also, it may have a low percentage of germination rate as it says viable seed is very rare!-- not too hopeful --maybe it is wise to bite the bullet and by the plant. Who knew that cats munch lemon grass??? maybe that is the culprit for our pathetic suscess ration!
PS: growsherown, my husband's goal is not to have to mow any lawn! "Plant more garden, honey," he says.
Carol
basilgirl
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-03-2005 at 2:25pm
east indian lemon grass has a pretty high sucess rate from seed. west indian lemon grass(likley the one you want) doesn't produce viable seed, is my understanding. just buy some at the store. leaves root quite easily. each leaf blade if removed from the very bottom, will root in dirt.
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-03-2005 at 10:20pm
Basilgirl, how do the two compare?
~BakingBarb
basilgirl
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-04-2005 at 9:14pm
west indian is hardier, with larger leaves and better flavor, and a useable bulb. east indian is a good subsitute. annual, milder flavor. produces seeds,then looses flavor and dies. i tell you if you get a good west indian plant. grow it in the garden, mulch hard in the winter and the plant should do good. but take root in the winter and treat them as a house plant till early spring. Its very easy to just just pull some leaves at the base with little to no roots and make another plant.
CAREFULL OF TOO MUCH WATER!
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton