What it is
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is in the Poaceae (Grass) family. A tropical grass that thrives in Texas heat and forms a big fountain of citrus-scented blades.
How to grow it
It wants full sun, water it moderate, and give it rich, well-drained soil. Target a soil pH around 6.0–7.5. Space plants about 24–36 in apart. Expect roughly Cut as needed. Tender perennial; loves heat.
How it's used
Lemongrass is used: tea, soups, curries.
🔎 How to identify it
- Tall arching grass clump
- Lemon scent when crushed
- Swollen white stalk bases
Edibility
How to grow & propagate lemongrass
Everything I've worked out about starting this one, keeping it alive through a Texas year, and turning one plant into many — free.
How to propagate lemongrass
Grasses and grains are sown where they grow — they germinate fast in warm soil and don't like having their roots disturbed. The ornamental and native bunchgrasses can also be divided in spring. For the grain types, plant in a block rather than a single row so wind-pollination fills out the heads.
Growing lemongrass in Texas
Give it full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Match the spot to the plant and most of the battle is already won.
This one thrives in heat that flattens other plants, so it earns its space through a Texas summer. Get it established before the worst of July, keep water steady, and it'll produce when little else will.
Once it's rooted in, this is a low-water plant — overwatering does more harm than drought here. Water deeply to establish, then back off and let it prove how tough it is.
Harvesting
Figure on roughly cut as needed before you're harvesting. Pick herbs in the morning after the dew dries for the strongest oils, and harvest little and often — regular cutting keeps a herb bushy and stops it bolting. The part you're after: tender base of stalks.
Making more for free
Every seed we sell is open-pollinated, which means you can save your own from the best plants and it'll grow true next year. Let a few of your strongest plants finish and go to seed, dry it fully, and store it cool and dark. That's the whole point of heirlooms — buy once, grow forever.
Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.