If the lemongrass at your grocery store is lackluster, why not try growing it yourself? It’s actually quite easy, as lemongrass is a type of grass that thrives in sunny conditions. Plus, if you plant it in a pot, you can bring it indoors during the cold season.
However, the challenge many people face when growing lemongrass is finding the right variety to cultivate. Recently, I visited a local nursery that I usually trust, and I came across some lemongrass plants. They were labeled “lemon grass” and described as the botanical species Cymbopogon citratus. The label even claimed that the plant was edible. I decided to taste a piece of the leaf, but the flavor was disappointingly mild and dull compared to the vibrant citrusy lemongrass I’m used to.
So, I began to question if what I had bought was true lemongrass. The plants sold at the nursery had reddish, spindly stalks that resembled decorative grass rather than the plump, bulbous ones found in markets. Contrastingly, at my weekly farmer’s market, a Hmong farmer sells the kind of lemongrass that I’m familiar with.
The Many Kinds of Lemongrass
It turns out that there are actually many varieties of lemongrass (Cymbopogon X.), but only two of them are commonly used for cooking. According to the University of Wisconsin Horticulture department, there are 55 species within the Cymbopogon genus. However, when it comes to “lemongrass,” there are two main types:
- East Indian lemongrass (C. flexuosus), also known as cochin or Malabar grass, originates from India, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand.
- West Indian lemongrass (C. citratus) comes from Malaysia and is the primary variety used for cooking purposes.
So, it’s safe to say that the West Indian lemongrass is what we commonly consume.
There’s also another variety called citronella grass (C. nardus), which provides citronella oil for cleaning products, bug repellants, aromatherapy, and soaps. C. nardus has thin reddish stalks, similar to the ones I found at the nursery. However, it’s important to note that citronella grass is not edible, as indicated by an article from the India Times and information from 2022 on C. nardus.
It appears that the nursery may have mislabeled the lemongrass, selling a non-edible variety instead. Additionally, there is also a citronella-scented geranium, which further adds to the confusion.
To ensure that you have the right lemongrass, it’s best to propagate it yourself. If you do choose to purchase from a nursery, avoid the super thin lemongrass with reddish stalks, as it may actually be C. nardus despite being labeled as C. citratus.
I hope that this confusion between lemongrass and citronella is not widespread. With the increasing popularity of Southeast Asian cuisine, it can be challenging to find fresh lemongrass. However, using the skinny, inedible stalks of citronella won’t get you very far.
How to Grow Edible Lemongrass
The easiest way to grow lemongrass is to propagate it yourself. You can buy 3 to 5 firm, fresh-looking stalks from a supermarket, farmer’s market, or Asian market. The lemongrass in my garden actually started from trimmed stalks that I purchased.
When selecting stalks, make sure they have the tapered root end intact, rather than cut off with concentric circles showing. In my garden, there are some reddish marks on the homegrown lemongrass, but they are not as numerous as the ones on C. nardus.
If the root end is not fresh and clean, simply cut off a bit of it, place the stalk in a jar filled with about 3 inches of water, and keep the jar near a sunny window or outside. Change the water once a week, and you’ll notice that the stalk(s) will sprout roots. At my home in August, with indoor temperatures hovering in the mid-70s, the lemongrass stalk developed rootlets after just a week of being our dinner table floral arrangement.
Wait another week or so until the roots are about ¼ to ½ inch long before planting the stalk. Make sure to plant it deep enough, with about 2 inches of soil covering the stem, so that it can stand on its own. Water the lemongrass moderately, similar to how you would care for other vegetables, and it will grow and spread. Just be patient. After two weeks, my lemongrass looked like this:
I also made a video showing the progress of a stalk rooting in water after three weeks.
Grow Lemongrass: Raised Bed or Pot?
To protect my lemongrass from gophers, which have a voracious appetite for it, I prefer to grow it in a raised bed. However, if you live in an area with snowy winters, consider planting your lemongrass in a pot that you can bring indoors as the temperature drops. When your lemongrass becomes too bushy, thin it out and share the rooted stalks with others to spread the abundance.
Finally, when it’s time to harvest your lemongrass, always remember to wear long sleeves and gloves. The blades can cut your skin like paper cuts. Use a paring knife to saw at the base of a stalk, and enjoy the fresh, flavorful lemongrass in your favorite dishes.