Growing Lemongrass Indoors: Health Benefits, Uses & Simple Tricks

Growing lemongrass indoors is a great venture for both the novice indoor gardener and the more advanced grower. Lemongrass is also known as citronella, is an herb native to Sri Lanka and South India. There are long leaves on the plant that are similar to those of seagrass. Lemongrass is usually taken orally, rubbed directly to the skin, or inhaled as aromatherapy. In aromatherapy, lemongrass essential oil is used to freshen the air, relieve discomfort.

Lemongrass has a fresh, lemony fragrance and a citrus taste. It’s a common ingredient in bug repellent and Asian cooking. Lemongrass might help prevent certain bacteria and yeast from developing. It also includes substances believed to alleviate inflammation and discomfort. Lemongrass helps decrease fever, improve blood sugar levels, promote uterine and menstrual flow, and have antioxidant properties. As a folk medicine, it is used to induce sleep and improve immunity.

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Can you grow lemongrass indoors?

Lemongrass is mainly used for its citrus taste and aroma in the kitchen. In its preferred habitat, it can grow up to 10 feet. Summer is by far the best season to grow lemongrass indoors. Lemongrass can survive winters but it is difficult to take care of them in a cold environment. They love moist and sunny days, other than that lemongrass is pretty easy to grow indoors.

How to Grow Lemongrass at Home

It’s super quick and easy to grow lemongrass indoors. Once they are established, soon new plants will start growing on the side of existing stalks. They take around 4-6 months to develop into strong shrubs and ready for harvesting. Cultivate your lemongrass in the rich, well-draining soil with plenty of sunlight and moisture. You’ll have almost an infinite supply of lemongrass once they start growing into a full shrub. Here are few tips for growing lemongrass indoors;

They cannot survive in an extremely cold environment. Even if you are cultivation lemongrass indoor make sure that they get a good subsite for sunlight.
Invest in some good grow lights for growing them indoors.
Give them enough space to spread their leaves
Do not overwater your plants. Make sure that your pot has a good water drainage system.

Growing lemongrass from the stalk

Lemongrass is an easy to grow low-maintenance perennial herb. It thrives in warm temperate and sunlight. Learn how to grow lemongrass indoors from the stalk;

Any store-bought stalks come with the bottoms cut off. So, start with at least 4 – 6 healthy stalks with the stem intact. Not everyone will root, so this means that you have enough rooted stalks to easily start a new plant.
Trim away any old and dead leaves. Make a fresh cut over the top of the stalks, a few inches downward where they start to split apart. It just makes it easier to get rid of the dead leaves.
Now place the lemongrass stalk in a pot or a container. Place them where they get enough sunlight like a south-facing window.
Water, at least every other day. Place them in a container with an inch (2.5 cm) of water at the bottom to allow the lemongrass stalks to develop fresh roots. It can take as long as 3 weeks to root lemongrass in water.
Change the water pretty often for healthy plant growth.
A new root will start to appear within a week or so.

How to grow lemongrass in water

Another easy way to grow lemongrass is to grow them in water. This method of growing lemongrass indoors doesn’t require a lot of time, money, or materials. All you will need are some water with a few lemons slices in it and a glass container with water in it.

Select stalks that have as much of the bottom bulb still intact. There’s a possibility that there may even be any roots connected with the stalk. It will help in better cultivation of the plants.
Place the bulb in a container with an inch (2.5 cm) of water at the bottom to allow the lemongrass stalks to produce new roots.
It is as quick to propagate a lemongrass plant as to put the stalks in a bucket of water and hope for the best. It can take as long as three weeks to root lemongrass in water.
Change the water in the container every day or two to avoid bacterial and fungal infection.
Your lemongrass roots should be an inch or two (2.5 to 5 cm.) in length after two to three weeks. You will now get them transplanted into your greenhouse or a container of rich soil.

Repotting/transplanting lemongrass in pots

The perfect time for repotting a lemongrass plant is in fall. They grow best in a container that is about 8 inches wide and 8 inches deep. As it can grow far larger than that, splitting and repotting a lemongrass plant once every year or two is a wise decision.

Lemongrass repotting isn’t difficult at all. Tilt the pot to its side and take out the root ball. When the plant is out, cut the root ball into two or three parts using a serrated knife.
Make sure there is at least some grass attached to each portion. For each new part, prepare a new 8-inch pot. Ensure that each pot has at least two holes for water drainage.
Now place each section into a container fill with growing medium (rich soil). Fill the rest with water and nutrient-rich soil.
Cover the remainder of the pot thoroughly with soil and water. For each segment, repeat these steps and position them in a sunny spot.

Frequently asked questions about growing lemongrass indoors

Now that we have a better appreciation for how to grow lemongrass indoors, lets look at some of the most frequently asked questions about growing lemongrass indoors.

Does lemongrass need direct sunlight?

This is one of the few plants that love the full, bright light. The ideal location for lemongrass would be a sunny window. Even in winter, lemongrass will take lots of sunshine, so make sure it has access to direct sunlight; if not, the stalks will change color and turn brown with time.

Can lemongrass survive winter indoors?

Lemongrass cannot survive extreme cold weather. It is a must to report them into a new container and place them indoors. Make sure you put the container where there is sunlight directly falls on the plant such as the sun-facing window.

What are the uses of lemongrass?

Lemongrass leaves and oil are used for the development of medicines. Dried or fresh lemongrass is widely used for producing herbal teas and other beverages. It is said that inhaling the scent of essential oil from lemongrass or consuming it through the skin relieves anxiety and depression. Other benefits are;

Stomach ache
High blood pressure
Convulsions
Pain and swelling
Vomiting
High cholesterol
Dandruff
Fever
Common cold
Diabetes
Exhaustion
Headache

How do you harvest lemongrass?

Both the stalk and leaves are harvested for lemongrass. As soon as the plant is about a foot tall, you can begin harvesting. Split a stem that is at least 1/4 inch thick, cut it off. At the bottom is the most tender part, so remove it as near as possible to the ground. To fully ripe, lemongrass takes about 100 days and occasionally 4-8 months.