Last edited on October 27, 2026. View history
Lemongrass
How to sow lemongrass: Direct seed or transplant seedlings
Sun requirement for lemongrass: Plant in Full Sun
Lemongrass is a grass-like plant with long thin leaves and stalks with bulbous bases. It is used as a culinary herb in Asian cuisines and as a medicinal herb in India. It has a subtle citrus flavor and can be used fresh or dried and powdered. It is often used in teas, soups, and curries, and to season poultry, fish, beef, and seafood. It's oil has anti-fungal properties and is used as a pesticide and preservative.
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- seed packets
Lemongrass facts
Lifespan
Height × spread
100cm × 140cmRow Spacing
30cmGrown for
stem harvested 1 timeCrop cycle
Max altitude
Optimal light
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For lemongrass, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 18°C and a shortest growing cycle of 120 days at its best temperature, about 1080 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your lemongrass will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
How members grow lemongrass
Sunniness
Planted from
Harvested for
Plant lemongrass with
lemon
Photos
Photos
Lemongrass crops
Lemongrass plantings
Video
Where lemongrass grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about lemongrass
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Who's planted lemongrass
- broderick Tub garden · Canberra
- MelvilleWhanau Wine barrel · Beach Haven,...
- shiny Fence garden · Wellington, NZ
- At_Home_In_My_Garden AHITG_ Herb Bed · Brisbane, Queensland
- thiotimoline Garden · San Francisco, CA
Lemongrass harvests
-
shiny harvested not specified.
almost 7 years ago
shiny harvested not specified.
Find lemongrass seeds
There are no seeds available to trade on Growstuff right now.
- Purchase seeds via Ebay
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Time to harvest
If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 120 to 365 days.
From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Cymbopogon citratus (D.C.) Stapf
| Family / Taxonomy | Liliopsida Commelinidae Cyperales Gramineae |
|---|---|
| Killing temperature | growth: 0 °C, rest: 10 °C |
| Life form | grass |
| Life span | perennial |
| Habit | erect |
| Optimal soil depth | medium (50-150 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium |
| Optimal soil fertility | moderate |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours) |
Learn more about lemongrass
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