Re: cut back lemon grass?

on 1/27/05 3:04 PM, Nan Sterman at Talkingpoints@PlantSoup.Com wrote:

> I grow lemon grass primarily for the ornamental value - I could never
> use enough in cooking to even make a dent in the plant.
> 
> It looks like it needs to be cut back but I've never done so before.
> Will it come back easily?

Nan,

I use lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) widely as an ornamental.   It is a
tender tropical grass, native to southern India and Sri Lanka.  Last year I
found one in bloom, planted in full sun at the base of a south-facing wall.
The flowers and stalks are a dusky bronze-purple, and the entire clump turns
the same color when it comes into bloom.  It was gorgeous!  It hasn't
flowered for us, but I still love its elegant form and soft blue-green
color.

I do cut it back, but I wait until the soil has warmed up thoroughly (early
April) before I do so.  The old leaves help protect the roots from chills,
and I have lost plants that I cut back earlier.

The clumps enlarge rapidly, and I find they need to be divided every other
year.  This can be done anytime between late spring and high summer--as long
as the soil is warm enough to ensure rapid root growth.  If divided in
winter, they require bottom heat or a warm greenhouse.

John MacGregor
South Pasadena, CA 91030
USDA zone 9   Sunset zones 21/23
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