[Music]
sippin a cup of lemongrass tea is not
just soothing but also offers amazing
health benefits in today's episode let's
look into some very useful tips and
tricks to quickly grow lots of
lemongrass herb at home coming up
[Music]
lemongrass also known as citronella
grass is a wonderful herb that adds a
pleasant and appetizing citrus flavor
into your soups stir fries and teas it
grows into a lovely arching grass clump
that looks really beautiful in your
garden
lemongrass has anti-inflammatory and
antiseptic properties and has loads of
health benefits including protection
from heart attacks by lowering your bad
cholesterol and fats we'll not be
discussing the health benefits of
lemongrass in this episode and one more
point to mention is it's a mosquito
repellent plant that drives away
mosquitoes and other harmful insects but
luckily it attracts beneficial insects
and pollinators like honeybees and
butterflies
now let's quickly look into some useful
tips and tricks to grow and propagate or
multiply lemongrass
starting from a small piece or a small
plant and grow it quickly into a large
plant at number one
sunlight and location
many people try to grow lemongrass in
shade this will not work plants growing
in shade will be sparse and may attract
a lot of pests
lemongrass plant likes a lot of heat and
light and grows well in warm and humid
conditions so grow it in a location that
receives a maximum amount of direct
sunlight at least six hours a day
however in hot summer season or to
protect it from noon sun you can
optionally install a green shade net
that filters light up to 50 percent
at number two container selection this
is very important do not try to grow
lemon grass in small containers choose a
wide and a deep container the wider
container allows it to self-propagate
and it spreads like a grass clump
also it gets root bound quickly and this
is another reason to choose a large and
white container
at number 3 potting soil
lemongrass grows quickly and spreads
rapidly if you use a well-draining soil
that is rich in compost like cow dung or
horse dung or any compost like
vermicompost or even leaf compost
to make a well soil mix you can mix
stuff like coco peat or even peat moss
like about 30 to 40 percent then garden
soil about 30 to 40
and 30 to 40 compost like decomposed cow
dung
at number four
watering this is another important
factor in successfully growing
lemongrass
lemongrass allows a moist soil for best
growth but not soggy soil with water
stagnation as this can result in root
rot and death of the plant so make sure
you have proper drainage holes in your
container daily watering is the general
rule otherwise you may get leaf drying
and browning or burning from the tips
and edges
in very hot summers misting the plant
with water also helps
also mulching it with some leaves or
twigs or anything will help conserve
soil moisture especially in hot summers
at number five
fertilizers
lemongrass is a grassy plant with green
leaves and hence needs a nitrogen rich
fertilizer for best growth of its
foliage
one or two handful of compost like
decomposed cow dung or vermicompost once
in a week or two is sufficient for its
optimal growth please do not use any
chemical fertilizers for edible
gardening
at number six
pruning
regular removal of dead and dried up
leaves will help in not only keeping it
neat and tidy but also promotes better
growth and air circulation
apart from daily snipping some leaves or
your tea or soup you can snip the leaves
once in a while like giving it an annual
haircut
you can do hard pruning in winter like
about six inches above the level of soil
at number seven
pest control
lemongrass is itself a pest repelling
plant which repels many pests and
insects like mosquitoes but fortunately
attracts beneficial insects and
pollinators like honey bees and
butterflies and also as i said earlier
plants growing in shade will be sparse
and may attract pests in that case you
can spray neem oil to control the pests
and then keep it in full sunlight
at number eight propagation
there are many ways to propagate
lemongrass plant one is from seeds and
the other method is from bulbs
lemongrass grows in clumps that make it
very easy to propagate by dividing each
leaf fan will be attached to a narrow
bulb-like base with roots attached and
each of these has a potential to become
a new clump it's up to you how large you
want each division to be replanting a
division with at least five or six bulbs
will look more substantial than a single
ball
please
like share and comment below with your
feedback and queries happy gardening