How to care for lemongrass

How to care for lemongrass is no more difficult than most other herbs; in fact I would say it's easier. Once established you can simply neglect the plant. It is quite drought resistant.

If you want to propagate the plant simply pull out a few stalks making sure some of their roots come with them.

A strong lemongrass plant

Use your secateurs to snip off the stems about 6" from the base and put them into some potting soil. A few teaspoons of vermicompost from a worm farm does help to stimulate the growth of the roots.

• A small basic worm farm

Keep the roots moist. Within a few weeks the plant will begin to shoot. Don't fuss about the weeds; that is sweet basil in the background by the way with its purple flowers that the bees adore.

Once you are confident the roots have taken then plant it out in the garden; in a sunny spot but not up against a hot wall. Within a year or two you'll have more than enough lemongrass for your cooking.

Split the lower 6" lengthwise with a sharp knife; discard the tough outer layers.

• What to do with lemongrass
  

The plant is quite frost-resistant; it thrives with a minimum of fuss, requiring very little watering. How I love herbs like lemongrass.

You will never need to plant it again. Slowly the base will expand so that you can share it with your friends and family.

It gives the divine flavour of Thai cooking to soups, stews and curries; it's so versatile. You can use it in a herb tea; there is research confirming that it acts as a diuretic if you suffer from swollen ankles in the heat of summer^[1].

This spicy Thai curry soup is one of our favourites; it's so easy to make. To increase the flavour you may want to use some of the tough outer layers; leave them in long lengths so they are easy to find and remove before liquidising.

With no research to confirm that it is important, we have the feeling that it's best to use vegetables from the garden that are in season. So in summer our Thai soup with lemongrass would have sweet potatoes; in autumn it would be susus and butternut in winter.

How to care for lemongrass

How to care for lemongrass is really a piece of cake; get it established and you can neglect it for long periods. It does not require watering.

What is lemongrass good for?

Mukarram et al have shown that lemongrass is rich in three of the four vitamins known to be essential in the prevention of frailty syndrome; namely C, E and folate.

Lemongrass is also rich in several important minerals, for example Potassium. That would explain the role it plays in lowering blood pressure.

• Salt vs Potassium in the blood pressure debate

It is also rich in magnesium, zinc and iron, all extremely important in helping detoxify homocysteine and preventing anaemia.

• Homocysteine and hip fracture
  

Various studies have shown that lemongrass essential oil has antiseptic properties; further research is looking to confirm its role in helping to prevent cancer.

• Foods for a healthy pancreas
  

Beekeepers use a dab of the essential oil in trap-hives to attract migratory swarms.

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