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Lemongrass is an aesthetically pleasing tropical flora with a wide variety of uses , include aromatherapy , smarten up up a floral organisation , or adding a lemony relish to soup , tea , and other meals . Depending on where you survive , it may not be well-heeled to find fresh lemon grass at your local grocery store store , pretend it ideal for growing in yourgarden .
Although it ’s a tropic plant life aboriginal to Southeast Asia , if you have a somewhat green thumb , you ’ll easily be able to arise refreshful lemon grass stalks and harvest them . Lemongrass is a unfearing industrial plant that thrives in heating plant and humidity . This article will instruct you how to maximise your next lemon grass harvest time and some helpful tips to use your bounty !
Materials Needed
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Growing Lemongrass
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Whether you grow lemongrass as a potted plant indoors or outdoors in the ground , it fly high in full Dominicus , with at least six time of day of verbatim sunlight a 24-hour interval . Lemongrass loves blistering , humid weather and can whither and die when a frost strikes . While lemongrass oil is technically a perennial , it ’s treat as an yearbook in colder climates . Plant lemongrass in the late spring to avoid insensate weather and any risk of infection of Robert Frost .
There are many varieties of lemongrass , but West Indian lemongrass oil ( Cymbopogon citratus ) is the one most often used in cookery . Many people also use it to repelsnakes . Lemongrass can be a goodmosquitodeterrent , particularly if you crush the leaves .
A word of caution : Lemongrass is toxic to brute , include big cat and dogs , so it ’s upright to develop it in areas in your garden or house where your fauna wo n’t get into it .
When to Harvest
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The best time to harvest lemongrass is when you have several levelheaded stalks that are close to about a foot grandiloquent ( typically when the plant is four to eight months old ) . notice plants that are at least a ½-inch thick to harvest .
If you survive in a cooler climate , harvest your outdoor lemongrass before the first frost striking . Indoor plants or outdoor plants in warmer area can be harvested year - round .
How to Harvest
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you could harvest individual halt or the entire lemongrass plant life ( " clump " ) if you ’d wish . To reap a stem , geld right above the plant ’s white base . Harvest as many stalks as you need .
To pull up the total clump or to divide your flora , you need to gather chaff that have root attached to them . You may need to put on your glove for this . To obtain a stalk and its roots , all you have to do is dig and pull them up from the flat coat . You may take to use a knife or trowel to split up your plant life or loose it from the ground .
If you ’re craving some lemongrass tea , you could give your flora a inadequate trim by hack off the tips of the leaves . Do n’t worry ; the plant will grow back quickly , and you ’ll be able to harvest more leaves afterwards . ( Do n’t unravel your fingers over the top of a freshly shorn lemongrass plant – you might get a stinger . )
Pro - wind : you could re - grow ( disseminate ) your lemongrass indoors by place a 4- to 6 - inch stalk in water . After a few day , you ’ll notice rootage begin to sprout . In a few weeks , sufficient leaves will have formed , and you’re able to plant the stalk in pot filth .
Storing Lemongrass
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There are many uses for lemongrass ; however , rarely are both the leaves and the stalk used at the same time . While lemongrass is considerably bracing , you may end up with more stalk and leaves than you may use at once . So , you ’ll need to know how to preserve each .
Preserving the Leaves
One of the easiest ways to preserve unused leaves is to dry them whole . Either localise them on a paper towel or tie them together using string and string up them by a window in full sun . Place them in an airtight container once they are totally ironical . Alternatively , you could dry out them in an oven or dehydrator .
Preserving the Stalks
Lemongrass stalks have a unequaled lemony flavor that is a beautiful summation to many mouth-watering and sweet looker . Remember that to corrode the stalks , you have to chop , pound , or jam them since they ’re very stringy . you could always hit them before serving your dish .
invigorated lemongrass will keep in your electric refrigerator for seven to 10 Day ; ensure to enwrap it in a damp towel . Freezing is an fantabulous choice if you involve to hold on to your lemon grass for longer . you could freeze the straw whole by place them on a tray . Once they ’re frozen , transfer them to a freezer bag . Alternatively , you may puree the lemon grass with water and freeze that puree in an ice cube tray . Your wintry lemongrass will be best within the first four to six months .
In Conclusion
Lemongrass is a versatile , humiliated - maintenance herbaceous plant that is leisurely to harvest . call up to waitress until the plant has grown big enough , and keep in mind that if you live in a moth-eaten climate , you want tooverwinteror harvest all your lemongrass before the first frost .
