How to grow lemongrass in Australia
Cymbopogon citratus
Also called lemon grass, West Indian lemongrass, serai
A frost-tender tropical grass from South and Southeast Asia, lemongrass grows bluish-green, strap-like leaves and is usually sold by the stem for cooking. It can manage in warmer temperate gardens, but cold will kill it. Malaysian and Indonesian cooks know it as serai.
On a shared plot: stays for years
Holds its spot for years. Check your garden's rules and how long your plot licence runs.
When to sow
We don't have reliable timing for this crop yet. Ask the growers at your garden.
Growing details
- How to start
- Sow directly or raise seedlings
- Sowing depth
- 5mm
- Plant spacing
- 25cm
- Row spacing
- 30cm
- Height
- 100cm
- Germination
- 7-14 days at 20-30°C
- Time to harvest
- 75-85 days
- Frost
- Frost tender
- Sun
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- perennial
These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.