I just rooted some store bought Lemon grass, question on when to plant

[larry_stewart]

As the title states, I rooted a bunch of store bought lemon grass. There are many roots at about an inch long. The leaves have grown to several inches. I know it is too early to get them outside, but my question is , are they ready to be potted ? or do the roots need more development before potting ?

 

[pictonguy]

Haven't grown lemongrass for quite a while but if there's a few inches of root and a couple of leaves you can pot them now. A good potting soil with 1 root per pot, well watered and in a sunny spot, imo.

 

[Badjak]

I would also plant them out.
They seem ready.
I live in the tropics, so would plant them out any time of year.
Would you have to bring them in in winter? Or would they survive once estsablished?

 

[pepperhead212]

Plant after frost, like tomatoes. When I start needing some (they last for years in the freezer, in vacuum bags), I usually buy them to root in the middle of April, as they root in just 3 weeks, looking just like yours, and a week into May stick them about 4" into the ground. You should definitely pot them now, as you have more than a month to when you should plant them outside safely. They are safe to zone 10 or 11, which probably means no freezing at all.

 

[larry_stewart]

I would also plant them out.
They seem ready.
I live in the tropics, so would plant them out any time of year.
Would you have to bring them in in winter? Or would they survive once estsablished?

air usually get them seasonally. They dont survive the winter here, and get very large so I dont have room for them in the winter. I used to more established plants at Home Depot for Lowes for 10 or 15 dollars. Not bad, butt I Gott these 4 stalks for $3 and I love rooting and planting things. I did it a few years ago, but dont remember exactly what I did and when I did it. ( I also have some ginger I need to get in pots)

 

[blissful]

When I grew it last, I bought a single lemon grass and it had a bunch of little 'grasses'. I tore them apart and planted them directly without growing roots before planting them. They seem very hardy and they grew huge sending out dozens more throughout summer. I can't keep them growing in the winter here outside or inside. (I'm a house plant killer.)

 

[larry_stewart]

When I grew it last, I bought a single lemon grass and it had a bunch of little 'grasses'. I tore them apart and planted them directly without growing roots before planting them. They seem very hardy and they grew huge sending out dozens more throughout summer. I can't keep them growing in the winter here outside or inside. (I'm a house plant killer.)

Im pretty good at killing houseplants myself . They usually do ok until about February or March, then they take a turn for the worse. I also cant have any decorative houseplants cause my cats would either destroy them or do everything they possibly can to get at them.

 

[blissful]

@larry_stewart if I had to make a choice between that adorable cat and the plants. I love plants really, nothing against plants but, that cat, is adorable.

I once had to make a choice between tax records or my cats and what they did to my tax records, all over the floor. I could see my cats wanted to destroy my tax records, so we, my cats and I, were on the same page.

 

[GotGarlic]

These are definitely ready to pot. They need to be getting nutrients through the roots.

 

[larry_stewart]

just potted them, along with my ginger that has rooted and sprouted too.

 

[dragnlaw]

I bought some lemon grass just about the time this thread was started. I chopped up 4 of the smaller ones for the freezer and was hoping that it was not mold I saw on the end of the larger ones.
Took the chance and stuffed them in a glass, changed the water about every 3 or 4 days (when I remembered). They were getting really dried looking up top and unfurling - was seriously thinking of chucking them. Took them out of the jar today to do just that and lo-and-behold... they must have heard me -

too cold still to put them out, which is great, hopefully they'll get a little more root.

 

[taxlady]

I bought some lemon grass just about the time this thread was started. I chopped up 4 of the smaller ones for the freezer and was hoping that it was not mold I saw on the end of the larger ones.
Took the chance and stuffed them in a glass, changed the water about every 3 or 4 days (when I remembered). They were getting really dried looking up top and unfurling - was seriously thinking of chucking them. Took them out of the jar today to do just that and lo-and-behold... they must have heard me -

View attachment 68992 View attachment 68993

too cold still to put them out, which is great, hopefully they'll get a little more root.

Neato

 

[pepperhead212]

After the last frost date you want to plant them...NOT the average last frost date. That (among other things) drives me nuts, when I hear people repeating that term, over and over every year, and I see people planting things on that day, not not realizing what that term average means! But then, people do like to gamble! Around here, the last frost date is around 2½-3 weeks after the average date.

 

[dragnlaw]

That makes sense, pepperhead. For Hamilton the last frost date is about May 3rd, but Milton, a tiny bit north of me (and I'm a tiny bit east of Hamilton) is May 28th... which would make it just about 2.5-3 weeks later than Hamilton (my official city).
My parents lived their last years in another town not far from here but further north and east and it was May 8th! Weird, I know. We always went there for Mother's Day and planted flowers.
I think I'll just play it by ear and also let the roots tell me what's going on.
Wish I could find my root powder, think that would give them a bit of a boost, no? More than just the tap water?

 

[taxlady]

Dragn, I'm really interested in hearing how it goes with your lemongrass. I'm curious how much it will grow over one summer. If it will survive a winter indoors, stuff like that. Oh, and how you like it when you harvest some.

 

[dragnlaw]

Nice idea taxy. At the moment I'm just hoping I can keep it alive to transplant and actually see the transplant grow. Have not really thought past that!
I am, upon thinking about it, hoping it will split into more than one plant. Otherwise, what would be the point? The bottom part of the lemongrass is the part most used for flavour, no?

2 years ago I purchased a lemongrass plant from the nursery. It was really just all grass, never really changed. Very "lemongrassy" in smell and would have made a great infusion, but was surprised it did not develop stalks as I see in the stores.

 

[GotGarlic]

Nice idea taxy. At the moment I'm just hoping I can keep it alive to transplant and actually see the transplant grow. Have not really thought past that!
I am, upon thinking about it, hoping it will split into more than one plant. Otherwise, what would be the point? The bottom part of the lemongrass is the part most used for flavour, no?

It's a tropical plant, so it does best in a hot, wet environment. I had one in my herb garden several years ago. It grew to about 4 feet tall and wide and had several stalks. Its life cycle is about 4 years. It shaded my other herbs too much, so I moved it to a pot on the patio.

2 years ago I purchased a lemongrass plant from the nursery. It was really just all grass, never really changed. Very "lemongrassy" in smell and would have made a great infusion, but was surprised it did not develop stalks as I see in the stores.

How long did you give it and how big did it get?

Here's more info about growing lemongrass: https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/lemon-grass/infos

 

[dragnlaw]

Well, GG, it looked very much like your patio picture. I dug it up by September as it was starting to get rather cool at night. I saw a video on keeping part of it over the winter and thought I might try it. Alas, life got in the way and it didn't happen.

But it never developed thick stalks like we buy at the grocers. And the roots were a solid mass. Really thick!

Are they two different plants?

 

[GotGarlic]

Well, GG, it looked very much like your patio picture. I dug it up by September as it was starting to get rather cool at night. I saw a video on keeping part of it over the winter and thought I might try it. Alas, life got in the way and it didn't happen.

How old was it when you dug it up?

But it never developed thick stalks like we buy at the grocers. And the roots were a solid mass. Really thick!

I'm guessing it wasn't old enough to harvest.

Are they two different plants?

Are what two different plants?

 

[dragnlaw]

How old was it when you dug it up?

end of season, planted it in spring, dug up in fall. 4 months?

I'm guessing it wasn't old enough to harvest.

possibly but they looked the same from the video... not thick stalks, just grassy.

Are what two different plants?

The thick stocks and the grassy looking plants. There is no way the grassy looking plants have those thick stocks from the video I saw.
Did yours?