Repotting Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a great plant to have on hand if you like to cook Asian cuisine. The plant is hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11. In those zones, it can be grown in the garden, but, in colder climates, it won’t survive the winter and should be grown in a container. Potted lemongrass plants require repotting at some point. The best time to repot a lemongrass plant is in the fall. By this time, the plant will have finished growing for the year, and it will be time to move your pot indoors before the temperatures drop below 40 F. (4 C.). When you move your lemongrass indoors, place it in a sunny window. If you suddenly find yourself with more lemongrass than window space, give it away to friends. They’ll be grateful, and you’ll have plenty more next summer. Lemongrass grows best in a container that’s about 8 inches (20.5 cm.) across and 8 inches (20.5 cm.) deep. Since it can grow much larger than that, it’s a good idea to divide and repot a lemongrass plant once every year or two. Lemongrass repotting is not at all difficult. Simply tilt the pot on its side and pull the root ball out. If the plant is especially root-bound, you may have to really work at it and there’s a chance you’ll have to break the container. Once the plant is out, use a trowel or a serrated knife to divide the root ball into two or three sections. Make sure each section has at least some grass attached to it. Prepare a new 8-inch (20.5 cm.) pot for each new section. Make sure each pot has at least one drainage hole. Fill the bottom third of the pot with growing medium (regular potting soil is fine) and place one of the lemongrass sections on top of it so the top of the root ball is an inch (2.5 cm.) below the rim of the pot. You may have to adjust the level of the soil to do this. Fill the rest of the pot in with soil and water thoroughly. Repeat these steps for each section and place them in a sunny spot.
