Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus · also called Lemon grass
Herb
- Light
- Sunny
- Pot size
- Large pot (more than 15 litres)
- Care level
- Moderate
- Year round or seasonal
- Kept year to year; no cold limit in our source
- Pets
- ASPCA: toxic to pets
Light and position
Full sun: 6 or more hours of direct sun.
Size and pot
A clump that NC State lists at 2 to 4 feet tall and up to 3 feet wide. Our pot band: large pot (more than 15 litres).
Watering
Moist, well-drained soil. NC State warns not to let a container plant dry out.
Potting mix and feeding
Well-drained mix.
Growing through the year
Divide clumps to make new plants.
Winter outdoors
Cold limit: not given by our source. NC State lists USDA zones 8b to 11b for plants in the ground and suggests overwintering it as a container plant, without giving a temperature. The in-ground figure does not apply to a pot, so we give no outdoor winter limit: protect it from cold.
| Your coldest winter nights | What to do |
|---|---|
| Coldest nights 15 °C or warmer | Cold limit not given by our source: protect from cold |
| Coldest nights 10 to 15 °C | Cold limit not given by our source: protect from cold |
| Coldest nights 5 to 10 °C | Cold limit not given by our source: protect from cold |
| Coldest nights 0 to 5 °C | Cold limit not given by our source: protect from cold |
| Light frost: nights down to about −5 °C | Cold limit not given by our source: protect from cold |
| Hard frost: nights below −5 °C | Cold limit not given by our source: protect from cold |
A plant can stay out only when its limit is below the coldest night in your band; a limit equal to that night counts as needing shelter. A rare cold snap, wind or a wet pot can still damage plants. We convert °F to °C with NIST’s formula.
Watch for
NC State lists it as resistant to heat, humidity and insect pests.
Pets and people
ASPCA lists lemon grass as toxic to dogs, cats and horses (essential oils and cyanogenic glycosides); in dogs and cats the sign is stomach upset.
General gardening information, not professional advice. Plant toxicity details are a starting point, not veterinary or medical advice: if a pet or child may have eaten a plant, contact a veterinarian or doctor promptly.
Care level: NC State’s maintenance rating (Medium). Pot band and summary wording are ours, based on the sources below.