Lemongrass

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon) is a compact 0.5-2 m (20-80 in) herb that grows happily in a pot. The grower does not class it as a true houseplant – it wants strong light – but a very sunny windowsill can keep a plant going, and it is excellent in a container on a sunny balcony or patio.

Quick Details

• Container Size: A medium pot suits it; step up as it fills out
• Indoor Suitability: Not a deep-room houseplant, but it can grow on a bright, sunny windowsill
• Best Spot: Full sun – it is a heat-loving grass
• Soil & Drainage: A well-aerated, organic-rich mix – potting mix, or peat/coir with perlite or vermiculite. Free-draining
• Watering in Pots: Small to average water – keep the soil lightly moist; it tolerates some dryness but grows best watered regularly in a pot

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• Not a true houseplant: Away from a window the light is too weak and growth turns thin and weak – so it is not suited to a shaded room.
• Windowsill: On your sunniest sill, with several hours of direct light, a potted plant will grow well and stay handy for the kitchen.
• Overwintering: Frost-tender – in cold climates bring the pot indoors to a bright, frost-free spot for the cold season; it can be cut back and kept on a sunny sill.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Light & heat: Give it the sunniest spot. Walls and paving reflect heat and pots dry fast, so check moisture often in warm weather.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Pot & drainage: Choose a pot with strong drainage holes; skip a standing-water saucer, or empty it promptly, so the roots never sit wet. Terracotta breathes and dries faster, while glazed or plastic pots hold moisture longer.
• Potting mix: A well-aerated, organic-rich mix – potting mix, or peat/coir with perlite or vermiculite.
• Feeding: Potted plants use up their soil faster because nutrients leach out with every watering, so feed a little more often than plants in open ground.
• Repotting: Refresh part of the mix and pot up every couple of years, lightly pruning the root ball and top growth to keep it in balance.

Bloom & Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Summer
• Flower Appearance: White, feathery flowers in a plume-like head (panicle) on tall stems
• Edibility: Grown for its leaves and stems — the flowers are not eaten

Detailed Blooming Overview

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon) is a grass, and like most grasses it flowers only occasionally in cultivation — usually in summer, and mainly in warm climates or when a clump is left undisturbed. When it does bloom it throws up tall stems topped with soft, feathery flower plumes.

Flower Characteristics

• White, feathery flowers gathered into a loose, plume-like head (panicle).
• Carried on tall stems well above the foliage.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Pollination: Wind-pollinated, as is typical for grasses.
• Managing the bloom: For a leaf-and-stem harvest there is no need to encourage flowering; cutting the clump back keeps it producing tender new growth.