How to Grow Lemongrass from a Grocery Store Stalk

Lemongrass is a low-maintenance perennial herb that grows easily outdoors in warm climates, but it also thrives indoors as a potted plant.

Just a few dollars spent on store-bought lemongrass stalks can yield a large lemongrass plant in a container (or in the ground, if you’re in the right climate zone).

Propagating plants from living herbs is a fun way to score new plants for your garden. It’s like you’re getting free plants, even if you bought them.

Start with fresh lemongrass with the entire stem intact.

The stalks you buy don’t need (and probably won’t have) roots at the bottom, but they do need to have the the entire stem (base) intact.

Trim any brown, older leaves.

To start, cut off the stiff, topmost leaves where they start to split apart. You can simply make a fresh cut (a few inches down) across the top of the stalks.

Place the lemongrass stalks in water.

Put the stalks in a jar or vase and fill with a few inches of water. Place the jar in a sunny location like a south-facing windowsill and then… just wait.

Change the water a couple times a week (or when it turns cloudy) and within a week, you should see new leaves begin to grow from the top.

Continue changing the water until the roots grow nice and long.

Wait until the roots are at least 3 inches long and the stalks have begun to divide (via offshoot stalks) before you plant them.

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