During the warm summer months, you can easily cultivate lemongrass in a pot on the balcony or even plant it outdoors. Since lemongrass is not hardy, the question arises in autumn: What to do with the perennial grass plant when there is a risk of frost?
How do I overwinter lemongrass?
To overwinter lemongrass successfully, place the frost-sensitive plant in a warm, sunny location such as a heated conservatory or windowsill. Water sparingly and do not fertilize to ensure optimal conditions for the plant during the winter months.
Lemongrass is not hardy and very sensitive to frost
As soon as the temperatures drop below five degrees at night, the heat-loving Asian spice should move into its winter quarters. In contrast to many other plants that have to overwinter indoors, lemongrass needs a warm location.
Is ideally suited:
- the heated winter garden
- a heated greenhouse
- a sunny and warm place on the windowsill
Since lemongrass needs a lot of light even in the cold season, the place must have sufficient daylight. If this is not possible, you can provide sufficient lighting with plant lamps (€36.00 on Amazon).
Overwintering lemongrass in a pot
If you have cultivated the lemongrass in the herb garden during the summer months, you will have to move the spice into a bucket in the fall. Since the spice is very sensitive to waterlogging, first fill a drainage layer of expanded clay into the planter. Normal potting soil is suitable as a substrate, loosened up with a little sand.
Dig up the bulbs carefully without damaging the roots. If the perennial has grown very large during the summer, you can now divide and propagate it. Plant the lemongrass deep in the soil as the plant has strong roots.
Care during the winter months
Lemongrass is very sensitive to moisture and requires a dry climate. Only water the plant when the soil feels completely dry. Do not harvest lemongrass during the winter months and do not thin the plant too much. Since the fresh substrate contains enough nutrients, you do not need to fertilize the spice initially.
