Scroll down at the link to find plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lemon Grass Plants

anitazone7,
You can purchase lemongrass from Asian grocery stores. Pick the ones with larger roots, cut off the top, leave about 3-4" at the bottom, peel away some outer leaves and root the lemongrass in water, you'll see new leaves and white roots in about a week to 10 days. Plant the rootings in the ground where there's lots of sunlight. Good luck!

anitazone7, I got my organic lemongrass from LINGLE'S HERBS PHONE # 800-708-0633 , the price is great, only $4.75 check it out .good luck:) Green_lover

Anitazone7
I purchased mine from an asian grocery store last year. I made sure that the roots looked fresh and big. I trimmed off the top leaves leaving about 4" at the bottom and left them in water to root. Once new shoots and small roots started showing I transferred them into a large pot with good soil and left the pot on my deck where it got lots of sunlight. I harvested a few already and they are still doing great.The reasons I planted mine in a pot is so that I can bring the pot in when the temperature get very cold during the winter time.
Full grown lemon grass looks like pampas grass, leaves are very sharp. I usually use the bottom part in asian cooking as in some curries.

I agree with macaronicat & aggie that the best way to get a plant & same time some lemongrass too. And for everyone out there I just brought 5 bulbs from the grocery shop for make thai chicken salad last october.I planted the bulbs. Now I got about 60 bulbs in my 2 pots. You want trick? it is very simple! just break any new bulb you see next to the old bulb that you planted & plant it the same pot just 3-4" apart from the old buld keep the soil always moist. And one thing more I learnt from a cousin of mine, who work in a tea garden. they use the lemongrass plant as a border to keep the young tea plant cool. They multiply the plant fast by cuting the leaves of the lemongrass plants every 3 weeks & a 1 or two new bulb will be coming out by the side of the old bulb. Believe me it really works! I am doing it for last two months.

SawkDanny,

Wonderful information. How up from the ground do you cut the leaves?

Violet,
I cut just a little (2"-3") above, where the leaves starts to spread. You can cut all the leaves or you can leave some leaves which are erect. I keep few(3-4) erect leaves that's how the plant don't look naked. :)

You can even find them in Supermarkets now. Just root those.

I got mine from a grocery store, it didn't have any roots. They were just plain stalks, I was skeptical at first but put them in water for almost 2 weeks. They all have roots now and have leaves. I did the same thing for thai basil, it roted too. I didn't add any root hormone just palin water.

You can skip the water step and root directly in moist soil kept in the shade for a few weeks. They'll be happier that way because they'll be able to get nutrients as well so they'll be happier - again, no rooting hormone needed.

How do you make Thai Chicken Salad? I'd love the recipe!

I won't use the word bulb to describe lemon grass. Remember it is a grass and sends runners out under ground like a grass. Note lemon grass is not freeze hardy so even here in the deep south we bring it in during the winter. I've also noticed that older clumps really slow down growth once a pot is 'full' so divid your clumps or use often. Makes a great tea too. Oh and I always remove the stalk after cooking. It is way to strong to bite into unawares : )
Mike

I've been reading about natural mosquito repellants, and Thai Lemon Grass is one that they mentioned that worked really well. Have you found that to be true? If so, I'd LOVE to plant some around my pond. No problem with bringing it in. If it can't survive in the south, it's surely not going to survive an Iowa Winter!

Marcy O.

I purchased my lemongrass plant (potted) at a local farmers market. I was wanting it for cooking but they were selling them, encouraging people to just pop some in a cold glass of water for a refreshing drink.

If you plant lemon grass in the ground and you have mild IE no below 40 nights it will grow to 8' tall and just keep spreading. I have seen clumps of up to 12" diameter!

Mary-Anne

THAILAND
Lemon Grass on Native Ground

BANGKOK -- IT was a breezy late November morning, just after the rainy
season, and as traffic-clogged Bangkok receded, the countryside looked as
fresh as spring. Our destination was two hours north, a women's farm
cooperative where lemon grass is a cash crop. Along the four-lane highway,
whole chickens were being turned over open fires. Prized roosters pecked away
under the confines of straw cloches. Gas stations were festooned with fresh
flowers, and rice paddies sported an occasional scarecrow. Route 66 it was
not.
And everywhere I looked, there was lemon grass. The reedy plants grow like
weeds along country roadsides. Neatly tied bundles of ramrod-straight stalks
sit upright or spill out of shallow baskets at open-air markets. Every
backyard has its own clump.
And none of it resembles the dry sticks in American stores: here, the lemon
grass is fragrant and fresh, still attached to its graceful gray-green
leaves. When I rubbed one between my fingers it released that familiar,
intoxicating lemony scent. No wonder Thais use the leaves to make a
delicious, aromatic tea.
Along with basil and kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass defines and
distinguishes Thai cooking from any other in Southeast Asia. The three herbs
are core components of Thai food much as garlic and tomatoes are to
Neapolitan food, or celery, green peppers and onions are to Cajun. The fish
sauce nam pla; galangal, a relative of ginger; coriander leaves and roots;
and tiny hot peppers are equally important.
Lemon grass makes tom yum goong one of the most popular soups in Thailand and
a big favorite in America and gives a bowl of vanilla ice cream a mysterious
balm-like flavor that lifts it from the ordinary to the sublime.
Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) can be found throughout Southeast Asia,
from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to Myanmar and Indonesia. Plant researchers
may argue whether it is indigenous to Thailand, and in fact two did when I
interviewed them.

Dr. Uthai Charanasri, a geneticist and plant breeder at the
Mae Fah Luang Foundation, north of Chiang Rai on the border where Thailand,
Myanmar and Laos meet, said he had never seen lemon grass in flower in
Thailand, which, he explained, meant that it could not be native. But his
colleague, Dr. Teraphan Toterakun, who is chief of plant research and
development at the foundation, said he had, and that ended the discussion.

No matter where the first shoots of lemon grass poked their heads through the
earth, Thailand and lemon grass are inextricably linked in American minds,
but most of us have never seen it grown and have only a vague sense where
this increasingly popular herb comes from.
Chefs across this country are incorporating lemon grass into Western dishes.
Jean- Georges Vongerichten one of my favourite chefs was one of the first to use it in fusion cooking at Vong, one of his restaurants in New York, as well as Vong his original restaurant in Knightsbridge London.

.Jeff Tunks uses it to lighten and add a marvelous lemony note to a creamy pumpkin soup at Ten Penh in Washington. Rick Moonen at Oceana in New York serves a green-tail snapper in
a spicy lemon grass coconut nage. Lemon grass is a member of the sugar cane family, and fields and fields of it are grown year round in Florida and California by the Hmong, refugees from
the Vietnam War.

It grows best in a warm climate (the hotter the better) with
plenty of sunshine and sandy loam and is propagated by root cuttings. It is
harvested by cutting some of the stalks at the root, leaving the rest to
continue growing.

Lemon Grass grows profusely here in California and can often reach 6 tall. It will literally take over your garden if not contained.

In Thailand lemon grass is harvested four times a year. For
the best crop the rhizomes should be replanted every two years.
In temperate climates the season runs from midsummer until the beginning of
November, or until the temperature drops below 25 degrees.

Ron Binaghi, owner of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan, N.J., sells it in season at the Greenmarkets in
Union Square and TriBeCa. He said some of his best customers come from the
Caribbean, where lemon grass is known as fever grass.

In Thailand, there are only a few large farms growing lemon grass, a total of
less than 800 acres, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Most of the
commercial crop is grown in Ayutthaya province not far north of Bangkok, and
is intended for backyard- deprived apartment dwellers there. Fresh lemon
grass is not exported.

To get to the Farm Women's Cooperative, we were instructed to make our way to
Wat Phra Non, a Buddhist temple in the small provincial town of Sing Buri
where the daily open-air market spills out onto the main road. A small convoy
of motorcycles was waiting at the temple to lead us down a dusty road to the
village, where the women, dressed in their cooperative's blue uniform, along
with several local officials, were waiting at a shed, the drying and
packaging area for turning lemon grass into tea. It was a short walk to the
farm, where a single acre is devoted to lemon grass, planted about five years
ago when the women were looking for ways to increase their income.
It looked like just another of those tall grasses that have become so popular
for landscaping, with no hint of its marvelous aroma.

The cooperative members, after struggling to make a profit selling fresh
lemon grass, realized they could make a great deal more money if they added
some value. And now all the leaves are sifted, dried, heated to sterilize
them, then packed and shipped throughout Thailand as lemon grass tea. The
demand exceeds the supply, according to Anchalee Wongpen, a cooperative
member, and the women buy more than 450 pounds of lemon grass from nearby
provinces each year.

The farmers are particularly proud that their lemon grass is grown
organically, a decision made by the chairwoman, because the outer leaves are
used for tea. Besides, the fragrance that humans find so admirable bugs find
repellent. In fact, lemon grass is botanically related to citronella, used in
mosquito sprays and candles.

Lemon grass, Mrs. Wongpen says, has another valuable attribute. When the
women are working in the field and it looks as if it might rain, they turn a
bunch of lemon grass upside down in the dirt, and the threatening clouds
disappear. "For ages they have believed this," said Teerasak Tessiri, the
chief district officer of the Muang District in Sing Buri. "It's the Thai
way. You never know." It is also the Thai way to wrap the leaves around a
broken leg of a chicken or a duck to make it heal.
The farm women say dogs chew lemon grass leaves when they are sick. This runs
completely contrary to other information that lemon grass oil repels dogs and
cats.

But learning about lemon grass in Thailand is like that. It is thought to
have many remarkable properties, some imagined, some real, and separating
them is hard.

Dr. Pennpa Subcharoen, director of the National Institute of Thai Traditional
Medicine in Bangkok, says Thais have always eaten vegetables like cucumbers
and cabbage with fatty foods to lessen the oily taste. But in recent years
tissue-thin slices of fresh lemon grass have become a popular alternative.
Slices of lemon grass, along with equally thin pieces of garlic and ginger
and bits of hot chilies, are also being served as a cocktail snack, stuffed
into small edible leaves. Lemon grass is also appearing in more and more
cooked foods in Thailand.

Among other things, Dr. Subcharoen says, lemon grass is useful in the
treatment of indigestion and flatulence.
Others claim that the plant is a diuretic, appetite stimulant,
antihypertensive and antibacterial.

Dr. Varro Tyler, an American expert on herbs and an emeritus professor of
pharmacognosy at Purdue University, said lemon grass does indeed help to
dispel gas and is an insect repellent. He believes that the essential oils
might have some antiseptic and bacterial effect if applied topically, and that
"it is not beyond the realm of possibility that it has some diuretic
effect," but he questioned its ability to stimulate the appetite or reduce
blood pressure.

Medicinal or not, lemon grass's undisputed attribute is its flavor. The farm
women's tea is delightfully refreshing hot or iced, but I prefer my lemon
grass in food. One of the best dishes I had in Thailand was a salad in which
lemon grass was the main player  not just a few stalks but half a cup.
I also love the flavor in tom yum goong, the hot and sour shrimp soup made
with soothing aromatic chicken broth that is punctuated with incendiary
blasts from tiny chilies.

In Thailand lemon grass is a standard ingredient in chili paste and curry
pastes and sauces; it provides marvelous flavor to the Thai version of fried
rice. Daniel Lentz, the executive chef at the Amanpuri resort on the island
of Phuket, makes a wonderful version. He has been in Thailand long enough to
know how to use lemon grass in Western dishes, producing not only subtly
scented lemon grass rolls but a brilliant dish of vanilla ice cream flavored
with lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves.

In my own experiments I have found that lemon grass pairs beautifully with
grilled meats, brightening their richness, and with fish, perfuming it. I've
mixed it with capers and lime juice as a topping for grilled tuna. Lemon
grass is particularly seductive when it's minced and added to crab cakes or
crab meat salad, or as part of a crab boil for steamed crabs.

Minced Lemon grass and Kaffir lime in a chipotle hollandaise is simply awesome-a fusion of flavours that is sheer perfection.

Minced lemon grass, combined with garlic and shallots and stuffed under the
skin of a roast chicken, will perfume not only the bird but also the kitchen.
Lemon grass adds a surprisingly harmonious touch for pumpkin soup and is just
as delicious in pumpkin mousse or pumpkin chiffon pie. It makes clear chicken
or mushroom soup sparkle and combines with tomatoes to make an unusual salsa.
Almost any fresh pineapple dessert would take kindly to it.

Mr. Lentz notes that lemon grass is most effective when it is heated. "The
fragrance is enhanced when you have the taste and the smell in a hot dish,"
he said. "It's the first aroma you get. Very satisfying, like the aroma of
coffee." He also cuts the lemon grass stalks on the diagonal and uses them
for sandwich picks.

When lemon grass is young and fresh it is most tender and least fibrous.
Unfortunately, older lemon grass is what is found in American supermarkets.
Which is why it is usually a good idea to remove one or two of the outer
layers of the stalk.

Only about three inches of the bottom of the stalks carry the flavor. If the
stalks are being used to flavor a dish and will be removed before it is
served, smashing the pieces with a cleaver or rolling pin releases more
flavor. If you want to eat it, it has to be either sliced tissue thin (a
mandoline does the trick), minced or pounded into a paste with other
ingredients. Many Thai chefs use and home cooks use a mortor and
pestle to release the fragrant oil.

Lemon grass keeps for 10 days in the refrigerator, though it does dry out. It
can be stored, either whole or chopped, in the freezer for much longer, and
it defrosts in a couple of minutes.

The usual cooking instructions advising cooks on substituting dried herbs for
fresh ones do not apply here. If you cannot find fresh lemon grass, forget
about it. Dried lemon grass is only good for tea and aromatherapy.
No Field? Grow It In a Sunny Window

LEMON grass picked young, when it is dewy fresh and tender, is unlike
anything you can buy in an American supermarket. It is much more intense,
fragrant and flavorful. But as exotic as lemon grass may be to American
gardens, it turns out to be as easy to grow as a weed.

It does best in warm climates  the hotter the better  but can be grown
anywhere that has good hot summers. Just take it indoors from the first frost
to the last in pots or tub planters and keep it in a warm, humid spot like a
sunny kitchen window. Because lemon grass is a clumping grass, it is
propagated from rooted shoots, called rhizomes. Three or four weeks before
the first frost, split or slice off the rhizomes, and put them in six-inch
pots, making sure there are roots attached to each section. The plants need
sun, good drainage and rich soil.

If you want to try to grow lemon grass from supermarket stock, you can start
with a few stalks that still have their corms, the part to which the roots
were attached. Place them in six-inch pots filled with sterile potting soil
and fertilizer, and press them about 1/2 inch into the soil; keep it moist but not soggy. The plants should thrive until they outgrow the pot.

Lemon grass spreads reasonably quickly and within a year will require a
two-gallon container.
To harvest, cut the newest stalks from the outside of the clump, slicing down
just below the soil. I always over winter a few stalks of Lemon Grass in a pot inside just incase they donÂt make it through the winter.

Generally, only the "young" part of the lemon grass stalk is used in Asian cooking. Start slicing from the root up where it's pale green, stop when it gets tough near the darker green leaves. Some people toss the tough leaves in soup just to get the flavor, and take out the leaves and discard after cooking.

Lemon grass dry quickly once uprooted. They freeze well. A better way to save them, if you have too much, is to chop the soft part, put them in a sealed plastic container and freeze. They will last a long time without losing flavor. You can buy containers of ground and frozen lemon grass at most Asian supermarkets.

Always love the smell of fresh lemongrass... ummmmm