Very interesting point and question.I am also growing lemon grass for the first time. As you said the stalks are mostly used in cooking. The leaves are very tough.

So, here is what I am going to do; Will cut the top of some and see what the difference will be.I have plenty and can afford to experiment.

they certainly get bigger with age!

i often clip the tops to use for making tea but i haven't noticed that it causes the stems to get thicker. Since lemongrass is a grass maybe a good supply of nitrogen would help? And ample water?

As experiment I cut down a bunch of them in one of the locations.
I think you have to cut them where the outer most leave ha\s a knee/node. Then the inner leaves should grow with vigour, making the stalk thicker. It is the same principal as with flat chives; as you cut them, they get wider leaves.
my LGs are grown from store-bought stalk, this year. So their stalks are not thick yet.

Question:
Can you dry the leave (for tea) for winter use. What I mean is, will they hold their aroma?
Because of very low water contents LG leave should be easy to dry, I think.

I noticed that the Indians use it to make teas so I think it does dry well. I would definitely give it a try.

How thick do you want it? Mine gets the size I normally see in Thai food. I did visit an Asian community garden and I noticed they didn't let the clumps get very big before they pulled it and took it apart. It appears they treat it like we do bunching onions.....harvesting all but one to grow another plant with. However the language barrier prevented me from really getting the answers I wanted.

Hello to all, and thanks for your responses.
As far as using lemongrass "leaf" (green part..) for anything.........I'm really not sure. The only part of the lemongrass plant I've ever used was the bottom 6 inches or so of the stalk. I know for sure that's where the main flavor of the lemongrass is located..........use it a lot in Tom Yum soup, which is absolutely delicious if you guys haven't ever tried it.. I did find a recipe for lemongrass tea earlier that I'll post at the end of this ........it used the stalk and not the green part though..
I've been watering and fertlizing my plants quite a bit so I don't think that is the issue. I would like the base of the stalks to get around 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter if possible........just like what I've seen in the Thai grocery stores. By the way, today is the day the guys at the nearby Thai restaurant work on all their plants outside. I might just have to ride the bike down and ask them about the trimming issue. If I find out anything will pass along.......

Step 1 Use gloves to protect your hands and pull a clump of lemongrass away from the parent plant. Sever the plant at the stalk with a knife to help you remove it.

Step 2 Peel off the outer green leaves and discard. These outer green leaves will give your tea a bitter taste if they are used.

Step 3 Cut the remaining lemongrass plant into slices.

Step 4 Pour boiling hot water over the plant and let it sit for five minutes. Use about a tablespoon of the plant per cup.

Step 5 Use a strainer to strain the tea.

Step 6 Sweeten your tea and add milk if desired.

skylad - thanks for the tea recipe. Did you ever get any info from those Thai restaurant guys about trimming/growing lemon grass?

cyrus - any update on your experiment (stalks with clipped tops vs non clipped tops)? see any differences with them?

To Lali

They have been growing back (maybe 3-4 inches since then) but it is too early to tell at this point. It sounds logical; When they are topped, the inner leaves will get wider and those are the ones that make the soft and tender core.

To Lali...
Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate the guy that works with all the plants there.......will continue to try and locate. I've got 4 HUGE lemongrass plants now and their stalks are actually getting bigger on their own....would like to increase that growth further if possible though. I'll get back with you if I find out anything further on the above...!! Lemongrass is such a great thing to have around.....

when i use lemongrass for tea i only use the leafy green part and i have never noticed a bitter taste.

i cut the leafy green part from one or two stalks of lemongrass into one inch sections and add to the empty pot of a coffee maker. i drop one to three bags of green tea, mint tea, jasmine tea or, my favorite, earl grey tea into the brewer basket and turn the machine on. Steep for a few minutes after brewing is complete, strain, add a squirt of honey and chill.

Very refreshing on a hot day!

My lemon grass leaves taste fine. I throw some in my soups, tomato sauce etc. and take them out before serving.
The only draw back of leaves is that they are too tough.
I also put them in picklings. I have seen dry LG leaves (cut into abou an inch lon) are sold in store (mexican) to make tea with it. Obviously fresh ones are much better.
Then if you have a lot of them, you can use the inner part of the stems too.

What kind of pickles cyrus?

so you add the lemongrass as a seasoning like the tarragon or cilantro? Great idea.

That garlic pickle sounds a little scary!

Yes and no:
Yes I use LG as seasoning. No garlic picke is not scary at all. I have a jar that is about two years old and have started another couple of weeks ago. I am going to the old jar now to get a few cloves.
They are not quite soft and dark black yet but they aresemi soft semi dark inside and taste yummy. It is like wine, the older they get the better they taste.

Cyrus