How to Grow Lemongrass UK
On this page
In the UK, lemongrass goes in the ground early May to late May.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: sowing early May, and that same window applies across all 4 regions covered here.
The short answer
- Plant
- Early May to late May
- Biggest risk
- Grassy shoot disease
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)
2 sources cited · Verified
When to Plant Lemongrass in the UK
When to plant lemongrass in the UK: in Southern England, sow early May to late May. Find your area in the table below.
Quick Facts
At a Glance
Growth Stages
Harvest & Storage
Diseases
Pests
Lemongrass Photo Gallery
Plan your Lemongrass planting
When to sow and plant Lemongrass depends on your own frost dates. Check the UK vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Lemongrass in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
References
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Site: warm sunny position, full sun, fertile free-draining soil; needs at least 13°C (55°F) to thrive. Planting: container slightly wider/deeper than current pot, peat-free compost; in-ground spacing at least 30cm (1ft) apart; plant at the same depth as previously grown. Overwintering: bring indoors before overnight temperatures fall below 7°C (45°F); keep in a bright position above 7°C; won't survive unprotected UK winters. Harvest: growing season, usually May-September; select stems with swollen bases at the edge of the clump, cut or pull off as low as possible; use only the lower 10cm (4in) of stem, best flavour. Problems: glasshouse whitefly on greenhouse-grown plants; rust occasionally damages foliage. Propagation: divide established clumps in spring, cutting the rootball into sections each with a good set of roots and several strong stems.
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Soil: well-drained, moist, rich loam, high organic content; work fertilizer into top 6in, no more than 1in well-composted organic matter per 100 sq ft. Light: full sun. Climate: warm, humid; tender perennial, grown as annual in cooler Utah areas. Spacing: 3ft apart, plants reach 3-6ft tall and 3ft wide. Planting: after danger of frost has passed, or grow in containers indoors. Propagation: division of clumps or nursery starts, rarely from seed; for overwintering, save a 6in section of the bulbous shoot base with roots. Watering/feeding: regular watering and misting, hand-water or flood irrigation (avoid sprinklers); fertilize weekly at half strength June-September (container), monthly for ground plants. Harvest: end of growing season just before first fall frost, or once stalks reach 1/2in thick; cut at ground level or twist and pull off; freezes up to 6 months. Pests/diseases: spider mites (mainly indoor problem, treat with insecticidal soap); leaf blight (reddish-brown spots); little leaf/grassy shoot (stunted growth); generally free of pests and diseases when grown correctly.
2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I sow lemongrass in the UK?
In Southern England, from early May. In Scotland, wait until early May. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.
When do I sow lemongrass?
Sow early May to late May.
What problems affect lemongrass?
Our data links 3 diseases and 2 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.
Get the UK Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for UK growing conditions
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against RHS and Met Office guidance. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Last verified 2026-09-04
Plan Lemongrasses by month
The months this guide gives for sowing or planting, each with the full list of jobs for that month in the UK:
More from the same group (herbs & aromatics):
Growing advice for your part of the UK
Timing and conditions change a lot inside one country. These guides cover frost dates and growing seasons region by region.
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.