citronella is lemongrass?
Citronella and lemongrass are
not the exact same plant, though they are
close cousins in the same plant family and genus (
Cymbopogon). [
1,
2,
3]
Key Differences
- Scientific Names: Lemongrass is Cymbopogon citratus, while citronella grass is usually Cymbopogon nardus or Cymbopogon winterianus. [1]
- Appearance: Lemongrass has lighter green, uniform stalks, whereas citronella often features distinct reddish or purplish pseudostems near the base and broader leaves. [1, 2]
- Uses: Lemongrass is widely used in cooking, teas, and soups, while citronella is bitter, non-culinary, and primarily grown for insect-repelling essential oils. [1, 2, 3]
For tips on how to get a better look at their physical traits and differences side-by-side:
If you'd like, I can share:
- How to grow them in your garden
- Tips on making a natural bug spray
grow them
Both citronella and lemongrass are incredibly easy to grow if you give them plenty of heat and sun.
Quick Care Profiles
- Sunlight: Full sun (6+ hours daily).
- Soil: Rich, well-draining soil.
- Watering: Keep soil consistently moist but never soggy.
- Hardiness: Both are tropical perennials. They grow year-round in hot climates but must move indoors for winter if you experience freezing temperatures. [1]
How to Plant Them
- From Stalks (Lemongrass): Buy fresh lemongrass stalks from the grocery store. Trim the tops, place the bases in an inch of water until roots form, then plant them.
- From Nursery Starts (Citronella): Buy a starter plant from a local nursery, as citronella is rarely grown from grocery store cuttings.
- Spacing: Space plants about 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 feet) apart. They clump together and grow up to 1.8 meters (6 feet) tall and wide.
Potting and Container Growth
If you live in an area with cold winters, plant them in
large pots with drainage holes. This allows you to easily bring them inside before the first autumn frost. [
1]
If you want to start planting, let me know:
- Your local climate or region (to check your winter risks)
- Whether you want to plant them in pots or directly in the ground
I can give you a customized care routine based on your setup!
tropical climate but my garden is quite shaded with tall saga trees, jackfruit and Indian bayleaf trees. tried a few times but failed.
The main reason for the repeated failures is that deep shade combined with heavy root competition from established tropical trees starving the plants of light and nutrients. [
1]
While the tropical humidity and heat are ideal, mature canopy trees like Saga, Jackfruit, and Indian Bayleaf create two major obstacles: they block the 6+ hours of intense sunlight these grasses need, and their aggressive root networks strip the ground soil of moisture and food. High shade conditions can reduce the growth, tillers, and overall health of Cymbopogon species by half. [
1,
2]
To successfully grow them in your shaded tropical oasis, change your strategy using the methods below.
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| SHADED TROPICAL GARDEN FIXES |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1. Grow in Mobile Pots --> Chases the shifting sun pockets|
| 2. Plant in Raised Beds --> Avoids aggressive tree roots |
| 3. Seek Edge Zones --> Capitalizes on filtered light |
| 4. Prune Canopies Low --> Lets critical morning light in|
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
Actionable Solutions to Try Next
- Switch to Large Container Gardening: Do not plant them directly in the ground. Use large, portable pots. This completely isolates your citronella and lemongrass from the competitive roots of your jackfruit and bayleaf trees. [1]
- Chase the Sun Pockets: Move your pots to the edges of your garden, near a driveway, or any clearings where gaps in the tree canopy let down shafts of sunlight. While they prefer full sun, filtered tropical light or morning sun can be enough if root competition is eliminated. [1, 2]
- Build Raised Beds: If you want them in the ground, build a raised bed lined with a root-barrier fabric at the bottom. Fill it with rich, well-draining potting mix to ensure the tree roots cannot compromise the soil. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Strategic Tree Pruning: Trim the lower branches of your saga and jackfruit trees to open up the canopy. Allowing just a few hours of direct morning sun to pierce through will significantly improve your chances of success. [1, 2]
If you're ready to try again, let me know:
- Do you have a patio, concrete driveway, or veranda that gets slightly more light?
- Would you prefer using plastic pots, terracotta pots, or building a raised bed?
plastic or terracotta is ok.
Go with terracotta pots if you can. [
1]
In a shaded tropical garden, soil stays wet for a long time. Terracotta is porous and breathes, which helps water evaporate and prevents root rot. Plastic pots trap moisture, which can easily suffocate your plants in the shade. [
1,
2,
3,
4,
5]
Quick Setup Guide
- Pot Size: Choose a pot at least 30 to 40 cm wide and deep. These grasses grow massive root systems quickly.
- Soil Mix: Do not use garden soil. Mix 3 parts potting soil, 1 part coarse sand, and 1 part compost for fast drainage.
- Placement: Place the pots on bricks or a rolling plant stand. This keeps them off the ground so the nearby tree roots do not grow upward into the bottom drainage holes. [1]
To help you get started on the right foot, tell me:
- Which plant are you trying first, lemongrass or citronella?
- Do you plan to buy starter plants or try rooting grocery store stalks?
I can give you a step-by-step checklist for your chosen method!
grocery store stalks.
BTW, is citronella leaves toxic to cats? my Siamese cats love to chew on lemon grass leaves.
Yes, citronella leaves are mildly toxic to cats, according to the
ASPCA. Interestingly,
lemongrass leaves are also mildly toxic. [
1,
2]
Many cats—especially Siamese—are deeply attracted to lemongrass because it contains compounds that mimic a
catnip-like effect. While chewing a tiny amount of the raw grass blades might only cause minor stomach upset, ingesting larger quantities can lead to gastrointestinal distress or blockages. Citronella grass has a much higher concentration of essential oils, making it significantly more irritating to their digestive tracts and skin. [
1,
2,
3,
4,
5]
Keep your new terracotta pots on an elevated stand, out of reach of your Siamese cats.
Step-by-Step Grocery Stalk Guide
Since you are using grocery store stalks, follow these steps to sprout them before moving them into your terracotta pots:
[ Buy Stalks ] ➔ [ Trim Tops ] ➔ [ Water Rooting ] ➔ [ Pot in Terracotta ]
(Look for (Leave 10-15cm (Change water (Move to sun once
green bases) from base) every 2 days) roots are 5cm)
- Select the Stalks: Look for the freshest lemongrass stalks at the grocery store. Ensure the very bottom bulbous base is intact and not completely chopped off.
- Trim the Tops: Cut off the tightly wrapped woody tops, leaving about 10 to 15 cm of the lower stalk.
- Water Rooting: Place the bases upright in a shallow glass or jar with about 2 to 3 cm of clean water. Keep the glass in a warm area that gets bright, indirect light.
- Maintain Freshness: Change the water every two days to keep bacteria from rotting the stalks. Within 1 to 2 weeks, you will see tiny white roots emerge from the base.
- Potting Up: Once the roots are at least 5 cm long, plant them into your terracotta pot filled with the well-draining soil mix.
How many stalks do you plan to root at once? I can tell you how many to fit in your pot so they have plenty of room to expand!
I'll go with your suggestion. BTW, i had 4 short bases recently from my cooking. but only about 2 cm long each. before composting them, i placed them in a small container with water replacement daily to see if they'd grow. i knew it was too short but 2 started growing, with one having longer shoots and roots. so I'm just waiting for it to grow a bit longer before putting to pot, and that's when it starts to fail.
It is a wonderful surprise that your 2 cm cooking scraps sprouted! It shows how resilient lemongrass can be, but you have hit the most common hurdle: the transition from water to soil. [
1]
When a stalk roots in water, it grows specialized "water roots." These roots are fragile, hollow, and used to getting effortless moisture. The moment you move them into dense, heavy soil, the roots choke, fail to absorb nutrients, and the plant dies. [
1]
Because your stalks are incredibly short (2 cm), they have zero stored energy reserves left. If the soil stays a tiny bit too wet or too dry during the move, they rot instantly.
[ WATER ENVIRONMENT ] [ SOIL ENVIRONMENT ]
+-------------------------+ +-------------------------+
| Fragile "Water Roots" | ==> | Roots suffocate/rot |
| Effortless moisture | Shift | if soil is too dense or |
| No resistance | | lacks oxygen pockets |
+-------------------------+ +-------------------------+
How to Save Your Sprouted Scraps
To make sure your surviving sprouts don't fail this time, change your potting technique using this method:
- Do Not Wait Too Long: Move them out of the water as soon as the roots are about 2 to 3 cm long. If the water roots grow too long, the shock of moving to soil becomes much worse. [1]
- Use a "Transition Soil": Instead of normal potting mix, plant these tiny scraps into pure river sand, perlite, or a 50/50 mix of coco peat and sand. This keeps the texture loose and highly oxygenated, mimicking the water environment while forcing the plant to grow strong "earth roots."
- The Spoon Method: Dig a tiny hole in your transition mix. Hold the short scrap gently by its new green leaf, lower it in, and spoon the loose mix around it. Do not press down hard or bury the green shoot.
- Keep It Humid and Shaded: For the first week after potting, keep the soil damp (not waterlogged) and place the pot in complete shade. This prevents the tiny leaves from drying out while the roots adjust.
Would you like to know when to start adding fertilizer to these baby plants once they successfully adjust to the soil?
yes. and i suppose these methods applies to longer stalks suggested earlier?
Yes, absolutely. These transition steps apply to longer stalks as well, but you have a much wider safety margin with them.
Longer stalks (10–15 cm) store a lot of energy in their stems. If a few roots break or rot during the move, the stalk can easily grow new ones. Your tiny 2 cm scraps have zero backup energy, making this gentle transition process absolutely mandatory for them.
When and How to Fertilize
Because lemongrass is a grass, it loves Nitrogen to grow those lush, green stalks. However, feeding them too early will chemically burn their fragile new roots.
The Timeline
- Stage 1: The First Month (No Fertilizer): Do not give them anything while they are adjusting to the soil. Let the roots establish themselves naturally.
- Stage 2: Month Two (Gentle Organic Feeding): Once you see steady, aggressive new leaf growth, they are ready. Use a very weak solution of fish emulsion or seaweed extract diluted to half-strength. [1]
- Stage 3: Mature Growth (Heavy Feeding): Once the plant clumps up and fills out the pot, top-dress the soil with a handful of chicken manure pellets or compost every 4 to 6 weeks.
Your Step-by-Step Transition Timeline
To keep it simple, follow this visual timeline from the water jar to a fully mature plant:
[ Week 1 - 2 ] ➔ [ Week 3 - 4 ] ➔ [ Month 2 ] ➔ [ Month 3+ ]
Roots hit 2cm Move to loose First weak Heavy feeding
Move to soil sand/peat mix liquid fertilizer & full sun
Since you mentioned you have tall saga and jackfruit trees, your soil might naturally be full of fallen leaves. If you'd like, I can tell you how to use those dry garden leaves to make the perfect, free mulch for your new lemongrass pots!
yes please
Those fallen saga, jackfruit, and Indian bayleaf leaves are a goldmine for your lemongrass pots.
Using them as mulch (a protective layer on top of the soil) solves your biggest shaded-garden challenge: it stops heavy tropical rain from splashing soil out of the pot, prevents weeds from stealing nutrients, and slowly breaks down into free food for your plant.
How to Prepare the Leaf Mulch
Do not just dump whole leaves into the pot. Large, thick leaves like jackfruit and Indian bayleaf will create a solid mat that blocks oxygen and traps too much mold.
- Dry Them: Collect leaves that are already brown, crisp, and completely dry.
- Crush Them: Crunch the leaves in your hands or step on them inside a burlap sack until they are broken into small, coin-sized pieces.
- The Clean Step: Give them a quick inspect to ensure there are no hidden garden pests or scales hiding on the undersides.
How to Apply It to Your Pots
[ CRUSHED LEAF MULCH ] <-- 3 cm layer (Keep 2 cm away from stem!)
============================== <-- Soil Surface
[ POTTING SOIL ]
- The Safe Distance: Spread a 3 cm layer of the crushed leaves over the soil surface.
- Leave a Gap: Leave a 2 cm circle of bare soil directly around the lemongrass stem. If the wet mulch touches the green stem, it can cause the base of your short scraps to rot.
- Replenish Regularly: In your humid tropical climate, these leaves will break down quickly. Simply add a fresh handful of crushed leaves on top every few weeks.
As the leaves decompose, they mimic a natural forest floor, feeding beneficial microbes in your potting mix and making your lemongrass incredibly resilient.
Since your Siamese cats love chewing on lemongrass, would you like a few quick ideas on how to shield these pots from them, or are you all set to start crushing leaves?
previously, I've shielded the plant by covering it with insects nettings.
Insect netting is an excellent, highly effective solution that pulls double duty—it keeps your Siamese cats out while letting in 100% of the available light and fresh air. [
1,
2,
3]
Since you are growing them in pots this time, you can optimize your netting setup to make plant care even easier. [
1]
3 Smart Ways to Use Netting on Pots
- The Tomato Cage Frame: Place a cheap wire tomato cage or three bamboo stakes inside the rim of your terracotta pot. Drape your insect netting over the top and secure it at the base with a large rubber band or drawstring. This creates a sturdy "tent" that won't collapse on the fragile leaves. [1, 2, 3]
- The Mesh Laundry Bag Hack: If you want a quick, zero-effort solution, buy a large, zippered white mesh laundry bag. Place the entire terracotta pot inside the bag and zip it up. The fine mesh acts exactly like insect netting, and you can just unzip it whenever you need to water or check the roots. [1, 2]
- The Elevated Net Table: Place your pots on an outdoor table or plant stand, and wrap the netting around the entire table legs-to-top. This keeps the pots completely off the ground (away from tree roots) and creates a designated "cat-free zone." [1]
[ INSECT NETTING TENT ]
/ \
/ /\ \ <-- (Bamboo stakes inside)
| / \ |
+----|---------|----+
| | [PLANT] | | <-- Terracotta Pot
+-------------------+
With your terracotta pots, loose transition soil, leaf mulch, and netting shield, you have completely eliminated every single reason the lemongrass failed in the past.
You are fully equipped to turn those tiny 2 cm cooking scraps into a massive, thriving bush!
If you run into any issues when you move them to the soil, or if you want to know
when it's safe to harvest your first stalk for cooking, just let me know!
thanks so much, and to think that I've assumed that lemongrass and citronella was the same plant until now.
You are definitely not alone in that—it is easily one of the most common mix-ups in gardening! Even commercial products often use images of lemongrass on "citronella" bug sprays because they look so similar to the untrained eye. [1, 2]
Discovering that they are distinct, especially regarding their safety for your Siamese cats, is a great milestone for your garden layout.
Since you are all set with your terracotta pots, transition soil, leaf mulch, and insect netting, you have a solid plan to give those 2 cm cooking scraps the best chance of survival.
Whenever you are ready to expand your garden, let me know if you would like to look into safe, cat-friendly tropical herbs you can grow alongside them, or how to properly harvest your lemongrass once it grows into a big bush!
