Lemongrass Winter Care: How to Prepare for the Cold

As a tropical plant, lemongrass isn’t exactly suited to the chilly temperatures of winter in much of North America. When temperatures fall below 40ºF, it begins to suffer.

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However, there are ways to help this herb survive the cold, and come back healthy and vigorous in spring. Continue reading to find out how to prepare your plants for winter.

If you’re growing lemongrass in your garden, you might be wondering what to do with it over the winter months. Due to its tropical origins, lemongrass can only survive the winter outside in the warmest areas of the US.

If you live in USDA Hardiness Zone 10 or 11, it’s safe to leave it outside year-round. However, this only applies to growers in Florida, southern Texas, southern Arizona, and southern California.

If you live in Zone 8 or below, you’ll need to bring your plants inside during the colder months or they’ll end up dying. In Zone 9, it’s best to bring them indoors, but with additional protection you should be able to overwinter them outside.

If you’re in Zone 9, your lemongrass can survive the winter outdoors as long as you provide adequate protection from the cold.

Floating row covers can act almost like a blanket, covering and keeping plants warm when temperatures plummet.

The first step in preparing for the cold months is to prune your lemongrass. Using gardening shears, remove the leaves and cut the stalks back until they are six to twelve inches tall.

Then drape the material over the plant.

Make sure to hold down the sides using rocks, bricks, or other weights to make