Why Isn’t My Lemongrass Plant Thriving?

Question

I bought a small lemongrass plant from my local nursery a little over a year ago. They told me to transplant it into a slightly larger pot with a well-draining soil, which I did. I’ve kept the soil moist, like they said, and left it in a sunny spot. My garden here in southern California gets lots and lots of sun. Eight months later, the plant was exactly the same size, but the very bottom had become rootbound, so I replanted (trimming the roots first, as usual) and bumped up the pot size by another inch. The plant is still the exact same size. Also, the leaves are small and thin, not big and tall. It’s a sad-looking little thing and I have no idea what I’m doing wrong! Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I’m a little perplexed at the phrase, ”trimming the roots first, as usual”. If you loosen potbound roots to encourage their growth out into new soil, a plant should exhibit new growth within a couple weeks. If the roots were cut, the plant is putting most of it’s energy into re-establishing the root system so it can support the foliage. (I would think that severing roots would be akin to our veins and arteries being damaged.) Lemon grass is a robust plant, and with proper nutrition and water, should be growing like gangbusters.