How To Commercially Grow Lemon Grass

Lemongrass is one of the wonder plants. It has many benefits and can be easily grown for personal consumption at home or commercially in a large farm. It is widely used in the Asian cuisine to provide the specific taste and smell, peculiar to lemon grass. It is also used to cure various ailments ranging from stomach cramps and pain in the joins. The oil extracted from its leaves can be used in the manufacture of soaps and candles .

Lemon grass is a tropical plant. Planting it on commercial scale is rather easy as the plant can grow effectively in almost any soil condition . Due the ease of growing, it had created high competition causing a drop in its price.

The followings are the suggested steps to grow it on commercial basis:

1.Planning stage:

a. Secure the market. As the cycle is about 6 months, securing buyers is critical to the success of the project.
b. Equip yourself with the necessary skills and knowledge. It will be good to attend courses and seek advice from the government agricultural authority.
c. Familiarize with the list of suppliers of seedlings and equipments. They can be a source of information and advice.
d. Plan the detail of the project. The project can be divided into 4 steps.
i. Site preparation
ii. Planting and first month.
iii. Growing Stage
iv. Harvesting and Marketing.

2. Site preparation. Evaluate the site with an expert to check for suitability of the soil. Although lemongrass can be grown in a wide range of soil, it would require specific treatment and fertilizing techniques for different soil type. This add up to the cost.

Synchronize the site preparation with the purchase of the seedlings. Planting is preferred to be done in the raining season, to reduce the need of watering. Clear the land and plough is twice, the final is using the rotor.

3. Planting and first month. Planting can be done 2 weeks after the soil preparation stage. Three seedlings will be planted in each hole in grids of 4 feet by 3 feet. Insert the seedlings about 2 inches into the soil and firm it up. Water it immediately. The plants will need daily watering for the first 7 days. Then check and replace the the dead seedlings. After the first month, the replacement should stop.

4. Growing Stage: Lemongrass does not require close attention while growing. Fertilize it monthly for the first 3 month. Clear the weeds. It does not have natural enemies and insets do not attack the plants.

5.Harvesting and marketing: Harvesting is the most difficult and time consuming task. Currently it has to be done manually. Depending on the contract with the buyer, the lemon grass can be harvested in 3 ways. For oil extract, cut the leave about one foot from the ground. You can do this for 4 times (4 months). For seedlings, harvest it with small amount of roots remaining and cut off the leaves. For consumption, cut off the roots and leaves leaving about a foot length of its stalk.

With proper planning and controlled implementation, growing lemon grass can be a profitable proposition. Keep track of the market situation as the demand and supplies can varies.