If you’ve ever used a natural insect repellant or burned candles to keep mosquitoes away, you’re probably already familiar with the scent of citronella. This strong, citrusy fragrance comes from a type of grass that can be grown in your own garden.
As a plant, citronella is easy to grow and shoots up quickly, although it is sensitive to cold weather. With the right approach, you can enjoy its richly scented leaves no matter where you live and even make your own DIY bug-away creations.
Here’s exactly what you need to know about how to plant and grow citronella grass at home.
Interested in natural insect repellants? Be sure to check out this guide to spider-repellant plants and this guide to plants that repel fleas.
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Table of Contents
Growing Information for Citronella
Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus) is a tall grass native to Sri Lanka and at home in sub-tropical climates. It’s a very close relative of lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), although the two plants are used in different ways and can’t be substituted for one another.
Sometimes referred to as the “mosquito plant”, citronella has a long history of being used to repel insects, specifically mosquitoes. A powerful essential oil can be distilled from the leaves, or the leaves can simply be crushed to release a strong fragrance that certain bugs dislike.
In the garden, citronella can grow up to 6’ tall and 4’ wide in the right conditions. The long blades are green with a reddish base and develop light brown flower heads in the summer.
Like most grasses, citronella is relatively care-free and quick-growing. However, it does come from a subtropical climate and is sensitive to temperatures below 32°F, which means it’s only hardy in USDA zones 9-12 where temperatures don’t drop below freezing.
In spite of this, gardeners in colder zones can still learn how to plant and grow citronella successfully by either treating it as an annual or bringing it indoors for the winter.
True Citronella vs. Citronella Geranium
There’s more than one plant that goes by the name of citronella, so it’s important to make a distinction between them.
True citronella, as mentioned, is a grass with the botanical name of Cymbopogon nardus. The other most common plant you may see labeled as “citronella” is a geranium with the botanical name of Pelargonium ‘Citronella’ or Pelargonium citrosum.
Citronella or citrosa geranium has lemon-scented leaves that smell very similar to true citronella (and pretty flowers, too), but it does not have the same bug-repellent properties. Citrosa has been studied and found ineffective as a mosquito repellant.
So if you want the real thing, make sure you are buying citronella grass— not a geranium. You don’t need to be familiar with how geraniums look to tell the two apart since true citronella is a grass. The image below shows the geranium “citronella.”
How to Plant and Grow Citronella in Warm Zones
Starting Your Plants
If you live somewhere where temperatures do not drop below freezing, you should be able to grow citronella grass as a perennial and plant it straight in the ground.
However, the most difficult part may be sourcing your plants, since citronella is still not widely grown outside of its native area. A few online nurseries have started offering live seedlings that can be shipped to you, but you’ll need to order before they sell out. I have found one Etsy seller who has true citronella available:
Citronella Plants
Always make sure you are purchasing true citronella, Cymbopogan Nardus, not lemongrass or a geranium, if you want to repel insects.
The seeds are even harder to find, but they do sprout quite easily if you can get your hands on some. All you need to do is scatter them on top of the soil where you want them to grow and press them into the ground (don’t cover).
Alternatively, you can start citronella seeds indoors in small to medium pots by simply scattering a few seeds on top of a seed starting mix. Use a heat mat to help with germination, since citronella loves warmer temperatures. (Bonus – heat mats are also great for starting tomatoes and peppers!)
If you are lucky enough to know someone already growing citronella, ask them if you can take a small section of their clump to plant in your garden. Even a single stalk can be rooted in water or potting soil if that’s all they can spare.
When and Where to Plant Citronella Grass
Citronella can grow in full sun, but it prefers a lightly shaded area where light comes through for about 6-8 hours a day. An area that gets direct sun in the morning and early afternoon but is shaded during the hottest part of the day can also work well.
Rich loam soil is the ideal choice for citronella, but it adapts well to a wide variety of soil types. Water-logged soil is the only real deal-breaker for most grasses, so make sure you choose a spot that drains well.
Citronella is a pretty heavy feeder, which means it’s a good idea to add rotted manure or compost to your soil before planting. As a grass, citronella likes a lot of nitrogen. If you have backyard chickens, or a friend who does, you can soak a “handful” of chicken manure in water to extract nitrogen. This makes great free fertilizer, just don’t splash it on your lettuce.
Finally, remember that citronella can get several feet tall and wide, so give it a lot of space!
Citronella Care Tips
Citronella is originally from a climate with lots of humidity and rainfall, so you’ll need to provide it with supplemental water during dry spells, particularly when the weather is hot.
If you used a slow-release fertilizer when you planted, reapply it every spring to make sure your plants continue to get fed. Or if you prefer, fertilize with a nitrogen-containing liquid fertilizer (like fish emulsion) once a month except during the winter. I like Neptune’s Harvest products because they are organic. They also contain valuable micronutrients that will help feed your soil.
In late autumn, you can give your citronella a “haircut” by trimming it down to a height of 6-12”. This will stimulate lots of new growth in the spring and also helps to prevent re-seeding. The grass will spread, anyway – you don’t need to give it a bigger advantage by letting it go to seed!
After a few years, you will probably notice your clumps of grass getting big and “congested”. When this happens, dig them up, replant a small section of the clump, and relocate or give the rest away.
How to Plant and Grow Citronella in Colder Zones
Container Growing
If you’d like, you can plant citronella in the ground when the weather is warm enough and simply cut it down and compost it at the end of the season. But if you want to keep your plants going for several seasons, growing in pots is the best option.
However, it’s important to know that citronella is not a plant that can be grown in a small pot. It gets big and has a big root system, so you’ll need to start seedlings in a container no smaller than a gallon and plan to keep potting up as your plants grow.
To get a head start, start your citronella early indoors by purchasing starter plants or seeds.
Choose a good quality potting soil and add compost or a slow-release fertilizer to it. Also, make sure your containers have drainage holes in the bottom before filling them with soil and adding the seeds or plants.
Provide plenty of light as the seedlings grow from grow lights or a sunny window. You may need to add a small grow light, like this clip on LED grow light.
Care Tips + Overwintering Citronella Grass
Move your potted citronella plants outdoors in the summer once the weather has warmed and all danger of frost has passed. Set the containers in a sunny spot that gets afternoon shade or a lightly shaded area that gets bright light for 6-8 hours a day.
The soil in potted plants does tend to dry out more quickly and lose nutrients more quickly than soil in the ground. Be sure to water deeply during dry spells and regularly a nitrogen-containing liquid fertilizer. As mentioned above, you can soak chicken manure (from a clean, trusted source) or use something like Neptune’s Harvest. Most natural products don’t seem “high” nitrogen by comparison to synthetic fertilizers, but they contain valuable micronutrients that help build the soil. By contrast, synthetic fertilizers can burn the soil and kill microbiology.
If you notice that your citronella has stopped growing and/or looks too big for the pot, slide it out gently and repot it in a larger container with new potting soil. Or if your plants are getting too big for you to handle, divide a big clump and replant smaller sections of it into smaller containers.
Be sure to take all citronella plants indoors before the weather gets anywhere close to freezing.
Citronella Pests and Problems
The final part of learning how to plant and grow citronella is troubleshooting.
Thankfully, citronella rarely suffers from pest problems, most likely because it acts as a natural pest deterrent. It isn’t prone to any diseases, either, and even most bigger pests (deer, rabbits, etc.) will leave it alone.
The two biggest problems you might deal with are cold weather and too much sun. Plants will not survive temperatures below 32°F and grow best if the temperature is 60°F or above.
Scorched leaves are a sign your plants are getting too much direct sun and should be moved to a shadier location.
Using Your Home-Grown Citronella
You may not have the ability to distill essential oils from the leaves of your citronella plants, but you can still enjoy their strong fragrance.
Individual blades can be harvested at any time when plants are full grown and crushed to release their familiar scent. You can rub them directly on your skin (but make sure you don’t have an allergic reaction first) or look for a DIY recipe for a bug spray.
Or once you see how pretty citronella is in the landscape, you may just decide to let your plants grow and enjoy how they look!
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Natasha Garcia-Lopez is an avoid home-gardener and proud owner of 88 acres of land in rural West Virginia. She was a member of the Association for Living History Farms and Agricultural Museums for many years and is currently enrolled in the Oregon State University Master Gardner Short Course program so she can better assist you with your gardening questions.She holds a certificate in natural skincare from the School of Natural Skincare.
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