Citronella Plant Pointers: Aromatic Associates

Citronella oil, the savior contained in the battle in opposition to the mighty mosquito! For a lot of who reside in a heat humid native local weather then you should have heard of citronella on account of the oil utilized in a burner, a candle or a magnificence lotion smothered on the pores and pores and pores and skin to repel mosquitoes from biting. Nonetheless, have you ever ever learnt the place it comes from? Correctly, let me introduce you to the citronella plant, Cymbopogon nardus!

The citronella plant is to not be confused with one completely different lemony ‘supposed’ insect repellent plant, the scented geranium, Pelargonium citrosum (or Citrosa geranium).  The scented geranium, generally typically often known as citronella geranium, is straightforward on the attention and smells implausible, nevertheless it definitely does nothing contained in the battle in opposition to pests.

The true citronella plant is a big tufted perennial grass with inexperienced leaves rising upright to 6ft tall (1.8m) and 4ft large (1.2m) throughout the precise circumstances.  It’s the oil contained all by means of the leaves that repels bugs and it might solely be harvested by means of crushing the leaves.  The existence of those grasses with their medium inexperienced texture alone is not going to discourage mosquitos. 

The plant’s oil has an extended historic earlier of medicinal use akin to treating lice, parasites, or worms, together with relieving migraines and fevers.  Its antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties make it helpful in each cleansing and surprise merchandise offering them with an unmistakable lemon scent. Planting it’s an environment friendly method so as in order so as to add numerous contrasting textures to your yard.

Fast Care Information

All About The Citronella Plant

For a lot of who uncover a plant at yard companies or large self-discipline retailers with the botanical set up Cymbopogon nardus or Cymbopogon winterianus then you definitely positively positively could be assured you may want found the well known citronella plant, moreover known as citronella grass, geranium grass, mosquito plant, and nardus grass. It comes from the plant household Poaceae. This grass plant is an upright tufted grass with lance-shaped bluish-green leaves sprouting from extended brownish-red erect stems and rising to 3-4 ft extended (90-120cm).

Citronella grass is an fragrant evergreen perennial, native to Sri Lanka nonetheless frequent in most warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical areas of Asia and Africa.  In cooler climates, citronella crops are grown as annuals and launched indoors over winter. It’s intently associated to lemon grass.

When optimum circumstances are met for rising, the citronella plant will produce panicles of flowers on spikelets borne on extended flowering stems protruding as quite a bit as 6ft from the middle of the plant.  These flowers will readily self-seed nonetheless require fastened temperatures of between 20-22 C to germinate. Seeds are gentle brown, dry, and typical of grasses/cereals.  Crops grown in cooler climates are quite a bit a lot much less further susceptible to provide viable flowers. 

Mosquito crops will unfold naturally by means of creeping underground rhizomes and will develop to be considerably invasive of their pure tropical native local weather with its vigorous rising habits, out-competing current flora and cultivated crops.

This grass is normally grown in a summer season season season border or in window packing containers for its insect repellent properties.  Many gardeners take into consideration that the citrus aroma of crops is ample to repel mosquitos like bug zappers nonetheless sadly this isn’t true.  It’s the oil contained all by means of the leaves that’s utilized in mosquito repellents, nevertheless it definitely must be extracted first by means of the technique of distillation.  For a lot of who merely crush the leaves by hand you’ll launch some oil, nonetheless not ample for repelling mosquitoes. Nonetheless, some gardeners swear that crushing and rubbing the leaves on their pores and pores and pores and skin might be going one in all many pure methods to utilize a mosquito repellent, and that citronella scent could also be worthwhile in retaining numerous mosquitoes away everytime you’re working contained in the yard! Most attention-grabbing to pair them with bug zappers for finest outcomes.

The extracted important oil of citronella mosquito crops has a sturdy lemony perfume usually used to fragrance cosmetics, soaps, deodorants, and pores and pores and pores and skin lotions considerably used as mosquito repellents.  Citronella candles and oil burners are used at night time as mosquito repellent.  The anti-bacterial and anti-fungal nature of the oil makes it fantastic for cleansing and disinfecting merchandise.  Warning ought to be used when utilizing these merchandise.  Inhaling the oil vapors might set off an allergic response in some individuals and citronella oil can also irritate delicate pores and pores and pores and skin. The citronella plant shouldn’t be going to be edible, in distinction to its shut cousin Cymbopogon citratus, normally generally often known as lemon grass.

You most likely have purchased a ‘citronella plant’ with lacy foliage and a citrus scent, then it’s almost truly you may want lemon-scented geranium, generally typically often known as the citronella geranium, which is definitely a part of the geranium household.  The lacy leaves scent very like this grass, nonetheless the leaves don’t comprise the insect repellent citronella oil and on account of this reality are ineffective at retaining these pesky mosquitoes from biting. Sadly, members of the geranium household could also be lovely crops to your yard amongst completely completely different flowers, nonetheless their lacy leaves merely don’t repel mosquitoes efficiently!

Planting Citronella Plant

Mosquito plant could be planted all yr prolonged if grown in tropical, subtropical, or heat temperate climates. The vigorously rising mosquito plant obtained’t take extended to find out. In cooler climates wait till late spring to early summer season season season before planting out into the yard.   

Select a location in full photograph voltaic with some partial shade on the most popular a part of the day for mosquito plant. Leaves can develop to be merely scorched and look ugly. This grass is adaptable to most soil varieties, nonetheless the mosquito plant prefers moist loam-based soil that’s well-draining.

Rising mosquito crops from seed shouldn’t be going to be advisable as germination could be erratic.  The vigorous progress and rhizomatic roots make it a necessary candidate for propagation from division. 

Citronella grass is sweet for rising as potted crops on account of it lets you change crops into a wide range of areas to fit your needs.  It’s doable you’ll ought to put money into better pots as your container crops outgrow smaller containers, or just divide the plant and replant a division throughout the equal container and share the others with fellow gardeners.  Container rising mosquito plant is an environment friendly threat for colder zones on account of it permits your plant to be merely moved indoors over winter to guard them from frost. 

Citronella Plant Care

This grass is native to the tropics. Nonetheless, it is vitally adaptable to cooler climates in case you understand strategies to deal with it. Let’s focus on mosquito crops, knowledge you’ll ought to know to deal with them, and sustaining their beautiful foliage in your yard!

Picture voltaic and Temperature

Citronella is primarily a sub-tropical grass with a various for full photograph voltaic (a minimal of six hours) and heat temperatures.  In terribly widespread climates present shade or filtered daylight by means of the most popular time of the day to forestall the leaves from scorching, make sure it will probably get a minimal of six hours of daylight. In areas with quite a bit a lot much less warmth, give the plant additional gentle.

Don’t let this plant’s tropical origins put you off rising it in case you could be positioned north of the equator!  Hardy to USDA zones 10-12, the citronella plant can tolerate temperatures all the best way by which proper all the way down to 32ºF (0ºC) nonetheless is not going to tolerate extended intervals of frost. Carry your citronella indoors in massive pots when the primary frost is forecast.

Water and Humidity

Present extended deep drinks when the soil begins to dry out or present irrigation by means of soaker/drip hoses to deal with fastened moisture.  This grass prefers persistently moist soil nonetheless surprisingly can tolerate extended intervals of drought. Scale back watering by means of the winter months nonetheless verify repeatedly to make sure crops haven’t completely dried out, considerably these grown in containers. A soaker hose or completely completely different form of drip irrigation on the underside of the plant may very well be utilized to assist in watering your yard.

Soil

For optimum outcomes develop citronella in a wealthy loam-based, free-draining soil or compost. Citronella is also very adaptive to most soil varieties and as shortly as established will do efficiently.  The place soils are very poor, dig in some pure matter before planting to provide dietary nutritional vitamins and to assist with moisture retention.  Soil pH should be impartial, and efficiently drained soils are finest.

Fertilizing

Fertilize citronella yearly in spring with an impressive top of the range slow-release nitrogen-rich fertilizer. In case your plant is making an attempt significantly lackluster, then a fast feed with a liquid nitrogen fertilizer or all objective plant meals should convey it as soon as extra to healthful rising habits. Along with a first-rate inch of compost only a few events a yr all through the underside of your plant will even work in lieu of fertilizers or all objective plant meals.

Pruning

Citronella crops require little or no pruning when grown of their pure surroundings. At most, maybe they will income from the odd trim of brown leaves and deadheading each few weeks to forestall self-seeding. Crops grown in containers in cooler climates will income from a tough prune to six inches (15cm) above the crown before bringing them correct proper right into a sheltered home or indoors over winter. New shoots will seem in spring prepared for going as soon as extra out of doors.

Propagation

This grass is unlikely to develop viable seeds until grown in optimum native local weather circumstances.  Even with viable seeds, germination is erratic. The principle form of propagation for citronella crops is through division. The vigorous rising nature of citronella lends itself totally for division to maintain up plant measurement beneath administration.  It’s furthermore an environment friendly answer to maintain container-grown crops in verify.

Divide a healthful plant that may be a minimal of 2-3 years outdated and has developed an impressive root system.  Dig up the whole plant and utilizing a noticed, spade or knife divide the plant into as many divisions you require.  Pot every division up individually or replant into new positions contained in the yard.  Water efficiently till crops are established. If utilizing this methodology, assure there’s ample time for the mannequin new mosquito crops to develop to be well-established before the primary frost.

Root cuttings are one different various in case you happen to don’t want to dig up a whole plant. Root cuttings should be taken in winter when crops are dormant and their roots are nutrient-rich, thus giving cuttings among the many best likelihood to develop.  Merely take away soil from the underside of the plant till roots are seen and reduce off 2-3 inches of root with a clear pair of snips. Place the slicing correct proper right into a pot of compost and place someplace vivid and heat, retaining the compost moist.  Shoots ought to seem in early spring.

Troubleshooting

Citronella is a straightforward plant to deal with with few rising factors.  Listed beneath are only a few factors to look out for merely in case. Figuring out these will help you shield a healthful plant.

Rising Factors

Your mosquito plant advantages from afternoon shade to guard the leaves from photograph voltaic scorch by means of the most popular time of the day.  The scorched leaves are ugly and the hurt reduces the plant’s expertise to photosynthesize thus lowering the plant’s regular correctly being.

Moist toes can be an issue for citronella crops.  Though they like soil to be persistently moist, heavy moist soil will scale back the flexibility of the plant to take up dietary nutritional vitamins from the soil and will set off crops to deteriorate. It might even set off root rot and the demise of the plant.  Develop citronella grass in free-draining, loam-based soil to avoid this rising draw again.

Pests

This citronella tends to not be affected by pests.

Sicknesses

Commercially grown citronella could be topic to leaf blight.  That is notably prevalent in sub-tropical climates the place crops are grown densely to offer citronella oil. Lack of air circulation presents fantastic circumstances for blight to take preserve and will end in a discount in each the amount and top of the range of oil extracted.  Blight is means a lot much less frequent in residence gardens until crops are allowed to develop to be very congested.  Indicators of blight are darkish spots or lesions on leaves from which necrosis begins to rot the leaves.  Take away and destroy affected leaves instantly.  Divide congested crops each few years and take away ineffective or dying foliage to spice up air circulation. Copper fungicides could also be helpful to assist forestall blight.

Ceaselessly Requested Questions

Q: Do citronella crops really shield mosquitoes away?

A: The oil extracted from the leaves of citronella crops has some pure mosquito repellent qualities when utilized in candles, lotions, and oil burners.  The crops of their pure kind don’t assist in repelling mosquitoes.

Q: Does citronella plant like photograph voltaic or shade?

A: Citronella plant likes to develop in a vivid sunny spot, nonetheless will income from some shade on the most popular a part of the day to guard leaves from scorch.

Q: Is citronella an impressive houseplant?

A: Citronella is generally confused with the citronella geranium or scented geraniums (Pelargonium citrosum, generally typically often known as Citrosa geranium), which have a lemony scent and make improbable houseplants. Sadly, the citronella geranium doesn’t repel mosquitoes.  True citronella crops are massive grasses rising as quite a bit as 6ft tall and 4ft large and are unsuitable for lots of indoor progress for very extended. It does make for an beautiful patio plant as most individuals have sufficient house on their patio for an excellent greater species.