Do you know lemongrass or citronella? You may know that it is used in many homes to repel mosquitoes or other small insects, or for its various medicinal uses in herbalism. It is a magnificent plant in all its aspects: it helps us to drive away annoying critters, its smell is intensely refreshing, it has healing properties, it is very beautiful and requires little care. But despite the fact that citronella is not a plant that needs us to be constantly aware of it, in this OneHowTo.com article we give you some tips on how to care for a citronella so that you keep it in perfect condition throughout the year.
Steps to follow:
1
The lemongrass or citronella you need to live in places with hot climates. The first thing we must take into account if we want plant a citronella in our garden, the best time to do it is in the spring season.
Because citronella plants do not withstand cold temperatures well, it is advisable to transplant them into a pot in autumn and protect them from frost indoors, making sure that all possible light reaches them, place it under a window or a balcony. During this period, water less frequently and allow the soil to dry completely before rehydrating.
2
If you want a mosquito-repellent plant in your garden, dig a hole or place it in a pot that is twice the size of the current pot. Next, cover the plant with a combination of three parts of potting soil and one part of soil.
Citronella is a plant that needs a lot of sunThat is why you should place it somewhere in your garden where it can receive at least six hours of sun a day.
3
Plant it in an area that is well drained, making sure that the water will not stagnate around it. Remember to water the plant well, especially in times of drought, and remove any yellow leaves that appear. In the following article we will show you a simple way of how to make a home automatic watering system.
4
Like all medicinal and pot plants, the lemongrass or citronella It needs the application of some type of substrate for plants every fifteen days, approximately.
If you have citronella in a pot, you can add pieces of broken pots to the bottom so that the hole does not clog and maintain good drainage of the substrate.
On the other hand, it is not advisable to use garden soil as a substrate. Garden soil is much more compact and does not allow the pot to drain well because it has a lot of clay. This can lead to the appearance of fungi or weeds around your plant from mosquitoes.
5
Once your plant is well cared for, you can use it for different medicinal and cosmetic purposes in a very simple and beneficial way. To find out how to get the most out of it, we recommend that you consult the article Homemade uses of citronella.
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