Can you row citronella from cuttings? Yes, of course! Read here to know more about how to grow citronella plant from cutting.
Citronella plant is also known as the mosquito plant because of its unique lemony scent that repels mosquitos.
In addition, this is easy to use as well. Most people would rub the leaves of the plant against the skin to get its fragrance.
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Is Citronella Plant Easy To Grow?
Growing the mosquito plant is easy. They are also a favorite when it comes to propagation as they can easily multiply, too. In the succeeding sections, we will discuss how to grow citronella plant from cutting.
This perennial grass can grow as tall as 5 to 6 feet. The perfect condition to grow this plant is in places wherein frost and extremely low temperatures do not occur.
However, you can still grow the citronella plant even if you live in a place that has four seasons. You just need to take the necessary precautions to protect the plant from frostbites. It is ideally planted in a pot. This is because this plant is very sensitive and putting in pots makes it easier for you to transfer the citronella indoors during winter.
Another thing to remember is to provide well-drain pots for this plant. Lastly, please do observe that you apply fertilizers that are rich in nitrogen. Do this periodically to ensure that the plant grows healthily. Experts recommend that you apply fertilizers once a year in spring.
Different Ways To Grow Citronella Plants
Below, we will share some details when to use seedlings and cuttings to grow the citronella plant:
Growing Citronella From Seeds
Seed propagation is the traditional way of growing plants but this takes a long time too. Growing citronella from seedlings takes patience and a lot more stages to consider. Experts reveal that there is no trick to growing this plant from seedlings. There are only patience and utmost care when nursing the seedlings.
But don’t let this drawback confuse you as growing citronella from seeds is ideal for those who want to choose a range of colors for their plants. You can decide what colors you want, from scarlet red, orange, to bi-colors like coral and pink or orange and salmon.
Growing Citronella From Cuttings
Growing citronella from cuttings is by far what many gardeners choose to do these days. This is because it is a quick and easy process.
This is recommended for those who want to get thrifty as you only need a mother plant to get your cuttings from. You don’t need to wait longer and you can skip the nursery stage in which you put the seedlings in a controlled environment.
How To Grow Citronella Plant From Cuttings?
In this section, we will discuss the steps on how to grow citronella plant from cuttings. Since this is the easiest and quickest way to multiply citronella, a lot of people want to follow this process.
So, here you go:
1. The Perfect Timing
Some people say that the best time to grow citronella is during spring, but for growing this plant from cuttings, it is best to do so in fall. The fall season is when the plant starts to enter the dormant stage, so taking a cutting during this time lessens the chance of harming the plant.
2. Choose The Mother
You should pick a healthy citronella plant where you will get your cuttings from. This is crucial to ensure that both the mother plant will not be harmed and the cuttings will grow successfully. Get your cuttings from the plant with more leaves and is a bit taller.
3. Start Cutting
Cut around 3 to 5 inches from the plant’s branch. Also, get rid of the leaves from the cutting except for the two or three leaves on the top.
4. Planting Tray Preparation
In this stage, you need to prepare the soil which is a mixture of peat and sand. Then put it in the rooting medium. You also need to sprinkle the mixture with water to moisten the soil.
Remember that balanced soil chemistry is needed to make sure that the cuttings will start rooting.
5. Apply Rooting Hormone and Start Planting
How to grow citronella from cutting successfully?
Use a rooting hormone.
Dip the cuttings in the rooting hormone before you put them in the tray with rooting medium. Don’t put too much hormone though. Just let the hormone coat the base of the cutting. This thin coating is enough to protect the cuttings from infection, as well as stimulate rooting.
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