Lemongrass Chinese - Liana length up to 15 m. This is one of 14 species of schisandra, which naturally grows in the Far East of Russia.
Did you know? Even the ancient Chinese and Tibetan doctors knew all about the healing properties of Chinese magnolia vine and used it along with ginseng.All parts of this plant contain biologically active substances, have tonic, stimulating qualities and are used to prepare healing drinks, decoctions, tinctures with a pleasant lemon scent. Thanks to the beneficial properties and decorativeness of Chinese Schizandra, many people are interested in the rules for growing and caring for them.
How to care for Chinese lemongrass, the rules of watering the plant
Let's talk about How to grow Chinese lemongrass in his country house. The basis of success in growing Chinese lemongrass is the choice of a site for planting. Lemongrass does not tolerate drafts, shade-tolerant, but bears fruit well in good light. Therefore, it is necessary to plant a liana from the east or west side of the building, but the lower part of the plant should be pritened with low shrubs or flowers.
This plant needs nutrient and permeable soil. It does not tolerate stagnant water, but is picky about moisture, so on hot days it is necessary to spray the plant and water it regularly, mulching the soil with dry soil or foliage after each watering. About 60 l of warm water is used per one adult watering plant. Also, the soil under the lemongrass need to fluff to a depth of 2-3 cm.
Important!Lemongrass Chinese can be both dioecious and monoecious. In dioecious plants, the ratio of female and male flowers may vary depending on environmental conditions, therefore, for a guaranteed harvest, it is necessary to plant single-field plants of different sexes.
How to feed the lemongrass Chinese
Caring for Chinese lemongrass is also in the correct feeding. Fertilizer should be applied in the form of mulch, while watering and weeding the soil.
When you need plant nutrition
In the first years of life, lemongrass can be fertilized with leaf compost or humus. Mineral fertilizers can be applied only in the third year after planting.
How to feed a plant
Of mineral fertilizers suitable for lemongrass nitrate, nitrophoska, potassium sulfate, superphosphate. From organic - humus, dry bird droppings, compost, wood ash.
Feeding scheme
Fertilizing lemongrass mineral fertilizers can be three times during the growing season. The first time should be fertilized in April before bud break at the rate of 40 g of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen per 1 sq. M. The second time - in the period of growth of the ovary 15 g of potassium and phosphorus and 20 g of nitrogen. And the last time - in the autumn after harvesting phosphorus-potassium fertilizer of 30 g. But it is better to apply organic fertilizers every 3 weeks during the growing season.
How to do pruning lemongrass
Pruning lemongrass is necessary not only to form the crown, but also to increase the yield. In the summer, during the period of strong branching, it should be thinned lemongrass, pruning the shoots of 10-12 buds. In the fall, when the foliage falls, you also need to remove excess shoots, cut off all dried branches and old unproductive vines. It is optimal if 5-6 young vines remain in the bush. In the spring is not recommended to cut lemongrass, so as not to cause excessive loss of juice. It is also necessary to remove up to half of the root offspring located furthest from the plant. Root offsprings are cut below ground level, and this can be done in the fall and in the spring. 
Important!In order to avoid a strong disturbance of the root system and the death of Schisandra, it is impossible to remove all the root shoots.
Lemongrass Transplant
Let's talk now about how to replant lemongrass. If lemongrass is grown from seeds, and was sown densely, then seedlings should be planted when the third leaf appears. At the place of sowing seedlings can grow for 2-3 years, then transplant them to a permanent place. Plants grown from cuttings are optimally prepared for transplantation also in the third year, when the root system becomes well developed. It is best to transplant lemongrass seedlings in the fall - from mid-September to October, when the heat subsides. Before winter, the seedlings will take root and will grow intensively in early spring. But in early spring, in April, lemongrass can also be transplanted.
For planting lemongrass pre-prepare a pit 40 cm deep and 50-60 cm wide, at the bottom of which you must lay a drainage - expanded clay, crushed stone or broken brick. Fill the pit better with a mixture of sod land, leaf compost and humus, taken in equal parts. To make the soil more nutritious, you can add a little wood ash and superphosphate.
When planting, pay attention that the root neck of the seedling remains at ground level. Young seedlings take root easily, and before transplanting adult lemongrass, weigh all the pros and cons and, in addition to preparing a new place, try to dig it out with a clod of earth, because lemongrass does not tolerate the drying of the roots. After transplantation, the plants are watered abundantly and hardened for 2-3 weeks.
How to build supports for lemongrass
Support for the Chinese magnolia is a necessary condition for obtaining a good harvest and a beautiful view. Without a support, such a liana will grow a bush, the branches will be deprived of good lighting, and female flowers will not form on them.
Important!The best support for lemongrass is a trellis, which must be installed immediately after planting.Trowel need to deepen into the ground at least 0.5 m, so that it can withstand the weight of the plant. It is recommended to install a trellis with a height of 2.5 m and a width of 3 m, the wire is stretched at a distance of about 30 cm, the first level is 0.5 m from the ground. In the first two years after planting, lemongrass must be tied up, then it will curl around the support itself. The lemongrass or wall of the building can be wrapped very nicely, for this, instead of a trellis, install inclined ladders with an emphasis on building. Also lemongrass is used as a hedge.
Chinese lemongrass: how to harvest and store crops
Harvest of lemongrass in the fall in late September - October, cutting the clusters with a whole sharp knife, so as not to damage the vines. Do not pick berries in metal or galvanized dishes, because they oxidize in it - it is better to use baskets, boxes or enameled containers. The harvest must be processed within 24 hours, because the berries deteriorate very quickly.
Lemongrass berries are recommended for storage. To dry the berries for 3 days, they can be dried under a canopy, then sorted and dried in an oven at 50-60 ° С. Dried berries are stored in a dry, ventilated area for several years.
You can grind the berries with sugar in a ratio of 1: 2 and store in the refrigerator, you can freeze, you can squeeze the juice, for better taste without damaging the pits, mix it with sugar in a ratio of 1: 2, sealed and stored in a cool place. Jams, jams, compotes, wine are made from the berries of lemongrass, but to preserve all the beneficial properties of the fruits of lemongrass it is not possible to heat them to more than 60 ° C.
Did you know?The fruits of Schisandra Chinese in the East are called the berries of five tastes, because they are both sweet, and bitter, and sour, and tart, and salty.
Preparation of lemongrass for the winter
Lemongrass Chinese - frost-resistant plant, which is explained by its habitat. Therefore, do not remove adult plants from supports, they do not need protection, and with frosts up to 35 ° C they can lose only a part of the crown, which will quickly recover. But, if the frosts are up to 40 ° C, then you should grow lemongrass on hooks and remove it from the support for the winter and cover it with dry leaves. Seedlings, saplings and young plants up to 3-4 years of life must be covered with dry leaves of 10-15 cm or spruce branches. If the shoots of young plants are small, they can be removed from the support and also covered.
