Keep Ticks Out Of The Garden With A Fresh-Smelling Plant You Can Enjoy

Some people might think of ticks as a spring and summer pest, but if you live in a region with a mild winter, like some parts of the South, ticks often become a year-round problem. One way to cut down on these disease-spreading pests is to try planting lemongrass. This tasty grass is a member of a group of plants that can keep ticks at bay.

You might know lemongrass (Cymbopogon) from its use in delicious soup and curry recipes. This edible, ornamental grass is native to India and Sri Lanka, and adds a nice texture to the border in your garden. Hardy in the warmer USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 8 through 11, it comes from a pest-repelling family — as a relative of citronella — and is a common ingredient used in candles designed to repel mosquitoes. While there's not a lot of evidence about whether the lemongrass plant alone repels ticks, it is true that in concentrated essential oil, lemongrass effectively drives off ticks in the lab. The bugs hate the smell, and lemongrass oil interferes with their ability to identify a good host, which could be our pets or us.

Lemongrass doesn't just deter ticks, either. It's also a plant that keeps wasps away, too. It has two chemicals bugs don't like: citral and geranyl acetate. Because of this, lemongrass oil can be made into a DIY bug repellent. Just don't put concentrated oil directly on your skin. When it isn't diluted, it can cause rashes. Lemongrass is also poisonous to pets if they eat it, so keep that in mind before planting. 

While more than 50 varieties of plants exist in the Cymbopogon family, only two are what we think of as common types of lemongrass: West-Indian lemongrass (C. citratus) and East-Indian lemongrass (C. flexuosus). Typically, you find West-Indian lemongrass more often in the kitchen than East-Indian lemongrass. Both varieties hate the cold. If you live in the Midwest and endure colder winters, you can always grow this tender perennial as an annual or put it in a container and bring it indoors to overwinter.

When thinking about where to plant this versatile grass, pick highly organic, loamy soil and a sunny spot. Lemongrass needs between 6 and 8 hours of sun to thrive, even in places where it's typically hot. This tropical-climate-loving plant won't wilt in the heat, but it does get thirsty. Be sure to water it at least once a week — maybe twice during heat waves.

Lemongrass can be grown from seed relatively easily, but you should be able to find small plants at your nursery, too. Or you can propagate it through cuttings. Be sure to transplant it outside in the spring after the threat of frost passes. It might take a while to mature, and you probably won't see a lot of dynamic changes with this plant until the summer brings the real heat and humidity. Then, this tropical plant will grow like wildfire. Expect its clumps of long grass to reach heights of 3 or even 4 feet tall.