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Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
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Author:  veggie boy [ Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
I grow a few different grasses and other plants (including those in subject title - have east indian and west indian lemon grass) for various reasons such as stablisation, edging, liquid compost, chop and drop etc. I'm interested in other plants that I can use for this type of purpose, particularly clumping grasses and other plants that I can use to cover some bank areas here so as to eventually block out weeds.

To anybody in Brisbane who wants any of the above and has other grasses or permie plants to swap, let me know :-)

Hey - I'm particularly keen on getting some citronella (real citronella, not bloddy lemongrass :lol:).
Author:  chillidude [ Fri Jan 29, 2010 11:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
Hey VB - what's the difference between East Indian and West Indian lemongrass ? Didn't even know there was varieties. Taste or smell different, or is it just the form of the plant ?

Piccies would be great of course !
Author:  lee [ Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
vegie boy, my neighbuour has some cirtonella, i am meant to get some more. I could send you down some small clumps, grows pretty quiclkly. Because i am interested in your vetiver, can't get any up here. drop me a Pm if your interested.
Author:  veggie boy [ Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
Where are you lee. Maybe update your profile to show a location - I must do the same!
Author:  Jaymie [ Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
Lee is up here near me Veebs
Author:  veggie boy [ Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
Townsville itself or just the far north?
Author:  Jaymie [ Sat Jan 30, 2010 3:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
about the same distance from town as me, just to the north of Townsville
Author:  chillidude [ Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
chillidude wrote:
Hey VB - what's the difference between East Indian and West Indian lemongrass ? Didn't even know there was varieties. Taste or smell different, or is it just the form of the plant ?

Piccies would be great of course !

Bump !
Author:  veggie boy [ Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
Sorry Chilli - missed your post somehow. The East indian is much taller and gets big flushes of dark red seed heads.

They are not in seed at this time of year, but I might have a pic here somewhere. The stem of the west indian is a little more tender, but flavour would not be greatly different. A lot of people mistake the east indian for citronella.
Author:  veggie boy [ Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
This is the East Indian.

Image

Image

Below is the West Indian. Picture was at end of winter and it doesn't like the cold, hence why it looks so crap. But it should give you a good idea of the difference. Much shorter and no seed heads. If you look over to the left top of the picture, you will see the seed heads of a East Indian that is in a garden on a higher level. Probably the same one as pictures above. Notice the comfrey in front of the West Indian is also looking sad after coming through the cold of winter.

BTW - the West Indian is looking much better now :wink: and I have also recently potted about 40 plants from it which I am about to plant as edging around my garden patch :thumb:

Image
Author:  veggie boy [ Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
If I remember, tomorrow I'll take a pic of the East Indian to show what it looks when it comes back from a good haircut. I use my hedge trimmer to chop and drop them for mulch. The ones in the pics above were not a very big or dense, but I took the pictures of them because it displayed the seed heads well. From the pics I take tomorrow you will see how they are a valuable chop and drop (mulch) plant.
Author:  earthbound [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
Interesting, I never even realized there were different lemon grasses I must have had the west Indian in the past. Looks nice n lush there VB.
Author:  chillidude [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
Yeah - I guess I've only ever had the West Indian too.

Looking a lot greener there VB, than here - what are we at now Joel - 70+ days of no rain ?
Author:  earthbound [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
Dunno, been a while though...
Author:  Jaymie [ Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Vetiver, lemon grass, comfrey and arrowroot, pigeon pea
chillidude wrote:

Looking a lot greener there VB, than here - what are we at now Joel - 70+ days of no rain ?

I think we've had about 70min without rain?
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