In astronomy, an equinox is the moment when the sun is located directly over the equator. In a wider sense, the equinoxes are the two days each year when the center of the Sun spends an equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on Earth. The word equinox derives from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night). This event occurs twice a year, around March 20 and September 23. This year the Autumnal Equinox will occur on September 22 at 11:03 PM CDT.

The Autumnal or Fall Equinox was also known as Mabon to our ancestors and was a time of great significance. Mabon was the harvest time; a time of plenty. This is the time when the land is full of the gifts of nature and the effort of humankind. Mabon, much like the modern day Thanksgiving, was a time for the final gathering of crops; a time for feasting and for celebrating the good fortune of the year and the completion of another turn of the Great Wheel. Because the Autumnal Equinox marks the beginning of shorter days and longer nights, it was also a time for preparing for the long months of winter that lie ahead.

It is at this time of year, after the final harvest, that gardeners prepare their plants and plots for the period of rest that will soon be upon us. One of the things we do every autumn that has actually become a tradition is to bring our Lemongrass plants in from outside. This rather simple task is one of the things that signals the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.

While not in the top 10 most common herbs, Lemongrass is an attractive herb with a multitude of uses. We use it extensively in Asian dishes, especially Vietnamese and Thai soups. Lemongrass whose botanical name is Cymbopogon.citratus, imparts a pungent, lemon flavor to any food and also makes a wonderfully soothing tea. Our cats actually prefer to “interact” with lemongrass leaves even more than catnip. The lemongrass plant is made up of a multitude of individual sections that are white on the bottom and green on the top; very much like a scallion. For culinary uses, typically only the tender white bulbous portion just above the roots is used. Lemongrass stalks can be harvested once they are about ½” thick at the base. To harvest, grasp the stalk near the ground and pull to remove from the soil. The green leaves can be chopped up and used for teas.

Lemongrass is a very tender perennial hardy to zone 9 so when grown outdoors in the north central climate, it must be brought inside for the winter. It is a clump forming wide-leafed grass that can grow up to 4 feet in height. It is a very attractive plant that looks great in a pot or in-ground as an accent plant or in multiples as a border. It is essentially an ornamental grass and can be grown and used as such. Lemongrass is native to southeast Asia and is considered a tropical plant. As such, it should be located in full sun and grown in fertile and moist (but not constantly wet) soil. Ideal growing conditions are temperatures from 65- 100 degrees and 40- 100% humidity. During the active growing season (March-April through August) apply a high-potassium fertilizer every two weeks

When grown under desirable conditions the plant will need to be divided every year or two to maintain it’s vigor. Division is easily done with a shovel. If the plant is growing in-ground, merely position the shovel in the center of the rootball and slice down far enough to cut the ball in half. Pry one-half of the plant out of the ground and put it into a suitable sized hole in another location. To divide a potted plant, perhaps the easiest approach is to remove the plant and rootball from the pot and set it on the ground. Using a sharp shovel, slice the plant and rootball in half and put one-half the plant back into the pot along with enough potting soil to fill the container. Either put the other half of the plant into another pot or plant it outside in an appropriately sized hole in the soil.

In the autumn before the first frost, the plant must be brought indoors. If in a pot this is no problem. If in-ground, dig up the plants root ball and pot in a planter along with an adequate amount of potting soil. If the plant will be located in a relatively warm place, cutting back approximately 1/3 of the green foliage is recommended. If the plant will be allowed to go somewhat dormant, say in a cool basement, the foliage can be left alone and cut back to ground level in the spring when the plant is again put into the ground. In either case, make sure the plant is watered regularly but not too heavily throughout the winter.

Both the plant and it’s essential oil is used in natural soaps. Lemongrass essential oil is good for circulation, digestion, muscle tone, acne and oily skin- and as an insect repellent. Lemongrass essential oil is used in Garden Spirit’s Herbal Harvest natural soap to provide fresh scent and skin-enhancing properties. Lemongrass essential oil is also used in our new all-natural Pet Shampoo to provide insect repelling properties. This new natural soap and pet shampoo, along with our other product offerings can be viewed in detail on our web site at www.gardenspirit.net

The Autumnal Equinox is a special time of year. If you are a gardener, it is easy to feel a renewed connection with the earth and to be joyous for it’s bounties. For everyone, this should be a time for reflection and thankfulness.