What happened to my plant

[Madiha Humbal]

I have tow lemon grass plants in my house. after the last heavy rainfall in karachi thier blades started to turn yellow sooo very fast that i was unable to prune them of the fear that thier may not be much left in them to survive. Also i saw some snail like pests in them as well. Please help me with my plants as i am unable to upload photos. can u help me with that too. also please tell me how to loosen up the soil in my potted plants its very sticky clay like and i feel it may suffocate the Roots and may not allow proper water drainage.

[Tahir Khan]

I have tow lemon grass plants in my house. after the last heavy rainfall in karachi thier blades started to turn yellow sooo very fast that i was unable to prune them of the fear that thier may not be much left in them to survive. Also i saw some snail like pests in them as well. Please help me with my plants as i am unable to upload photos. can u help me with that too. also please tell me how to loosen up the soil in my potted plants its very sticky clay like and i feel it may suffocate the Roots and may not allow proper water drainage.

I think the lemon grass plants are suffocating and drowning in waterlogged soil, the leaves have turned yellow because the acid in the soil has leached away and it has become alkaline, to correct this problem mix 1 teaspoon ferrous sulfate in 2-3 liters of water and water both the plants with it. if the plant roots have rotted then it is better to discard them and get a replacement.

Snails are common in gardens in rainy season remove them manually by hand. to correct the drainage of soil amend it with sand and fully rotted manure. 1 part clayey soil + 1 part sand + 2 parts fully rotted manure will do the trick.

[Farhan Ahmed]

Lemon Grass is a very hardy plant. It will recover from stress as soon as weather permits. Don't worry. Secondly remember to harvest lemon grass at regular intervals or else it will meet the same fate otherwise also.

[Madiha Humbal]

thanks for the info. but how do you harvest lemon grass. i am of the habit of using fresh blades in my food as garnishes. i just snip them off from thier joints and use them.