Vetiver Root, Khus Khus 'Sunshine'

In addition to its many other practical uses, this long-lived, tropical, perennial bunch grass makes a very beautiful garden plant. It ca...Read Moren be grown as an annual north of the limit of its hardiness.

Evergreen even in semi-arid conditions, the foliage turns a lovely bronze/burgundy color in fall through winter. The habit is stiffly upright, and leaves can reach 7' tall. Like many grasses, the leaf edges are sharp. For tidiness, it should be cut back hard in spring before new growth begins.

The roots run straight down, and so do not compete with those of neighboring plants. Rhizomes are very short, and spread is extremely slow. (Some vetiver hedges are 200 years old.)

Clumps never require division, but are easily propagated by division in spring. They are also easily removed by digging out the crown, or by glyphosate herbicide. There are no significant pests or diseases.

Extraordinarily adaptable, vetiver can survive immersion in clear water for up to two months. Because of its deep roots, it also grows well in semi-arid climates without irrigation. It's highly adaptable about soil texture and pH, and tolerant of salt and toxic levels of at least 7 heavy metals.

Vetiver makes wonderful hedges 6' high and 18" wide within a year after planting one plug every 6 inches.

The species (from north India) has proven invasive (by seed) in some places, such as the Caribbean and Australia, but modern cultivars of south Indian provenance (such as 'Sunshine') rarely bloom and, when they do, produce sterile seeds. They are not invasive. 88% of samples taken from countries outside south Asia were found to be a single clone genetically indistinguishable from 'Sunshine'. http://www.vetiver.org/USA-USDA-NRCS_Sunshine.pdf

This grass has many uses, and all are valuable. It is sometimes grown in gardens for the ornamental foliage effect, by me and by others. The leaves are traditionally used for animal fodder (when young) and for thatch, and now for biomass fuel production and phytoremediation of industrial contamination. They also make a great mulch. The roots and leaves have been used in weaving and basketry. The essential oil distilled from the roots has a sandalwood fragrance and is used in soaps and as a fixative in perfume, as well as in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Various biologically active compounds are under investigation, as (for example) a fungicide and a termite repellant. In India, vetiver hedges grown on contour have been used to stabilize steep eroding slopes and establish terraces (and to increase water infiltration) for hundreds of years. They are also used as windbreaks, fire breaks, and nurse plants.

None of these uses renders any other "incorrect". Worldwide, most of the vetiver in cultivation is used in soil/water conservation and slope stabilization. Plants grown for their oil constitute a tiny fraction of those in cultivation. And those grown in gardens for their ornamental qualities are a smaller part still. http://www.vetiver.org/TVN_book.pdf

I'm posting a negative because the information on this page is incorrect. It is not grown for the foliage, it's grown for the aromatic ro...Read Moreots. The foliage can reach 8 feet, the roots 12 feet deep. It is best grown in deep pots if you wish to harvest the roots, so that you can unearth them when the plants are 18 months old, clean and dry the roots and use them for extracts.

It is useful for erosion control if you don't want the roots for fragrance.

Fantastic plant. Non-invasive and super easy to grow. Adapts to all soil types and moisture situations. Fast growth in subtropical to tr...Read Moreopical zones. Regenerates quickly from cold snaps but root crown will not survive long freezes lasting more than 3 days. Fragrant roots known to repel termites and nematodes.