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How to plant cilantro


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How to Grow Cilantro

Cilantro needs full sun or light shade in southern zones since it bolts quickly in hot weather. It grows best in a well-drained, moist soil. Cilantro plants should be spaced about 6 to 8 inches apart. To harvest fresh cilantro all season, make successive sowings every 2 to 3 weeks starting in late spring.

From the time of sowing seed, cilantro leaves can begin to be harvested in about 3 to 4 weeks. Cilantro seeds can be harvested in about 45 days.

History of Cilantro (Coriander)

Cilantro, has been used for many centuries in the cooking of Mexico, India, Africa, Spain, Russia, China, many areas of Asia - especially Thailand, and the Middle East. It is thought to be native to North Africa or the Middle East. In addition to its many culinary uses, cilantro seeds were used medicinally, especially as a sleep and digestion aid.

Cilantro vs Coriander

Throughout most of North America, the stalks and leaves of the Coriandum Sativum plant are known as cilantro and the plant's dried seeds are called coriander. However, in different parts of the world, the plant is known as coriander & seeds called coriander seeds.

Should I Plant Cilantro Seeds or Plants?

Cilantro is best grown by directly sowing seed in the garden for two reasons. It grows so quickly it needs no head start indoors, and since cilantro develops a taproot, it doesn’t like being transplanted.

However, if you can’t wait to harvest some fresh cilantro leaves in late spring, about 2 weeks before the average last frost date start cilantro indoors in peat pots that can be directly transplanted into the garden. Seeds germinate in about 7 to 10 days.

Cultivating Cilantro Seeds and Plants

Prepare soil by adding some compost or other organic matter to the planting area and working it into the soil to a depth of at least 18 inches. Rake the area smooth. Sow cilantro seeds 1/4-inch deep directly in the garden in late spring or early summer. Sow seeds or thin to 6 to 8 inches apart in rows spaced about 1 foot apart. Provide plenty of moisture and feed cilantro plants with a water-soluble fertilizer when they reach about 2 inches in height.

Since cilantro grows so quickly, it can also be sown again in the fall in warmer zones. For a steady supply of fresh leaves all summer, make successive sowings of cilantro seed every 2 to 3 weeks beginning in the spring.

Cilantro Growing Tips

When growing cilantro, the aim is to maximize foliage. Pinch back young cilantro plants an inch or so to encourage fuller, bushier plants. Snip off the top part of the main stem as soon as it appears to be developing flower buds or seedpods. Cutting off the flower heads redirects the cilantro plants’ energy back into leaf, and not flower or seed production.

Watch the plants carefully as the weather gets hotter. Cilantro has a short life cycle and bolts quickly (develops seed) in hot weather. Once cilantro sets seeds, the plant quickly starts to degrade.

If seeds are allowed to develop, you’ll notice how easily cilantro self-sows when you see delicate, lacy-leaf seedlings growing up around mature plants.

 

Growing Cilantro in Containers

What Insects & Diseases Affect Cilantro?

Cilantro rarely has serious problems with insects or diseases. In fact, probably due to cilantro’s strong scent, it is considered an insect repellant. Two diseases that could be a problem are leaf spot and powdery mildew. Leaf spot appears as small yellow spots that turn into larger brown spots. Excess moisture and poor air circulation most often cause the problem. Prevent leaf spot by making sure cilantro plants are grown in a well-drained soil, are not over watered, and are thinned out enough to allow good air circulation around them.

Powdery mildew appears as a powdery white coating on the foliage usually during hot, dry periods. Prevent powdery mildew by giving cilantro plants adequate moisture and avoid overcrowding.

Cilantro Harvesting Tips

For Cilantro
The leaves can be cut at any time. Use the upper, new, finely cut leaves in cooking, but not the mature, lower ferny-type leaves. Cilantro is not normally saved and dried like other culinary herbs since, as stated, it loses almost its entire flavor when dried.

For Coriander
The large coriander seeds are easy to harvest and handle. Harvest on a dry day. Cut the top of the stems when the seedpods begin to turn brown and crack if pressed. Make sure pods are harvested before they release seeds into the garden. Once stems are cut, place seedpods in a paper bag so seeds will be caught. Finish the ripening process for a few weeks in a dark, well-ventilated, cool place. Pods can be shaken or rolled around in your hands to release the seeds.

If you’re growing the plant for seed, don’t bother fertilizing since that may delay flowering and thus seed production.

Cilantro Recipes & Storage

Salsa Verde

Cilantro Guacamole

Cilantro Butter

To have a taste of fresh cilantro after your plants are finished, make cilantro butter. It freezes well.

Cilantro butter is delicious on steamed vegetables and good with a little salt and lime juice on hot corn-on-the-cob.

 

May 18, 2021

How to Grow Cilantro in a Pot or in Your Garden – Bonnie Plants

Try growing cilantro for fresh flavor in everything from salsa to marinade. Cilantro prefers cool weather, so plant in spring or fall.

Cilantro needs its own space in the garden where you can harvest it and then let it go to seed. It grows fast in the cool weather of spring and fall, creating a rosette of lacy leaves. When the weather gets warm, the plant sends up a long, lanky flower stalk bearing flower clusters with white or pinkish blossoms that later produce coriander seeds. Plant cilantro in a bed devoted to herbs where it can reseed, or in a corner of the vegetable garden. In mild climates, cilantro makes a handsome winter companion to pansies; their leaves will withstand a light frost.

Quick Guide to Growing Cilantro

Soil, Planting, and Care

Start by choosing strong young Bonnie Plants® cilantro starter plants to give you an added measure of success in the garden. Bonnie cilantro is already well on its way to maturity and comes from a company with over a century of experience helping home gardeners grow their own food.

Grow cilantro in full sun, though it will also tolerate light shade in the South and Southwest where the sun is intense. In the South and Southwest, plant in the fall or early spring, about a month before the last frost. Fall is the ideal time to plant in zones 8, 9, and 10 because the plants will last through until the weather heats up in late spring. In the North, plant cilantro in late spring. When plants begin to bloom, the foliage will become scarce; for a steady harvest, set out plants every 3 to 4 weeks until the weather gets warm in spring, or until the first fall frost.

Plant cilantro in well-drained soil with a pH of 6.2 to 6.8. You can either conduct a soil test or simply improve your soil by mixing a few inches of aged compost-enriched Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil in with the top layer of your existing soil. If you plan to grow cilantro in a container, you'll have more success if you fill the pot with premium potting mix, such as Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix which also contains lots of nutritious compost. Don't use in-ground or garden soil in pots, as it's too heavy.

Cilantro frequently self-sows. As seeds fall to the ground, little plants may pop up during the season and the following spring. One way to keep cilantro in check is to grow it indoors in a hydroponic (or water-based) system, like the Miracle-Gro® Twelve™ Indoor Growing System. Simple to use, it guides cilantro to produce an impressively large harvest. Plants go directly in the water, which circulates moisture, air, and nutrients to the roots, and a grow light provides all the light needed by the plants.

Troubleshooting

Cilantro occasionally has problems with aphids and whitefly, wilt, or mildew. For the insects, use insecticidal soap. To prevent or control wilt and mildew, make sure you clean up spent cilantro plants at the end of the season, and remove any infected plants as soon as possible.

One of the surprises that most gardeners get from cilantro is that it moves through its life cycle so quickly, especially in spring. If you are lucky enough to live in a mild winter climate, fall and winter give you the longest season to harvest. Once you understand this fast little plant, it's easy to manage. Give it its own patch in the garden where you can harvest, then ignore, then harvest again. Harvest while it's low, let it get tall when it wants to, then cut off the tall plants after the seeds drop to get it out of the way. This makes room for the new plants that start themselves from the fallen seeds. Or, of course, you can set out new plants every 3 to 4 weeks for as long as we have them in the stores, but the harvest and ignore technique will get you through the in-between times.

Harvest and Storage

You can harvest cilantro's foliage continually in the cooler months of spring and fall and through winter in areas without hard freezes. Harvest by cutting the leafy stems near ground level; most will be around 6 to 12 inches long. Avoid cutting more than one-third of the leaves at one time, or you may weaken the plant. While planting in premium Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics™ soil will provide a generous helping of nutrition to start, for best results, you'll want to begin feeding cilantro regularly with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition after 4 or 5 harvests. This will continue to provide both plants and soil with just the right amount and kind of nutrients. Another option is to fertilize with fish emulsion.

Harvest the seeds by clipping the brown, round seed heads; place upside down in a paper bag. In a few days, the round husks will dry and split in two, dropping the edible seed inside. Don't delay seed harvest, or the weak stems will fall over.

Harvest cilantro by cutting the leafy stems near ground level. Cut only about one-third of the plant at a time.Harvest coriander seeds as they turn dry and brown. They’re a main ingredient in curry spice mixes.Cilantro will grow tall and wispy as it starts to bloom. The white flowers later produce the seed we all know as coriander.

Uses

Growing cilantro adds a lot of healthy, fresh flavour to your kitchen. Freshly chopped cilantro is an excellent source of potassium, is low in calories, and is good for the digestive system. It is best to use fresh cilantro in cooking since it does not dry very well. Add chopped leaves at the last minute for maximum flavor. Cilantro blends well with mint, cumin, chives, garlic, and marjoram. Store by freezing the leaves in cubes of water or oil; you can dry them, too, but they lose a lot of their flavour this way, which explains why growing your own is far better than buying it from the spice rack.

Store coriander seeds in a cool cabinet or the refrigerator. Use them in curry, poultry, relishes, and pickles.

FAQs

Is it true that coriander and cilantro are the same?

Yes, coriander is the seed and cilantro is the leaf. Their flavors are quite different. You can harvest the seed after the plant flowers and round seeds form. Harvest and dry the seed to be ground into coriander.

I'm growing some of your cilantro. How do I know when it's ripe or ready to eat?

Cilantro is always ready. If plants are very young, avoid picking all of their leaves, or you will weaken them. After they are a few weeks old, pick a few leaves from each plant and add them to dishes as directed in recipes. You can also stir chopped leaves into bottled salsa to give it a fresh-made taste.

How can I have cilantro year-round?

Cilantro is a biennial, which means it grows leaves the first season, and then it flowers and dies the second. Set out plants in early fall for optimum growth. They will develop into round, leafy plants that look a lot like flat-leaved parsley, but the flavor is distinctly different. If the winter is mild, you'll have cilantro for months. Then in spring you will notice the plant growing taller and the leaves changing to a very lacy form. There will be white flowers on top, and after the seeds ripen, the plant will die. Seeds that fall to the ground in summer will germinate in fall, so the cycle begins again. To have a supply of cilantro in summer, you'll need to preserve it. Drying is not the best for cilantro. Instead, chop or puree the fresh leaves with olive oil. Store this in a heavy plastic container or freezer bag in the freezer for later use.

My cilantro plants are lanky and do not have many leaves. How do I get more leaves to grow?

It sounds like your cilantro has started to bloom. Once the weather begins to get warm in late spring or early summer, cilantro will transition from a round, leafy plant with parsley-like foliage into a taller, lacy-leaved plant with white flowers in clusters at the top. In a few weeks, you'll see round seeds forming. When harvested, these can be ground into coriander. If you leave them to mature, plants will fall to the ground and sprout again in the fall or early spring. While your plant will die after flowering, its offspring will take over, giving you a seasonal supply of flavorful foliage.

Cilantro Cool Season Gardening Growing Techniques Harvesting Herbs

How to plant cilantro seeds in open ground? + Video

Cilantro or its second name coriander is a spicy annual plant that is successfully used in cooking as a seasoning for fish, meat, salads, etc. Due to the high content of vitamin C and minerals, this spice is also used in folk medicine, as an excellent diuretic and antiseptic. Dry seeds of this herbaceous plant are commonly called coriander, and its greens, regardless of whether it is fresh or dried, are called cilantro. 9Ol000 ;

  • Long Stand RS;
  • Alekseevsky 190;
  • Caribe 215;
  • Cilantro.

    • Dry seeds of this herbaceous plant are called coriander

    There are other varieties. They differ from each other in the duration of ripening, the time of stalking, as well as in taste and content of nutrients. Sowing and caring for them will be the same.

    All grow well in light, pre-fertilized soils and can also be planted in sand. They do not require the creation of certain conditions for them.

    Features of planting

    Despite the fact that cilantro is considered an exotic plant in our latitudes, it grows well not only in the country, but also on the balcony and even on the window. This makes it possible for those who do not have a personal plot to use its fresh greenery all year round. But it is best, of course, to sow this spicy herb in open ground, which must be properly prepared before that.

    Light soils with a low alkaline environment are excellent for planting coriander seeds:

    A bed for growing coriander is prepared in autumn

    It would be great if other garden herbs, such as basil, grew in this place before planting this spice. The soil will need to be dug up and fertilized well, using sand, humus and fresh wood ash for this purpose. As for the optimal location for growing coriander, hills or plains that are in the sun or in partial shade are well suited for this. Planting this plant in a lowland increases the risk that it will get wet before it has time to ripen.

    A bed for growing coriander is prepared in autumn, clearing the soil from the previous crop and additionally fertilizing the soil with potassium salt. This will be the preliminary care of her. And you need to plant this garden grass in early spring, when the soil is well moistened with melting snow and the first spring rains. Before planting, the earth needs to be loosened again, fed with organic fertilizers and, if necessary, thoroughly watered.

    Before sending them for sowing, it is recommended to soak seeds in aloe juice for better germination. Sow cilantro in rows, placing them at a distance of 15 cm from each other, as shown in the photo. It is necessary to deepen coriander seeds into the ground by about 2 cm with a distance of 10 cm, consumption per 1 sq. m will be about 3 grams. A detailed video of sowing can be found on the Internet.

    An excellent option would be to plant the beds with this herb in turn. First plant one, after two weeks - the second, after another 2 weeks - the third. This will allow you to harvest cilantro several times during one summer season and have fresh herbs on the table all the time.

    Care instructions

    Cilantro, as well as leaf and petiole celery and other garden greens, needs regular, but not complicated care. There are several videos on the internet about this. Namely:

    Watering is especially important in dry summers - due to lack of moisture, the plant may not form a rosette by putting arrows. For an early harvest, coriander can be planted in a greenhouse, greenhouse, or simply under a film.

    Freshly germinated coriander seeds should be treated more carefully than older plants. They appear above the soil surface usually 2 to 3 weeks after they have been sown. During this period, it is important to remove weeds in a timely manner, which can destroy their fragile stems. And after they grow by about 5 cm, they can be additionally fed using nitrogen fertilizer for this. But before that, it is advisable to thin out the bed, removing weak sprouts. By the way, they can already be used in food.

    Newly germinated coriander seeds need to be more carefully cared for

    When young cilantro is fed, mulch can be scattered around the bed with it, this will prevent weeds from growing and keep moisture in the ground. This is the whole care, to study the intricacies of which you can watch the video.

    If this spicy herb is grown for greenery, then it should not be allowed to bloom, promptly breaking off the buds that have begun. If the plant is grown under coriander seeds, then, on the contrary, early flowering will only be at hand.

    Cilantro is considered a garden herb with long daylight hours. As it decreases, its intensive growth will also slow down. Therefore, those who plan to grow this spice for greens are advised to plant it as late as possible.

    At the end of July, August and beginning of September, flower stalks practically do not set on it, and the greenery, on the contrary, grows very violently. June is the perfect time to collect seeds. Accordingly, a bed should be planted under the coriander in early spring. Care for him will be somewhat more difficult, but the result is worth it.

    Harvesting

    As mentioned above, by planting this spice on your personal plot, you can count on harvesting greens and seeds. Both are used in cooking as an aromatic condiment. Greens from the garden, with the correct and timely planting of this garden grass, can be harvested several times in one season, similar to how dill is grown for sale. To do this, you need to cut off its green part when its growth stops, but flower stalks are not yet tied. This usually happens when the length of the stems reaches 20 cm. Then the cut crop should be washed, sorted, dried and sorted into bunches.

    And to collect seeds, you should first wait until they, as shown in the photo, take on a brown tint, and then cut the stems at the root, tie them in bunches and hang them on an oilcloth spread under them. As a result, the seeds crumble and all that remains is to collect them in a dry jar, where they will be stored. They do not need additional care.

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    How to sow cilantro in open ground

    Coriander is a universal spice that enriches various dishes, pastries, drinks and marinades with a unique taste and aroma.

    Sowing cilantro on a personal plot allows you to have fresh vitamin greens on the table all summer and stock up on useful seeds for the winter. But it can be grown not only in a garden or greenhouse, but also at home, on the windowsill: we will learn how to grow coriander in different conditions.

    How to sow cilantro outdoors

    Knowing how to sow cilantro the right way is important to get a bountiful harvest of wonderfully flavored greens. We give detailed instructions for its landing.

    Preparing the soil for planting coriander

    The plant likes light soils of loamy and sandy loam type and light, well-lit places. Coriander also grows well in semi-shaded beds, but not in the shade of trees, otherwise they will grow stunted and quickly overgrow with flower stalks, but we need greenery first of all.

    If the soil on the site cannot boast of fertility and lightness, add sand to it or fertilize it with humus (half a bucket per 1 sq.m.), or mineral fertilizers at the rate of 30 g per square meter, performing these manipulations in early spring. Before sowing, we dig and thoroughly moisten the site.

    Important: The cilantro bed must be on a raised or level surface. If you sow it in a lowland, the plants will not have time to grow - they will die from waterlogging.

    Preparing coriander seeds for planting

    You can sow cilantro in early spring when the soil is full of water, especially since this plant is not afraid of frost. We soak the seeds simply in water or with the addition of a growth stimulator for quick germination.

    If you do not want to use chemical stimulants, soak cilantro seeds in aloe juice. Further undersowing is carried out with dry seeds.

    How to sow cilantro in open ground

    We sow cilantro

    We form a bed and mark the grooves for sowing seeds. They should not be deep, as cilantro has large seeds with a dense shell. It is best to plant them in the ground to a depth of no more than 2 cm.

    The distance between the grooves should be 40-50 cm, so that the plants have plenty of room for all-round illumination. The optimal distance between the achenes themselves is 10 cm, no less, otherwise the greens grow poorly, and flower stalks appear early.

    2.5 g of seeds are consumed per 1 square meter of land. The next subsowing is carried out in 2-3 weeks. It is better to do this in July-August: the plants are abundantly overgrown with green mass and do not produce flower stalks for a long time.

    How to care for cilantro

    The main thing in caring for cilantro is timely weeding. Weeds quickly weaken it, and the plant gives little greenery.

    How to sow cilantro in open ground

    How to grow cilantro on the windowsill

    If you want to enjoy delicious greens all year round, we will learn how to grow coriander at home. Planting and caring for cilantro on a windowsill is fairly simple.

    How to grow cilantro on a windowsill
    1. We buy landing tanks. If you want to grow a small bunch of greenery, a regular ceramic flower pot without glaze and with large holes in the bottom will suffice. These pots are very breathable.
      If you decide to start an indoor coriander plantation, we buy seedling containers, ideally made of wood, it is as breathable as ceramics. Of course, you can grow cilantro in plastic containers, but then you have to loosen the soil well, which is very inconvenient.
    2. Choosing a place for sowing cilantro . Coriander is best grown on a sunny windowsill: the more sun, the thicker the greens. Therefore, if possible, we choose the southern window for landing.
    3. Ground preparation for cilantro . We buy universal fertile soil or use garden soil by removing earthworms from it.
    4. Choosing seeds . We purchase only fresh coriander seeds: they will give friendly and strong shoots.
    5. Sowing seeds in container . So that the seedlings do not stretch and grow strong, we plant no more than 5 seeds in one pot. When planting in containers, we sow coriander in rows to a depth of 1-2 cm, leaving 5 cm between seeds and 10 cm between rows. We put drainage at the bottom of the planting container so that excess moisture does not stagnate. After sowing cilantro, cover the containers with a film or place in a plastic bag. We remove it after the emergence of shoots.
    6. Thinning seedlings . When the plant grows to the stage of 1-2 true leaves, we thin out the seedlings. We leave in each nest only the strongest of them.

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