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If you pursue horticulture & gardening as a hobby or a pastime, then growing cilantro is one of the best options. Growing Cilantro is easy, and it has many health benefits too! The tender, bright green leaves & a thin green stem are its characteristic features. Cilantro is usually grown alongside the Basil plant.
Cilantro is widely used in Asian & Mexican culinary as a garnishing agent. Cilantro is now widely accepted in other delicacies owing to its health benefits. In this article, we will discuss simple techniques to grow Cilantro indoors and outdoors. Also, we will be guiding you on how to grow cilantro, both from seeds & cuttings.
How to Grow Cilantro
Cilantro is an annual plant that takes around 45-50 days to mature. Cilantro can be grown in several conditions. However, the issue of bolting occurs in hot weather, and hence cold weather is mostly preferred.
The three methods for growing cilantro are as follows:
- From Coriander Seeds
- From Cilantro Sprouts
- From Cilantro Cuttings
How to Grow Cilantro from Seeds
You need to buy fresh coriander seeds & sow them either indoors or outdoors. Start by sowing the seeds in the soil. Cover the seeds with a 5 mm (or approximately ¼ inch) layer of soil. Keep a distance of about 5 to 6 inches between two plants. If you’re planting in rows, keep a distance of at least 10 inches between two rows.
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- High germination rate - 90% with current lot.
- Great for garnishing or for flavoring, cilantro is a staple in Mexican, South and Central American,...
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If the weather is on the hotter side, then you can minimize the distance to 4 inches between two plants & 6 to 7 inches between two rows. This will prevent the problem of bolting in the hot weather. If you’re planning to transplant, then the plant should grow to the height of a maximum of 3 inches. After transplanting, the plants must be watered properly.
Note: Try to avoid transplantation & prefer directly sowing from the seeds. This will prevent the issue of bolting.
How to Grow Cilantro from Sprouts
This process is known as instant gratification. Plant the cilantro sprouts 5 to 6 inches apart from each other. If you’re planning to plants cilantro in rows, then a distance of at least 10 inches between two rows is recommended. This technique is preferred for growing cilantro indoors.
Soak the coriander seeds & place these seeds in a sealed plastic bag. Place the bag under direct sunlight until a sprout grows out of it. Ensure that the sealed bag has enough moisture. If the moisture content is not enough, then add water to the bag. Now, place these sprouts directly into the soil.
Growing Cilantro from Cuttings
How to grow cilantro from cuttings? Here’s How: Collect many cuttings as most of them can die due to multiple reasons. For this, you need to grow cilantro seedlings. Many gardeners recommend that seedlings be grown together, as they provide fruitful growth conditions (Cilantro Seedlings Together Strong). There are two types of cuttings, namely stem cuttings & root cuttings.
- Stem Cutting: Buy fresh cilantro from the market. You can use leaves in your food items & use the stems for growing cilantro. Cut the stem part & place it in the soil with the root side downwards.
- Root Cutting: They grow much faster than stem cutting. Cut the roots with at least 2 inches of the stem. Please place them in the soil without storing them. Fresher root cuttings will have a high success rate.
You can grow cilantro cutting in the soil as well as the soilless medium. Yes, you can grow cilantro cutting directly in water too.
How to Grow Cilantro Cutting in Soilless Medium
It is always good to try new things in gardening. You can easily grow cilantro cutting in water. You need to keep adding minerals & fertilizers at regular intervals to help the roots grow in water. Also, water must be changed at regular intervals, else the cilantro cutting ceases. It takes around 2 weeks for the initial roots to be visible.
Note: Only the root system needs to be underwater.
How to Grow Cilantro Cutting in Soil Medium
Though it is not recommended to transplant, if necessary, then you can re-pot the cilantro cuttings. The best practice is to grow cilantro in a container, pot, or even directly outdoors directly. Ensure that there is enough depth in the soil. I prefer using well-drained soil, with the spacing that allows the cilantro plants to share shade, warmth & humidity.
Tips & Tricks for Growing Cilantro
Here are some valuable tips:
- Soil: If you are growing cilantro indoors, then it requires extra fertilizer & mulch. Cilantro has a tap root system that cannot go deep into the soil for nutrients. Hence the nutrients must be available on the surface. Neutral to acidic pH & fast drying soil is preferred.
- Water: A moist environment is preferred by the Cilantro plant. Though either of the extreme conditions (dryness or moistness) can negatively affect its growth. Water regularly, at least once a day. Water when the soil is dry to touch. If you are growing cilantro indoors & from cuttings, then consider providing it water from beneath the container or pot.
- Light: Cilantro is not that demanding for sunlight. Initially, even 4 hours of morning sunlight works fine. Extreme exposure to sunlight can cause bolting. So, make sure that it receives proper shade too. But excess shade can cause chlorosis. So, maintain a balance of light & shade. You can also use LED lights to replicate sunlight (only if necessary).
- The best time to grow cilantro is in the spring, especially if you have every warm summer. You can even consider covering your plants with plastic covers to protect them from extreme rain, snow & heat.
- Cilantro leaves do not harvest simultaneously. Pluck & use them fresh as they lose their taste & flavor quickly.
You can easily grow fresh cilantro yourselves. So, do not wait for anything, and start planting cilantro!
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