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Cilantro is a fragrant spicy herb, an excellent addition to many dishes, both in the form of greens and in the form of seeds. And what is important – it is easy to grow at home, in the country, in a greenhouse, on a windowsill, and caring for it is simple if you follow a few rules.
Growing conditions
Cilantro loves fertile soil, abundant watering and good lighting. This herb can also be grown in shady areas, on poor soil, then the plants will be pale and stunted, and the reserves of the essential oil for which cilantro is so valued will tend to a minimum, no matter how much effort you put in. The soil for growing cilantro should be slightly alkaline or neutral, well fertilized, ideally, the beds are dug up in the fall, with the addition of superphosphate. To grow greens in a greenhouse or in pots on a windowsill, you can take a mixture of garden soil, sand, humus and wood ash.
Regardless of whether it is grown in beds or in closed ground, regular watering is necessary, at least twice a week – this contributes to good growth of green mass. If you plan to grow greens in a greenhouse or on a windowsill, choose a south facing location so the plants get enough light. Or consider supplemental lighting to make growing and care easier and get the best quality greens.
Video “Detailed instructions”
We offer you detailed instructions for growing cilantro all year round.
How to sow cilantro
At home and in a greenhouse, cilantro can be sown from the beginning of March, and in open ground in the country – when the soil warms up to at least five degrees. Cilantro is sown with seeds. Seeds must be no older than two years, otherwise they lose their germination. If you soak the seeds a day before sowing, then cilantro sprouts better. When growing cilantro in pots, you can put from three to ten seeds in one pot (they are quite large in cilantro). In boxes, cilantro is sown in rows, with a distance between them of five to ten centimeters.
In the greenhouse, to facilitate work, you can use a different scheme – about 10 centimeters between the bushes, twenty to thirty centimeters between the rows. Seeds are buried in the soil one and a half to two centimeters deep, sprinkled with earth, watered. Pots and boxes on the windowsill should be covered with a film that remains until the first leaves appear on the seedlings. From this moment, active plant care begins.
The greens sown in the greenhouse will be usable two to three weeks after planting, the greens on the windowsill will germinate a little longer, but after two and a half weeks it will also please. In order to constantly get fresh cilantro greens, it is recommended to plant it in a small area, but renew plantings every two weeks.
Care after landing
Care consists of removing excess plants and weeds, watering gently, and providing additional lighting (if cilantro is grown at home). The main thing in caring for cilantro on the windowsill is timely thinning. If the plants sprout too densely, then they will not gain green mass, but will expel the flower stalks. Thus, one, the strongest, should be left out of several plants. The optimal area for feeding one plant is thirty-five square centimeters, whether in the country, in a greenhouse or in a box.
The situation with weeding is similar to thinning – if too much grows around cilantro, it will kick out the flower spike, and the greens will be small and inconspicuous. Although, of course, the need for weeding occurs more often in the garden than in the greenhouse or in boxes on the windowsill. There is an algorithm for watering cilantro. From the moment of sowing until the appearance of the first leaves, watering should be plentiful. Further watering is reduced, and within a week and a half the soil should be just moderately moistened. During the transition to active vegetation, cilantro is again watered abundantly. In addition to the plants from which you need to get seeds – when the seeds ripen, watering should again be moderate.
At the same time, excess water is drained from the pallets (if you grow greens on the windowsill). Abundant watering in the greenhouse should also not be excessive, since excess moisture can provoke a powdery mildew disease. Caring for cilantro in a greenhouse or garden includes loosening row spacing and mulching to better retain moisture. When growing cilantro at home on a windowsill, it is important to remember about additional lighting. In order to extend the period of growing green mass, cilantro pinch flower stalks, this is especially important for growing at home or in pots in the country.
Harvesting
Green cilantro is harvested after the appearance of five or six true leaves and before the forcing of flower stalks. After the appearance of peduncles, the greens coarsen and lose their taste. In the greenhouse, it is customary to cut the greens, on the windowsill it is better to pinch off the leaves themselves in different pots. It is also recommended to pinch off the upper ovaries. Thus, you will always have fresh cilantro for meat dishes, salads, soups, marinades or barbecue in the country. The herbs can also be dried.
To begin with, the cut stems are washed well, then laid out to dry under a canopy or at home not far from the window. The basic rule for drying cilantro is in the shade, but with access to fresh air. Chop greens after drying. If desired, you can leave the flower stalks until ripe, although this is easier to do in the garden, and not at home. Ripe cilantro seeds can be used for planting next year or in cooking – this is the well-known coriander seasoning. As you can see, growing and caring for cilantro at home is not that difficult. With very little work, you can collect as much greenery as you like on the windowsill all year round.
Video “How to plant greenery at home”
Demonstrative video that will give answers to many questions.
