I love cilantro. So I bought a pack of cilantro seeds. Put them into a planter with what I suspect to be halfway decent soil (the bagged planting soil). Watered them, put them in the sun (like it said to do) and they sprouted. They thrived for about a week and then died.
Fine. So I went to a garden center yesterday and bought an actual cilantro plant. Put it in a large container with the same type of soil. It looked great last evening and most of the day today. I put it in full sun like it says to do with cilantro. After sitting in the sun, my plant looks horrible, it's withered and wilted. Which I don't understand because last year I had a cilantro plant that was kept in a pot, on my picnic table, in the sun every day, and it thrived all summer long.
What the heck am I doing wrong? Does anyone have any knowledge about growing herbs? Why are my dang plants dying?????
Hi, I grow lots of herbs (some perennial and some annual like cilantro), but I have never had success with cilantro. I live in Virginia, and it's just too hot here for it. It does great for about a month and then as it warms up, the plant goes to seed and dies. The last time I grew it, I planted it in partial shade, and it did last a couple more weeks, but then it died too. I finally gave up. I love cilantro, but now I buy it for about .60 cents for a large bunch at Walmart ... it's so cheap I don't mind buying it.
Where do you live? It could be that it can't take the heat?
I tried growing cilantro too, and it almost immediately went to seed. It did live all summer, and was full and green, but it didn't look like cilantro any more. Technically, I think cilantro becomed corriander when it grows up, but I didn't use any of the new "bush" because it just didn't look like cilantro any more, and I wasn't sure what part of the plant was corriander, and what might be miscellaneous weed that might have gotten in the container. Instead of low and leafy, it became tall and stemmy.
Thanks for the replies! And I live in Ohio. It's been hot the last few days.
Maybe I should put it in the shade for a while tomorrow instead of letting it sit in full sun. But like I said, last year I had a cilantro plant that was nice and bushy and survived the entire summer. I'd rather have a plant that I can just snip leaves off as needed because the cilantro from the store just doesn't last very long. It quickly gets all nasty and I have to throw it away. And dried cilantro? Forget it. It doesn't even have any flavor.
I even bought (from the produce section) this 'fresh' cilantro mix that comes in a tube and that stuff was so horrible I took one taste and threw it away. $4.99 it was. So that was a waste of 5 bucks.
Here's a link to the stuff I bought. It was horrible.
I've had the best luck growing cilantro in an area that gets a little bit (not a lot) of shade. Cilantro does tend to bolt (go to seed) very quickly. For this reason, I never bother buying the actual plants because I find that they just don't last very long. I think you are better off growing it from seed--look for packets that say they are the slow-bolting variety.
From your description, it sounds to me like you are either overwatering or underwatering it; the symptoms can be very similar, but since you describe the plant you bought as wilted, my guess is that it is underwatered. Leaves turning yellow or brown is probably overwatering. Watering plants in a pot is tricky. If it is hot out, plants in a pot generally require quite a bit more water than plants in the ground. You may need to water more than once a day, especially if the plants are in a terra cotta pot. I would try again with the seeds, maybe try putting the pot somewhere that gets mostly but not completely full sun. Too much sun causes bolting (although you can still eat the leaves after it has bolted, even though they do look different than the pre-bolt leaves--they'll just have a stronger flavor). Keep a close eye on the how dry you letting the soil get. If you notice the cilantro starting to wilt in the afternoon, give it some water and see if it perks up.
You could also try a self-watering container, like the earthbox. I have one and I have to say that it has not worked at all for vegetables, but for something like herbs, that have a shallow root system, it might work better. And you definitely wouldn't have to worry about watering as much.
If your cilantro does bolt, you can save the seeds and plant them next year.
I've also kept cilantro for up to three weeks in the fridge. Try putting it in a plastic bag (ziploc or sealed with a twistie) with a damp paper towel in the bag to keep it a little moist.
I've had the best luck growing cilantro in an area that gets a little bit (not a lot) of shade. Cilantro does tend to bolt (go to seed) very quickly. For this reason, I never bother buying the actual plants because I find that they just don't last very long. I think you are better off growing it from seed--look for packets that say they are the slow-bolting variety.
From your description, it sounds to me like you are either overwatering or underwatering it; the symptoms can be very similar, but since you describe the plant you bought as wilted, my guess is that it is underwatered. Leaves turning yellow or brown is probably overwatering. Watering plants in a pot is tricky. If it is hot out, plants in a pot generally require quite a bit more water than plants in the ground. You may need to water more than once a day, especially if the plants are in a terra cotta pot. I would try again with the seeds, maybe try putting the pot somewhere that gets mostly but not completely full sun. Too much sun causes bolting (although you can still eat the leaves after it has bolted, even though they do look different than the pre-bolt leaves--they'll just have a stronger flavor). Keep a close eye on the how dry you letting the soil get. If you notice the cilantro starting to wilt in the afternoon, give it some water and see if it perks up.
You could also try a self-watering container, like the earthbox. I have one and I have to say that it has not worked at all for vegetables, but for something like herbs, that have a shallow root system, it might work better. And you definitely wouldn't have to worry about watering as much.
If your cilantro does bolt, you can save the seeds and plant them next year.
I've also kept cilantro for up to three weeks in the fridge. Try putting it in a plastic bag (ziploc or sealed with a twistie) with a damp paper towel in the bag to keep it a little moist.
Thanks for all the suggestions! And I'll do that with the plastic bag and damp paper towel next time I buy it because it looks like that's what I'm going to have to do very soon
I’ve heard that cilantro can be a tricky herb to grow, but I’ve never tried it my self. I also wrap mine in a damp paper towel and put in a partially sealed tupperware. I find that if I leave it in a fully closed container it gets too wet and spoils on me, but maybe I just use too much water in wetting the paper towel. Thanks goodness it’s so cheap though, unlike basil. I’ve been waiting for that to come down in price but no luck yet.
Oh, if you shop at Trader Joe’s they have little frozen cubes of herbs that you just thaw and use as you need them, completely solves the spoilage issue.
I agree - I buy a big bunch of cilantro, use a little, and the rest spoils.
You can freeze the herbs, though, and they don't lose flavor. You can use the cilantro that you want, then freeze the rest. You can freeze it whole or you can freeze it in HOH. Below is something from a website about it....you can do it with any herb.
And cilantro versus coriander - - - The entire plant is technically called "coriander" (latin name is Coriandrum sativum), however when most people speak of it they are referring to the coriander spice, which is made from the seeds of the coriander plant. "Cilantro" is what the leaves of the coriander plant are usually called. But you could say "coriander leaves" and be correct.
To Freeze Herbs:
Method 1:
Harvest the freshest, heathiest leaves
Wash and pat dry with paper towels
Spread the individual leaves on a small tray or cookie sheet.
Freezing the leaves flat and individually will prevent them from freezing together into a brick.
Cover and place the tray of leaves into the freezer
When frozen solid, place in airtight containers and return to the freezer. Once frozen individually, the leaves will not meld together.
Method 2:
Harvest the freshest, heathiest leaves
Wash and pat dry with paper towels
Stuff 2-3 individual leaves in ice cube trays. Pack them in so that at least half the cube is herb leaves.
Fill the tray with water. Make sure the leaves are down into the water, as best you can, and place in the freezer.
The the ice cubes are frozen, remove from the tray and store in zip closure bags.
When ready to use, toss the whole ice cube into your favorite stew or dish.
Yes, I used to freeze cilantro and found that if I used it in a reasonable amount of time, it was still good. But after a while it would lose its flavor or taste freezer-burned.
My plant is just about all the way dead now. Dangit.
Is it possible that you have an aphid problem? We've had aphids destroy our cilantro very quickly (even though they aren't supposed to like it.) The reason I'm asking this is because the plant looked wilted and yellowed. We didn't realize it was aphids at first because they were green aphids and you couldn't see them.
I've also lost plants (peppers) due to a fungus problem in the pots. If you reuse your pots make sure you scrub them good before re-using. You can even use a mixture of bleach and water (just a little bleach to a lot of water) to make sure everything on the pot has been killed.
Ok, I don't get it (an herb-growing question)
