Cilantro - more water or less?

[stvdc]

I've been watering all my containers pretty religiously in the latest dry spell. They seem to be doing well (basil, tomatoes, peppers, etc.) but my cilantro looks terrible. It's all woody down by the roots and the new grown is all spindly. I'm running out of usable leaves. Am I watering it too much?

[CdnChelsea]

In the summer heat, Cilantro bolts and then goes to seed.

Here is a website about growing Cilantro.

http://www.howtodothings.com/home-and-g ... antro.html

[B_BQ]

For more years than I can remember I've had problems with cilantro. It goes to seed very quickly. You can use the flowers, and some of the tender stalks though. I haven't got a clue how to keep the leaves large and vibrant. I've even grown it in it's own pot, but the results are always the same.
~BBQ

[stvdc]

Rats - I had gone to seed. I've replanted the seed to see if I can get something usable by the end of August.

In the meantime, I think I'll hit up the nursery for another couple of plants.

[davefrombc]

Cilantro does bolt very quickly in hot weather.
I was first introduced to cilantro year ago by some Chilean friends. At the time we were living in Ft. St. James in central BC. The local market did not carry it , so the only source was in Prince George, a 100 mile trip we usually made once every week or two to do any major shopping. I decided to grow my own and looked for seed, but couldn't find it easily .. Since cilantro is Spanish for coriander, I looked for the whole seeds in the grocery store , but could only find ground coriander in the spice racks. Then I watched a tv program called " Spice of Life" that had an episode on Indian curries where they mentioned coriander is one of the basic spices in Indian cuisine; in almost daily use in various curry blends. That was the clue I needed .. I asked one of my coworkers about coriander and although he didn't recognize the name , he said he'd ask his wife since she was born in the UK.
Next day he came to me with a big grin .. He said he used to have to plant a big patch of it for his mother back in the Punjab and the Punjabi name of coriander is " dhania".
With that knowledge, the next time I made a visit to the coast I went into an East Indian corner store and asked if they had dhania seed and was given a large sandwich bag of it for the princely sum of 25 cents, the seed coming from a bulk bin.
That grew a lot of cilantro for me until the local market started bringing it in along with a lot of other produce and ethnic foods for the fairly large East Indian population in town.

So.. instead of paying a dollar or more for a small package of coriander seed, ask for dhania seed in a local East Indian market and get all the coriander seed you need for pickles, spice mixes , and growing cilantro.

[stvdc]

Nice story, davefrombc. After reading it, I kicked myself & went down to the cold cellar where I keeps a half litre jar of coriander seed which I had only considered viable for culinary purposes and never even thought to try planting.

I've now planted a bunch of the dried seed in some free container space that I have, and we'll see how that grows in comparison to the freshly harvested seed I plopped in with my tarragon plant last night.

[davefrombc]

Coriander seed you get in the store is actually 2 seeds in a husk .. They germinate much better if you soak them, starting in warm water and let them soak for 24 hours before planting . Some crack the husk of the seed, but it isn't necessary.

[stvdc]

Good to know. Thanks. I've also replanted some plants from the grocers to help fill the gap while I wait for new growth.

[Trailblaze1]

I love cilantro, but also don't have much luck growing it. Have some started in a pot outdoors now. I have planted the coriander seed I buy from Indian grocery stores, and it grows well, but I think it depends on how old the seed is (how long you've had it in your pantry too).

Good luck with yours!