Herb · Apiaceae
Cilantro
Coriandrum sativum
Hand it cool weather and steady moisture, and cilantro rewards you with fresh leaves in just a few weeks.
Full sun
Every 2–4 days
50–75°F · 10–24°C
45–70 days
Overview
Cilantro is the speedy, cool-weather herb that flavors so many salsas, curries, and noodle bowls. A member of the carrot family, it does double duty from one plant: the fresh leaves sell as cilantro, and the dried seeds turn into the spice coriander. You go from seed to that first cutting in only 4 to 6 weeks, putting it among the fastest herbs you can raise.
Here is the trade-off, its short fuse. Cilantro is a cool-season annual, so the moment summer heat and stretched-out days set in, it bolts, throwing up a flower stalk and leaving its leaves thin and bitter. Smart timing sidesteps the whole problem. Sow when spring is still cool, sow again come fall, and keep leaves flowing with a fresh sowing every few weeks.
It thrives whether you tuck it into a garden bed or set a pot on a bright sill, climbing to 8 to 35 inches (20 to 90 cm) by flowering time. Hand it cool soil, steady water, and a bit of afternoon shade when it is hot, and you swap an early bolt for a long, generous run of leaves.
Care
The short version: full sun with maybe a little afternoon shade, soil held evenly moist and on the cool side, and a fresh sowing every few weeks so there is always a young plant taking over from one that has bolted.
Light
Cilantro performs best in full sun, yet across hot regions a stretch of afternoon shade earns its keep, because cooling the plant takes the edge off its dash to bolt. Indoors, park it at the brightest window you have got.
Water
Hold the soil evenly moist while the plant settles in and pushes out leaves, watering every 2 to 4 days as the surface dries. Reliable moisture and cool soil are exactly what keep bolting at bay. Just never let it stand soggy, since cilantro can't abide waterlogged, humid ground.
Soil
Set it into rich, well-drained loam with a pH from 6.0 and 7.0. Drainage counts above all else here, because that taproot rots away in soil that stays cold and wet.
Temperature
This cool-season herb hits its stride between 50°F and 75°F (10°C to 24°C). Push past the top of that band and the plant takes the heat as its cue to flower, so the leaf harvest tapers off.
Humidity
Average humidity of 40% to 60% suits it just right. Steer clear of damp, stagnant air, because packed-in, humid conditions are what usher in leaf spot.
Feeding
Cilantro asks for very little at the table. A light touch of nitrogen through the growing season covers it, and pouring on more actually waters down the flavor of the leaves.
Pruning
Begin clipping the outer leaves once plants hit 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) tall, which keeps growth bushy and cropping hard. Pinch out any flower stalks the moment they show to stretch the leaf harvest, or let them stand if you want the plant to set coriander seed.
Repotting
not_typically_repotted
Size & spacing
Plants range from 8 to 35 inches (20 to 90 cm) tall, low and leafy early on, then taller once the flower stalk climbs. Hand each one elbow room and good airflow, spacing 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm), so the foliage dries fast and leaf spot keeps its distance.
When to plant
Cilantro lives for cool weather and gets a tight window before heat pushes it into flower. Drop seed in early spring once frost is gone, sow again in early fall, and keep leaves arriving by kicking off a new patch every few weeks rather than leaning on a single planting to carry you.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Late winter to early spring, 4-6 weeks before last frost (transplants carefully due to taproot)
- Plant: Early spring after danger of frost and again in early fall; it is a cool-season crop that bolts in summer heat
- Harvest: Cut leaves young and often for cilantro; for coriander seed, allow plants to flower and set seed, harvesting when seed heads turn brown
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–11
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Nearly every cilantro hiccup comes down to one of two things: heat that sets off bolting, or soggy conditions that bring on rot and leaf spot. Spot the early warning signs and you can usually keep the harvest rolling. Find what matches below, then move while action still pays off.
Tiny seedlings keel over at the soil line or never break through
That tell-tale collapse is damping-off, a fungal rot that thrives in chilly, sodden ground. Seedlings pinch in at a water-soaked stem base and flop over, sometimes before they even reach daylight. Yank the stricken ones, back off the watering, and re-sow into soil that drains freely once it has warmed up and dried out.
Fix:
- Remove affected seedlings
- Improve drainage and reduce watering frequency
- Re-sow in well-drained soil once conditions allow
Up shoots a flower stalk and the leaves quit
Say hello to bolting, the single biggest thing that trips up cilantro growers. When heat ramps up and daylight stretches out, the plant flips from leaf mode to flower mode, the foliage goes wispy and feathery, and the punchy flavor drains away. Snip whatever leaves remain, or let it bloom and run to seed for coriander, then start a fresh batch somewhere cooler or shaded.
Fix:
- Harvest remaining leaves promptly before flavor declines
- Allow plant to flower and set seed for coriander harvest
- Sow a fresh succession of seed in a cooler period or shaded spot
Dark, angular blotches on the very leaves you plan to eat
What you are looking at is bacterial leaf spot, and it races through wet foliage and packed-in plants. Little dark lesions pop up on the leaves and merge during muggy stretches. Pick off the marked foliage, switch to watering at the soil line rather than from above, and thin the planting so the air can flow.
Fix:
- Remove and discard affected foliage
- Avoid overhead watering and wetting leaves
- Improve spacing and air movement
Speckled, yellow leaves with critters on the fresh growth
Point the finger at leafhoppers and aphids, which gather on the tender shoots and leave foliage yellowed or twisted. Leafhoppers can also carry aster yellows, so pull out any plant that looks stunted and oddly colored. Blast the rest off with a sharp jet of water, and let cilantro's own blooms pull in the beneficial insects that prey on them.
Fix:
- Dislodge pests with a strong spray of water
- Remove heavily infested foliage
- Encourage beneficial insects, which cilantro flowers attract
Toxicity
Cilantro ranks among the safest plants you can grow. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and people eat this culinary herb by the handful. A pet that grazes the foliage has nothing to worry about, though a really big mouthful of any greenery can upset a stomach for a day.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Cats are in the clear around it. The ASPCA marks cilantro non-toxic, so an inquisitive nibble brings no trouble at all.
Dogs None
Dogs have nothing to fear here. A pup that munches a few leaves stays fine, though a big mouthful of any greenery can loosen the stomach for a day.
Horses Safe
Horses can browse it freely. The plant holds no toxin that touches them.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits go for the fresh leaves with gusto, and a small handful makes a welcome treat next to their hay.
Livestock Safe
Goats, sheep, and cattle can graze the foliage and come to no harm.
Birds Safe
Pet birds and backyard hens can enjoy both the leaves and the seeds with zero risk.
People Safe
This one is a kitchen herb to its core. The leaves and seeds alike are good eating, raw or cooked.
Generally regarded as safe; as with any plant, ingesting large amounts of foliage may cause mild, transient gastrointestinal upset in pets.
Varieties
Most named cilantro varieties are bred chiefly for one job: stalling the bolt that cuts the leaf harvest short. Here are a few worth filing away by name.
Santo
A popular slow-bolting pick that keeps cranking out leaves a bit longer before it flowers.
Caribe
Said to head to flower a touch more slowly than the standard kinds when the weather warms.
Leisure
A slow-to-bolt selection beloved for drawing out the leaf harvest.
Delfino
A fern-leaf type sporting finely cut, feathery foliage that stands out from the usual flat leaves.
How to propagate
There is just one way to grow cilantro, sown straight from seed, and it flatly refuses to be transplanted. The upside is that seed is cheap and quick, so keeping leaves in supply comes down mostly to sowing often.
SeedEasy
Early spring and early fall; succession-sow every few weeks because it bolts quickly · Germinates in about 7-21 days; leaves ready to harvest in roughly 4-6 weeks
Start cilantro from seed sown right in its final spot, because that long taproot hates being disturbed. Seed pushes up in 7 to 21 days, and the leaf cutting begins in 4 to 6 weeks. Since it bolts in a hurry, drop in a fresh patch every few weeks to keep leaves coming. Thin the seedlings when you want lush leaf growth, or space them wider if you are carrying the plants on for coriander seed.
Myths
Cilantro and coriander grow on two separate plants.
Nope, it is all one plant, Coriandrum sativum. The fresh leaves go to market as cilantro, or coriander leaf, while the dried seeds sell as coriander. Two names, two parts, one and the same herb.