Cilantro is a herb that gives a distinctive taste and flavor to your food. Fresh cilantro can be obtained by seeds or transplant young seedlings. You can grow cilantro indoors without facing any difficulty.
If you don’t have any garden or growing area then you should not be disappointed. You can grow cilantro in pots or containers in your home. Following are three options for you to start growing cilantro.
- If you want to choose an inexpensive way of growing cilantro then you should grow it by seeds especially if you want to grow it for microgreens.
- If you propagate cilantro from cuttings it will not cost you too much. All you have to do to get healthy cuttings from a healthy and mature plant.
- This is a very easy and simple way of growing cilantro but the most expensive selection. You will not get microgreens and only grow full-size plants if you prefer to buy young plants from a nursery.
In this article, we are going to discuss with you all the tips and information about growing cilantro indoors. After following the simple steps you will get fresh cilantro for your kitchen.
How To Grow Cilantro From Seeds?
Cilantro plants grow very quickly and within 4 to 6 weeks they are ready to harvest. The following are simple steps, after following them you will enjoy the fresh cilantro.
Step1: Soak Seeds In Water
For the first step, you need cilantro seeds and a small dish. For planting cilantro from seeds you need a packet of slow-to-bolt cilantro seeds.
Sprinkle the seeds in the dish and add a little water. Leave the seeds in water for 12 hours. This process will encourage the germination of seeds and they will sprout more quickly.
Step 2: Seal The Seeds In A Plastic
When 12 hours have passed then you can take out all the seeds from the water dish and place them in a zip-closed bag. Now place the bag on a sunny spot for two days. Keep an eye on the bag if you see the seeds are not moist then spray a little bit of water in the bag.
Step 3: Add A Small Handful Of Potting Soil To Encourage Sprouting
Now you need a small amount of potting mix. There is no need to fill the bag, just sprinkle the soil on the seeds. After that add water to the soil with the help of a sprayer.
This will moisten the soil and your seeds will germinate quickly. Soon you will see tiny roots and stems start emerging from the seeds.
Step 4: Choose The Container Or Pot For Your Baby Seedlings
If you want to retain the moisture of the soil for a longer time then you should choose glazed clay or plastic pots. In terracotta pots, the soil will be drained very quickly.
- Full-size plants have long tap roots so they need a deep container. For a single plant, you should select an 8 inches deep pot because it provides sufficient support. But if you are growing 3 plants in a pot then you should select a 12 inches deep pot. It is perfect for them and provides ample space for better growth.
- If you want to grow microgreens then you should select shallow and white containers or trays for this purpose. The suitable size of the tray should be 10 to 12 inches for growing microgreens.
Step 5: Growing Media For Cilantro
As the cilantro plants grow very quickly they need a lot of nutrients. So you should use a high-quality potting mix that has all the required nutrients. You can use commercial potting mix or coconut coir as both are perfect for filling the container or pot for your cilantro seedlings.
Both are lightweight and have water retention properties and allow excess moisture to drain out.
- POTTING MIX: Potting mix is not soil but it is a mixture of peat moss and coconut coir, pine bark, vermiculite, and perlite.
- COCONUT COIR: It is made from white to brown fiber this fiber is obtained from the shell and outer coating of coconut seed.
Step 6: Move The Sprouting Seeds To Your Desired Pot
The size of the pot should be 8 inches or 20cm. Make sure your pot has drainage holes so there is no danger of root rot. Most plants don’t like wet feet. Fill the pot with a high-quality potting mix.
Now move the seedlings to your desired spot. Cover the young seedlings with a light layer of soil. After planting the sprouted seeds water the soil to make it moisten. Make sure the roots should be downward and the stems upward.
How To Propagate Cilantro From Stem Cuttings?
In the above part of the article, we tell you how to grow cilantro from seeds. Now we are going to discuss with you how to propagate cilantro from stem cuttings.
- You need a 4-inch long stem cutting for this purpose. Select the cuttings right below a node. Remove all the leaves from the bottom of the selected cutting.
- Place the cuttings in a glass or jar of water. Make sure the 2 inches of the cut end of the bottom of the cutting should be dipped in water. Soon you will see the tiny roots start emerging from the cuttings. Wait until the roots grow a few inches long.
- Now select a suitable container or pot for your cuttings. If you want to grow a single cutting in a single pot then you can choose an 8 inches deep pot. But in case you want to grow more than one cuttings in a pot then a 12 inches pot is perfect.
- Now you can select healthy growing media for filling the pot or container. Potting mix or coconut coir is the best option because it contains all the required major nutrients which cilantro plants need.
- Now plant the prepared cuttings in your desired pot. After that water the soil to make it moisten.
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Caring For Your Cilantro Plant
The following are the important factors that are necessary for the growth of your cilantro plats.
LIGHT
Light is a very essential factor that plays an important role in the development of any plant. As you are growing cilantro plants indoors then they may not receive a high amount of sunlight.
It is best to place your pot on a sunny window sill where your plants get suitable sunlight. I know it is not easy to provide full sun condition similar to outdoor gardening. But you can use artificial lights such as a simple 45 watt LED lamp to provide extra light to your favorite herbs.
TEMPERATURE
Cilantro is a cold lover plant. The best temperature for growing cilantro plants is between 50 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This can tolerate a light frost if it grows outside. But indoor plants are protected from harsh winter weather.
When you grow plants inside your home you can control your environment. High temperature is not suitable as the temperature rises and the leaves of the plant will become thin. You will not get the best flavour.
WATER
The soil of the pot or container should stay moist but avoid overwatering. Drainage is very important otherwise you will not get a healthy cilantro plant. If you have full-size cilantro plants then you should water them thoroughly.
The best time for watering your plants is when the surface of the soil is dry. If you are growing microgreens then keep the soil damp continuously. Make sure the soil of the tray is not wet.
AIR CIRCULATION
Your plants need fresh air for breathing especially if you are growing microgreens. Keep in your mind this plant is susceptible to damping off. In that case, the fungus will appear as a white mold and finally, your seedling will die.
If you maintain the fresh air for your plants then you can avoid this problem. You should place your container or pot near a window where fresh air is available or you can arrange a small fan.
FERTILIZER
Cilantro plants need a continuous supply of fertilizer for the proper amount of nutrients. You can apply a diluted fish emulsion for adding nutrients to the soil. Avoid over-fertilizing because it will not be good for your plants.
Harvesting
Cilantro is not that type of herb which follows the rule of cut-and-come-again. For a continuous supply of cilantro, you should directly sow the seeds in the pot every two to three weeks. Whenever needed, just pinch off the tops to extend the lifespan of the plant.
The timeline of harvesting cilantro is different for microgreens and full-size plants. It doesn’t matter which method you are using for growing cilantro plants but when the time of harvesting comes you should use a clean scissor and clean hands.
You can harvest microgreens within 20 days but for full-size plants, you should wait and when the plant reaches about 6 inches then you can harvest it.
- The old and large leaves of cilantro have less flavor than new ones.
- You should harvest only as much as you need because fresh cilantro will give you the best flavor.
- You can keep the stems in water for a few hours.
- You can’t refrigerate or freeze.
- Whenever you see a flower appearing on your plant, you should snip it off because it diverts the energy away from leaf production and you need a high production of green leaves of cilantro plants.
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