Herb · Apiaceae
Cilantro
Coriandrum sativum
Hand it cool weather and steady moisture, and cilantro returns fresh green leaves within a few weeks.
Full sun
Every 2–4 days
50–75°F · 10–24°C
45–70 days
Overview
Cilantro is the quick, cool-weather herb behind so many salsas, curries, and noodle bowls. It sits in the carrot family and yields two harvests off one plant: the fresh green leaves go out as cilantro, while the small round dried seeds become the spice coriander. The stretch from seed to first cutting is only 4 to 6 weeks, which puts it among the fastest herbs you can grow.
Its weakness is how soon it turns. Cilantro is a cool-season annual, and once summer heat and long days set in it bolts: a slender flower stalk climbs upward while the leaves narrow to thin, feathery strips and turn bitter. The fix is timing, plain and simple. Sow in the cool of spring and again in fall, and keep leaves coming by dropping a fresh patch every few weeks.
It does as well in a garden bed as in a pot on a bright sill, reaching 8 to 35 inches (20 to 90 cm) tall by the time the flower stalk appears. Hand it cool soil, steady water, and a little afternoon shade through the heat, and a plant that would have bolted instead gives you a long run of leaves.
Care
The short version: full sun with a touch of afternoon shade, soil held evenly moist and on the cool side, and a fresh sowing every few weeks so there is always a plant ready to take over from one that has bolted.
Light
Cilantro does best in full sun, yet in hot places a stretch of afternoon shade genuinely pays off, because shading the plant keeps it cooler and slows its dash to flower. Indoors, set it at the brightest window you have.
Water
Hold the soil evenly moist while the plant settles in and pushes out leaves, watering every 2 to 4 days as the top dries. Steady moisture and cool soil are what keep the flower stalk down. Don't leave it sitting soggy, though, since cilantro turns away from waterlogged, humid ground.
Soil
Set it in rich, well-drained loam at a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Drainage counts for the most here, because the long taproot rots in soil that holds cold and wet.
Temperature
This is a cool-season herb that does well between 50°F and 75°F (10°C to 24°C). Once the heat pushes past the upper edge of that band, the plant takes it as a cue to flower and the leaf harvest tapers off.
Humidity
Average humidity of 40% to 60% suits it well. Damp, still air is what to steer clear of, since crowded, humid conditions are what set off leaf spot.
Feeding
Cilantro asks for very little feeding. A light touch of nitrogen across the growing season is enough, and pushing more into it actually washes out the flavor of the leaves.
Pruning
Begin taking the outer leaves once plants stand 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) tall, which keeps them full and producing. Pinch out any flower stalks as they rise to draw out 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 at first, then taller as the slender flower stalk lifts. Give each one room and moving air, spacing them 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) apart, so the foliage dries fast and leaf spot keeps its distance.
When to plant
Cilantro lives by cool weather and has only a short stretch before heat drives it into flower. Put it in during early spring after the frost has gone, sow again in early fall, and keep leaves on hand by starting a new patch every few weeks instead of 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 complaint comes back to one of two causes: heat that sets off bolting, or wet ground that brings on rot and leaf spot. Spot the early signs and the harvest usually keeps going. Find the match below, then act while acting still does some good.
Young seedlings fold over at the soil line, or never break the surface
The cause here is damping-off, a fungal rot that settles into cold, sodden ground. A seedling pinches in at a dark, water-soaked point on its stem base and tips over, sometimes before the first leaves ever clear the soil. Lift out the ones that have gone over, cut back on the watering, and sow again into loose, well-drained soil after it has warmed and dried.
Fix:
- Remove affected seedlings
- Improve drainage and reduce watering frequency
- Re-sow in well-drained soil once conditions allow
A slender flower stalk rises and the leaves stop coming
What you are watching is bolting, and no other cilantro problem shows up as often. As heat climbs and daylight stretches, the plant turns from leaf-making to flowering: the broad lower leaves give way to thin, feathery upper foliage, a stalk pushes upward, and the taste falls off. Snip whatever leaves remain, or let the stalk carry on to flowers and round seed for coriander, then start a fresh sowing once the weather cools or in a shaded corner.
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 mark the leaves you mean to eat
This is bacterial leaf spot, and it moves quickly across wet foliage and packed-in plants. Small dark lesions break out on the leaf surface and bleed together when the air stays humid. Pick off the marked leaves, deliver water down at the soil line rather than over the top, and thin the planting so the air keeps moving through it.
Fix:
- Remove and discard affected foliage
- Avoid overhead watering and wetting leaves
- Improve spacing and air movement
Speckled, yellowing leaves with insects on the fresh growth
Leafhoppers and aphids are the ones to suspect, gathering on the soft new shoots and leaving leaves yellowed or warped. Leafhoppers can carry aster yellows along with them, so lift out any plant that looks stunted and off-color. Blast the rest off with a sharp jet of water, and let the small white-to-pinkish umbel flowers of cilantro call 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 about as safe as a plant can be. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and it is a kitchen herb people eat by the handful. A pet that nibbles the green foliage has nothing to fear, though a very large mouthful of any greenery can unsettle a stomach for a day.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Fine to keep within reach of cats. The ASPCA lists cilantro as non-toxic, so a curious nibble of the leaves causes no harm.
Dogs None
Dogs are in the clear as well. A dog that crunches a few leaves is fine, though a big mouthful of any green plant can loosen the stomach for a day.
Horses Safe
Horses can browse the foliage without any trouble. It holds no toxin that touches them.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits go for the fresh leaves readily, and a small handful makes a good treat next to their hay.
Livestock Safe
Goats, sheep, and cattle can graze the leaves with no ill effect.
Birds Safe
Pet birds and backyard hens can take both the leaves and the round seeds without any risk.
People Safe
This is a kitchen herb top to bottom. The leaves and the seeds are both good to eat, 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 selections are bred toward one goal more than any other: putting off the bolt that brings the leaf harvest to a close. A few worth knowing by name follow.
Santo
A common slow-bolting kind that keeps its leaves coming a while longer before the flower stalk takes over.
Caribe
Said to send up its flowers a bit more grudgingly than the standard types when the weather warms.
Leisure
A slow-to-bolt pick valued for drawing out the leaf harvest.
Delfino
A fern-leaf type whose finely cut, feathery foliage marks it out from the usual flat, lobed leaves.
How to propagate
Cilantro is started one way only, directly from seed, and it does not care to be lifted and moved. The upside is that seed is cheap and fast, so keeping leaves coming mostly means 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
Cilantro goes in as seed sown directly where it will grow, because the long taproot objects to being lifted and moved. The seed breaks ground in 7 to 21 days, and the first leaves are ready to cut in 4 to 6 weeks. Since it runs to flower so quickly, drop a fresh patch every few weeks to keep leaves coming. Thin the seedlings close for a leaf crop, or set them farther apart if you mean to carry the plants on for coriander seed.
Myths
Cilantro and coriander grow on two separate plants.
They come off one plant, Coriandrum sativum. The fresh green leaves are sold as cilantro, or coriander leaf, and the dried round seeds are sold as coriander. Two names, two parts, one herb.