Herb · Apiaceae
Cilantro
Coriandrum sativum
Provide cool weather and consistent moisture, and cilantro returns fresh foliage 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-season herb behind so many salsas, curries, and noodle dishes. A member of the carrot family, it yields two crops from one plant: the fresh foliage sold as cilantro, and the dried seed traded as the spice coriander. The interval from sowing to first cut runs just 4 to 6 weeks, placing it among the fastest herbs in the garden.
Its limitation is a brief productive window. As a cool-season annual, it bolts once summer heat and long days arrive, throwing up a flower stalk and rendering the foliage thin and bitter. The remedy is purely a matter of timing. Sow through the cool of spring and again in fall, and sustain the supply by starting a new patch every few weeks.
It performs equally in an open bed and in a container on a bright sill, reaching 8 to 35 inches (20 to 90 cm) by flowering. Supply cool soil, even watering, and some afternoon shade in heat, and the bolting tendency gives way to a sustained run of leaves.
Care
The short version: full sun with a little afternoon shade where it is hot, soil held evenly moist and cool, and a new sowing every few weeks so there is always a replacement coming on as plants bolt.
Light
Cilantro performs best in full sun, yet in warm regions an interval of afternoon shade genuinely helps, since shading lowers plant temperature and slows the push toward bolting. Indoors, place it at the brightest window available.
Water
Hold the soil evenly moist as the plant establishes and builds foliage, watering every 2 to 4 days as it dries down. Reliable moisture together with cool soil is precisely what postpones bolting. Avoid leaving it sodden, however, because cilantro resents waterlogged, humid ground.
Soil
Set it in rich, well-drained loam at a pH of 6.0 and 7.0. Drainage is the priority here, because the taproot rots where soil holds cold and wet.
Temperature
This cool-season herb does best between 50°F and 75°F (10°C to 24°C). Once heat exceeds the upper end of that band, the plant interprets it as a cue to flower and leaf production tapers off.
Humidity
Average humidity of 40% to 60% serves it well. Damp, still air is what to guard against, since crowded, humid conditions are exactly what foster leaf spot.
Feeding
Cilantro asks for little feeding. A light application of nitrogen through the growing season suffices, and going heavier actually dilutes the flavor of the foliage.
Pruning
Begin taking the outer leaves once plants reach 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) in height, which keeps growth bushy and productive. Pinch out flower stalks as they emerge to prolong the leaf harvest, or leave them in place if you intend the plant to set coriander seed.
Repotting
not_typically_repotted
Size & spacing
Plants range from 8 to 35 inches (20 to 90 cm) tall, compact and leafy early on and taller once the flower stalk extends. Allow each one room and good airflow at a spread of 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm), so foliage dries fast and leaf spot is held off.
When to plant
Cilantro depends on cool weather and has only a narrow window before heat drives it into flower. Put seed in the ground in early spring once frost has passed, sow again in early fall, and keep the supply uninterrupted by starting a new patch every few weeks instead of relying on a single planting.
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 down to one of two factors: heat that prompts bolting, or excess moisture that opens the door to rot and leaf spot. Read the early signs and the harvest can usually carry on. Find the match below, then respond while intervention still counts.
Young plants fall at the soil line or never surface
The cause is damping-off, a fungal collapse that thrives where the ground stays cold and saturated. Infection girdles the stem at a water-soaked base, so seedlings keel over, often before they break through the surface at all. Remove the casualties, cut back on irrigation, and sow again into free-draining 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
Leaf growth halts as a flowering stem climbs
What you are seeing is bolting, and no other complaint comes up more often with this crop. Rising heat and lengthening daylight flip the plant from vegetative growth into reproduction, so the foliage thins to feathery segments and the flavor drops off. Take whatever leaves remain, or let the plant carry on to flower and set coriander seed, then start a new sowing once conditions cool or in a shadier position.
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
Angular dark lesions mar the harvestable foliage
This is bacterial leaf spot, and it moves quickly where leaves stay wet and plants are packed too close. Small dark lesions form and coalesce during humid stretches, since a film of surface moisture is what lets the bacteria spread. Pull off the marked leaves, deliver water at the soil line rather than overhead, and thin the stand so air can pass through.
Fix:
- Remove and discard affected foliage
- Avoid overhead watering and wetting leaves
- Improve spacing and air movement
Stippled, yellowing leaves with insects on fresh shoots
Leafhoppers and aphids are the typical offenders, gathering on soft new growth and leaving foliage yellowed or warped. Because leafhoppers can vector aster yellows, remove outright any plant that looks stunted and off-color. Dislodge the rest with a forceful jet of water, and let the plant's own flowers bring in the predatory insects that feed 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 keep. The ASPCA records it as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and people eat this culinary herb by the handful. A pet sampling the foliage faces no risk, 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
Cats are in no danger near it. The ASPCA classifies cilantro as non-toxic, so an exploratory bite causes no harm.
Dogs None
Dogs are equally fine with it. Chewing a few leaves poses no problem, though a large volume of any greenery can loosen the gut for a day.
Horses Safe
Horses may graze it freely. It contains no compound that affects them.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits enjoy the fresh foliage, and a small handful serves as a welcome treat beside their hay.
Livestock Safe
Goats, sheep, and cattle consume the leaves with no adverse effect.
Birds Safe
Pet birds and backyard hens can take the leaves and seeds with no hazard at all.
People Safe
This is a culinary herb in every sense. Both the leaves and the seeds are fit to eat, whether 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
Named cilantro selections are bred chiefly toward a single end: postponing the bolt that closes out the leaf harvest. A few worth recognizing by name follow.
Santo
A commonly planted slow-bolting selection that sustains leaf production a bit longer before turning to flower.
Caribe
Noted for bolting somewhat more reluctantly than ordinary strains under warm conditions.
Leisure
A slow-bolting variety valued for extending the period of leaf harvest.
Delfino
A fern-leaf type whose finely divided, feathery foliage distinguishes it from the standard flat-leaved forms.
How to propagate
Cilantro is propagated by one route only, direct from seed, and it resists being relocated. Fortunately seed is inexpensive and fast, so keeping a supply running comes down largely to sowing on a regular schedule.
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 is raised from seed sown directly in its final position, because the long taproot objects to disturbance. Germination takes 7 to 21 days, and leaf cutting can begin within 4 to 6 weeks. Given how fast it bolts, repeat the sowing every few weeks to maintain a continuous supply. Thin the seedlings when growing for foliage, or space them more generously if the goal is coriander seed.
Myths
Cilantro and coriander are harvested from two separate plants.
Both come from a single species, Coriandrum sativum. The fresh foliage is marketed as cilantro, or coriander leaf, whereas the dried seeds reach the shelf as coriander. The two names simply denote two parts of one herb.