How to plant cilantro?
Cilantro is an annual herb whose herbs and seeds are used as a condiment for cooking. The plant is absolutely unpretentious to care for, so growing it yourself will not pose any particular problems. Cilantro can be planted both in open ground beds and in pots for growing on a windowsill.
Growing cilantro outdoors
For the cultivation of spices in the garden, a plot is allocated, well-lit by the sun. In a shady place, the bushes will stretch a lot and will not be able to build up a lush green mass. In addition, the beds should be located on level ground, where water does not stagnate.
Cilantro, like many crops, loves loose, nutrient-rich soil. If necessary, the area allocated for the beds is fertilized. This can be done both in the fall and before sowing seeds:
- in the fall, humus is introduced at the rate of half a bucket of fertilizer per 1 sq. m .;
- in the spring, fertilize with a mineral mixture of 30 g per 1 sq. m.
Planting cilantro begins in April. In order to have fresh greens until autumn, repeated crops are made at intervals of 2 weeks. Seeds are sown in 2-3 pieces at a distance of 10 cm from each other, the row spacing should be at least 15 cm.This will make it easier to care for the plant, and the bushes will have enough space for growth.
Since cilantro has large seeds with a fairly strong shell, they need to be sown shallowly - about 2 cm. The seeds do not need to be pre-soaked, it is enough to water the beds well before sowing.
Further care for cilantro plantings includes:
- regular watering 2 times per week;
- thinning seedlings as soon as they grow up to 3 cm in height;
- loosening the soil;
- weed removal.
You should cut greens for consumption before flowering, because then it will taste bitter. Seeds are collected at the end of summer and are harvested in several stages as they mature.
Growing cilantro on a windowsill
Lovers of cilantro, who do not have the opportunity to grow it in the beds, can sow seeds in pots and grow spice on the windowsill. In this case, sowing is done in the month of March. In long planting containers, the seeds are spread with a distance of 5 cm, when planting in separate small pots or plastic cups, 2 seeds are sown in one container.
Sprinkle the sown seeds or spray well with water from a spray bottle and cover with cling film on top to create greenhouse conditions. Remove the film when the first shoots appear. Care for cilantro in pots consists of watering and loosening the soil.
Cilantro seedlings are very demanding on lighting. Since the daylight hours are still very short in early spring, the seedlings must be additionally illuminated to obtain lush greenery.
Many gardeners use young seedlings of cilantro grown on a windowsill as seedlings for planting in beds. This allows you to harvest much earlier.