Hello everyone, just wondering if anyone can help me with my coriander? I have been growing herbs for more years than I care to say but for goodness sake, I can't for the life of me seem to grow this one at all I kill them every time. Whether they are in pots on their own or with any kind of other plant.. they drop dead. The parsley is always happy, but look at that coriander at the back of this pot! What am I doing wrong? What needs to be done to keep this herb alive and well? Please and thank you.
I've never had much to do with growing coriander but I did find this link that may be of some use you FloraPie. http://www.herbexpert.co.uk/growingcoriander.html Let us know how you get on the next time you plant some.
Where is the planter sitting....in full sun or part sun? Coriander and Cilantro are the same plant....Cilantro is the green leaves used in cooking and Coriander is the seeds that appear after it flowers, which are ground to make the spice. If the plant is stressed by too much heat in full sun it will bolt into flower and produce the seeds and at that time the plant stops producing green leaves and you might as well harvest the seeds then toss the plant and start over again because it is not going to go back to the pretty green plant it was.
It took me an entire day of checking multiple sources (and confirming them), but here's what I now know about Coriander... 'Coriander' is indeed this plants name, but one might prefer using the Spanish term Cilantro. Genus: Coriandrum. Binomial name: Coriandrum sativum. The biggest and best clue as to why mine doesn't grow, came from @toni : 'The roots that have been started in water do not have the roots needed for taking in the nutrients found in soil, so they have a difficult transition when planted in soil and the survival rate is not good.' Posted @ Gardenstew 2007. Coriander has a tap root and needs a deep pot to grow in. I was starting mine in vermiculite (a hydrous phyllosilicate mineral) and the very important tap root never developed. The weak roots were enough to get the plant to a certain stage, but then when transplanted into actual soil, died every single time. I had no idea that Coriander had a tap root I saw spindly roots and just assumed it was good to go. Next time...straight to soil so that it roots properly from the start.
Coriander and Cilantro are very popular herbs and spices down here with all the Tex-Mex food around. And like I said Coriander is a spice made from the seeds and Cilantro is the leaves.
@toni ~ We will have to agree to disagree on this one. The name Coriander is derived from the plants genus and binomial: Coriandrum and Coriandrum sativum. The name Cilantro is an Americanism adopted because of the Spanish word 'Cilantro', which translates to 'Coriander' in English anyway. In the UK and Australia, the plant is called Coriander and the seeds are called (suitably enough) coriander seeds. Not too sure why America needs to use the Spanish term when this herb already has a perfectly suitable name derived from its genus, as it only leads to confusion. https://delishably.com/spices-seasonings/coriander-cilantro
Actually it all depends on where in the world you are, here in the States they are two names for two parts of the same plant.... Coriandrum sativum. But some parts of the world do not differentiate between the two names.
Say Flora....did the plant that you showed in the piccy up above ever bloom at all...or did it give up the ghost before flowering? I have been watching this thread with interest. I have only grown coriander out in the full ground and never noticed a prob. Of course if one person has a problem...then I could also, so I am interested in causes and corrections. Thanks for the posting. You have gotten a couple of interesting responses.
Cilantro does like cooler temps, but I have had luck with growing it here in sunny hot South Florida year round. As long as you have a good covering of mulch and plant it in the shade of other plants (tomatoes, bigger pepper plants, even some bigger herb plants). Most of the time I can direct sow cilantro into my garden, but in the hottest times of the year I start them in 3" peat pots until they are big enough to have a fighting chance with the heat. With my bigger plants, I usually prune them to about a foot or more off the ground. That's a great place for my cilantro and parsley! On the other topic, cilantro is mainly used in Tex-Mex style foods here in the US (yes, a lot of cultures use it, but that is what people know it for here). In "Mexican food culture" they call the leaves cilantro. Most of us use the name cilantro for the leaves because that is what people know it as. To me it is the same argument as "soccer" vs "football". Both sides are right and both sides have reasons for using the names. Who cares?! It's yummy!... and I will continue to call it cilantro in my Mexican dishes.
LOVE cilantro myself 1 can chick peas, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can navy beans, 1 can of kernel corn. All rinsed and put into a big bowl. Chop up a bunch (fist full) of cilantro on top of the beans. Then add 1 (or more) tablespoons garlic (I use LOTS), 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lime juice. Mix it all up and eat Super yummy.
