Guv's Gardens
Photo: Thamizhpparithi Maari, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sun
- Full sun to light shade
- Soil
- Well-drained, moderately fertile soil
- Soil pH
- About 6.0-7.0 (the general herb range)
- Water
- Keep evenly moist
- Hardiness
- Cool-season annual. Tolerates light frost; bolts in heat
- Height and spread
- 1-2 ft x 1-2 ft (up to 3 ft tall)
Guv's tipCilantro bolts in summer heat, so sow it in succession until late summer. Leaves are ready when plants are 4-6 inches tall.
Through the year
When to plant
Early spring (Mar-May) in cooler areas. In warm Southern areas, sow in fall for a winter-spring harvest. Sow in succession until late summer
Harvest or flowering
Harvest leaves when plants are 4-6 in tall (about 3-4 weeks). Bolts in summer heat. Seed (coriander) late summer to early fall
Pruning
None
Making more plants
Seed
Watch out for
Leafhoppers
Look for: Small wedge-shaped insects; spread aster yellows
What to do: Monitor; control leafhoppers if needed; remove plants with aster yellows
Bacterial leaf spot
Pseudomonas syringae pv. coriandricolaLook for: Water-soaked angular leaf spots turning brown
What to do: Clean seed, avoid overhead water, rotation
Damping off / seedling rot
Soilborne fungiLook for: Seedling death, yellowing
What to do: Crop rotation, well-drained soil
Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.
Safety and spread
Pets and people: Non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA, NC State Extension)
Weed risk: Not regulated: not a federal noxious weed, and no noxious status in the USDA PLANTS database. Can self-seed
Growing somewhere else? See this plant for Australia.
The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book
Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 USA plants in one book.
