Cilantro - cultivation

Cilantro or coriander is a herbaceous annual plant that has a pronounced spicy taste and a lot of useful properties . It is one of the most popular spices. The native land of cilantro is the Caucasus and the eastern Mediterranean. Used in cooking and as greens, and as a spice. The stem of the cilantro is straight, about 1 m high, ending with an umbrella of pale pink small flowers. They then turn into light brown double-seeded, globular fruits.

Cilantro: cultivation and care

Cilantro is relatively cold-resistant plant, it tolerates frosts to -5 ° C, in the southern regions it can overwinter and give early greens. It can be safely planted in early spring.

1. The soil . Cilantro is best planted in moderately alkaline loamy and sandy loam soils, well-endowed with moisture.
2. Care . The process of care for cilantro is simple. It consists of weeding weeds , loosening the soil and timely abundant watering once a week. If there are rains often in the summer, then you can not water. During the period of active growth of coriander, no additional dressing is performed.
3. Watering . The regime of watering coriander depends on its growth and development. First, when the plants are small, they should be watered 2 times a week for 3-5 liters per 1 m2. During the period of intensive growth of the leaves, watering is increased - 5-8 liters per 1m2. And when the umbrellas and fruits have already formed watering cut, reduce to 2-3 liters per 1 m2. The soil needs to be very well moistened when sown, then the coriander will give a good harvest.
4. Top dressing . Feed cilantro, immediately after cutting the leaves. It reacts well to the use of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers.

How to sow cilantro?

1. Before planting coriander, you should add 3 kg of fertilizer (humus or peat) to 1 m2 of beds.
2. Fill the groove for 15-18 cm, straighten, pour and after 2-3 hours sow.
3. Seeds of coriander before sowing do not soak.
4. Sow in rows, at a distance of 15 cm; at the rate of 2.5 gr of seeds per square meter; depth of seeding - 1,5-2,5 cm. Shoots then appear in 2-3 weeks.

Plant the plant in the spring, since then there is a lot of moisture in the soil, and with its lack of coriander will grow very poorly and rarely.

When sour cilantro in late April, it will bloom in early July, and the seeds will mature in late August. That the greenery you had all summer, it must be sown several times in 12-15 days.

The beds should be thinned, leaving more than 8cm between the shoots. To get an early harvest, you can arrange for her temporary greenhouse, just covering the beds with polyethylene.

Growing coriander at home

In winter, coriander can be grown at home, on a window or balcony, choosing the most sunny place for this. For domestic cultivation, coriander seeds of the Yantar variety are well suited.

1. It is necessary to take a pot with holes on the bottom that there was no stagnation of water, with good drainage by soil.
2. Put a few seeds in moist soil and sprinkle with a thin layer of earth.
3. Create a greenhouse effect, covered with glass or film.
4. Moderate and regular watering, airing every day.
5. Depending on the air temperature, the seeds will germinate in 5 to 20 days.

Cilantro - harvesting and use

If you are going to grow coriander for greens and seeds, then you should know:

1. Cilantro leaves should be cut on the preform before the buds begin to form, when the plant reaches a height of 20 cm and is in the phase of the rosette.
2. Dry in the shade, then fold in glass jars and close.
3. Seeds begin to be harvested at the end of August.
4. First dried in the sun, and then threshed.
5. The resulting seeds are better stored in paper bags.

The use of coriander in cooking is very diverse: in conservation, in meat dishes, for confectionery and baking, in salads, marinades and sauces. But thanks to the fact that in the leaves and seeds of coriander is a large content of essential oils, they are used in medicine, perfumes and cosmetology.