Cilantro life span?

[Brindle]

So my cilantro grew super thick stalks and started flowering. Can I just cut the big stocks with flowers out? And will all the cilantro do this so that eventually I just pull the whole plant? Or after cutting the unwanted parts will it grow back normal? Thanks in advance.

[Brindle]

Sorry just realized there was a herb section in this forum. Please excuse a newbie. I will post there instead. Tnx!

[Brindle]

So my cilantro grew super thick stalks and started flowering. Can I just cut the big stocks with flowers out? And will all the cilantro do this so that eventually I just pull the whole plant? Or after cutting the unwanted parts will it grow back normal? Thanks in advance.

[Gary350]

When my cilantro starts going to seed there seems to be no stopping it. I think cilantro is a cool weather plant. I have learned to save seeds I have an empty green bean can 3/4 full of seeds. I plant about 30 seeds every week this keeps a new supplied of cilantro growing all the time. Maybe someone else has better luck with cilantro. This year I am growing cilantro in the shade maybe that will help prevent it from going to seed so soon.

[pepperhead212]

I have problems with cilantro bolting, even slo-bolt varieties, and once it bolts, the flavor is terrible. While some say that they prefer cool weather, most of the areas in the world that use a lot of cilantro in their cooking are in warm or even tropical areas, so this doesn't make sense. However, I think that it may have something to do with length of days, as I can keep it for several weeks after being full grown, when grown indoors under 16hr/day lighting, and the less the lighting, the sooner the bolting.

[imafan26]

cilantro is a cool weather crop. In the cooler months you can keep it going for up to 6 months if you keep picking the leaves. When the weather gets much above 80, cilantro can bolt in as little as a month and a half. Once it starts blooming it is hard to stop it.

You can try growing it in partial shade and midday misting. Some people who live in upper elevations can grow it through the summer that way.

[Asica]

Mine does that all the time, but I keep on trying. I would leave the plant alone and get the seeds out of it.

[applestar]

I merged the two threads since there were replies -- There maybe some discontinuity in the discussion.

[pepperhead212]

So if cilantro is a cool weather crop, How do you explain its use in these tropical regions, where it seems to be used the most - Southern India, SE Asia, Mexico, and many African areas? And the further north you go into China, the less it is used (despite it being nick-named Chinese parsley, it's used much more in southern countries) This has always been a paradox for me. These regions haven't been importing cilantro from cool regions until recently, maybe, and most of it is grown locally, often by the locals themselves. Which is why I think it has something to do with length of day, or maybe the color of the light (this is what triggers many deciduous trees to change in fall, not the cool so much). Yet I have never seen anything written about it.

I'm glad it's available everywhere now! lol I don't really have to grow it, but it's a challenge!

I put some seeds in that were actually listed for growing for seeds - a Thai variety (smallish, and reddish), and Moroccan coriander, which is larger, and more like the usual coriander seed in stores. I figure, how could they bolt any sooner, and if they do, I can always use the seeds.

I have yet to find seed for those slightly oval, golden variety, found in Indian groceries, which has a totally different flavor. I have tried sprouting some I have bought as a spice (even some supposedly organic ones), but I think that they much be irradiated, or something, and sterile, as not one in very many has sprouted. And when I got seeds from seedsofindia.com , even those weren't the Indian type. I'll just keep trying...

[Brindle]

Thanks everyone. Really liking g this forum. So much knowledge and so willing to help. Thanks again guys.

[Gary350]

There is a farm south of town that grows Cilantro, they supply Cilantro to most of the stores in town, if they can grow Cilantro here in 100 degree weather I should be able to do it too. Like was already mentioned they grow Cilantro in many hot climate countries, Mexico, India, Middle east, maybe the trick is harvest the whole Cilantro crop before it goes to seed and always having more new crops growing and save lots of seeds.

[Lindsaylew82]

I have never been able to keep it going for longer than a few weeks in the spring. It bolts immediately in the heat. I just let it go. I plant it in the spring with the intention of it bolting and flowering. I really dislike the flavor once it begins to grow taller.

I haven't tried growing it from seed. Actually STARTING it in this heat, though. Wonder if that would make a difference? Idk...

I can say that I get volunteer seedlings that come up in the cooler fall days. I get them pretty much everywhere, and they grow through the winter. Through frosts, and snow, hard freezes. And it is the BEST TASTING cilantro! They get big and bush out, keeping us and a lot of others in cilantro all winter!

[digitS']

My best cilantro is also what comes through winter. The plants are very large by mid-spring. Then, I have volunteers, plants to set out, and seed to toss and rake into a bed.

In time, whatever plants that remain are past their prime.

I once asked a green grocer how he has cilantro through the summer and year around. He said it comes from a greenhouse. Well, that is a more controlled environment than outdoors, any time of the year.

Steve

[rainbowgardener]

I agree, once it starts flowering, the taste changes and it is worthless, even if you cut the flowers out, except to let it produce seed. I'm one of those that doesn't like the taste of cilantro leaf, so I only grow it for the seed (coriander) and because the flowers are good for beneficial insects.

I saw this: It isn’t the heat of the air that causes cilantro to bolt, but rather the heat of the soil. So your cilantro will probably last longer if you keep the soil moist and well mulched, and plant closely to shade the ground. I think a lot of those warm areas where cilantro does well are tropical -- warm and very moist. Keeping the plant cut back and harvested frequently may slow down bolting.

Also this:

dill and cilantro are so easily excited by the weather changes of spring. When days get warmer, nights get shorter and daylight intensifies, dill and cilantro take note. They pay close attention to lengthening days, the strongest cue that summer is coming. The plants rush to fulfill their destiny, which is to produce a good crop of seeds. .... Making a second sowing helps, because seedlings sown in late May or early June are exposed to lengthening days for only a few weeks, when they are too young to care about reproductive matters. Once the summer solstice passes in late June and day length holds steady [and starts declining rbg] , dill or cilantro become much less likely to burst into premature bloom. More importantly, seedlings that break ground after spring has lost its chill are never exposed to the biggest flowering trigger of all—cold, cloudy conditions followed by plenty of warm sun.

https://www.motherearthliving.com/garden ... pring.aspx

So doing a later planting maybe July or Aug should work well, because then daylight hours are declining.

So it seems like as most things in biology when we start looking into it closely, it is complex. Cilantro is triggered to bolt by some combination of warm soil temperature, lengthening daylight, intense sun and especially warm sun coming after the plant has been exposed to cool and damp. The plant essentially has some kind of internal algorithm that relates the factors

[imafan26]

Cilantro reseeds readily but it is not frost tolerant. You can grow it in warm climates in the cool season it will last for up to six months with regular picking. In the hot summers, BTW the humidity in the tropics makes it feel a lot hotter but it actually keep the max temperatures down. In dry climates the temperatures can be well above 100. We only get there on the drier parts of the island around August.

In warm climates cilantro will bolt quickly in summer. To get a steady supply it is better to grow it in the higher elevations with some shade and lots of water, frequent picking, and sowing seeds every two to three weeks for a continuous supply.

I tried slo bolt and Leisure cilantro they bolt just as fast as other cilantro in summer.

[Lindsaylew82]

"Cilantro reseeds readily but it is not frost tolerant"

It absolutely is, here. It hunkers down and rides it out. This stuff makes it through hard freezes down in the 10's. Snow, ice, sleet, frost.... It lives! It does get sad looking when it's frozen, weepy, but it come right back! The actual plant.

[imafan26]

It can last through the winter in some places and it certainly is best during the winter months in frost free zones and higher elevations.

[digitS']

Not all of the cilantro make it through a winter in my garden. Most winters, there are only a few plants that aren't dead or quickly deteriorating with warmer spring weather.

I'm sure that few people would have any interest in using them before those surviving plants can rally and begin to grow again.

A tricky and troublesome plant, I had no idea what it was that especially stimulated my appetite when I arrived at a Mexican restaurant as a kid. This ignorance lasted into adulthood when I was happily introduced to it again in Southeast Asian meals. Oh, and I always liked coriander flavor in hard candy but can hardly imagine it in my beer ..

!

Steve

[imafan26]

It is one of those things you either love it or hate it.

It seems when I have cilantro all I can think to do with it is salsa, when I don't I have all these things that call for it.

[Lindsaylew82]

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!

LOVE it, love it!

I use it to make black bean enchiladas, all kinds of Mexican inspired soups and sides. I make a compound butter with cilantro, garlic, lime, and salt to go on grilled corn! (Oh man it's good!) I make all kinds of salsa! I realllllllllllllllly love it in Thai green and yellow curries especially with a squeeze of lime!

Now I'm STARVING!

[pepperhead212]

Cilantro is my most used herb, for sure, which is why I'd love to grow it easily.

I'm waiting to see what those two varieties I have growing that were meant for seed production do. Would that be strange if I got more leaves from those? Another thing useful in SE Asian dishes is cilantro root, which I will check and see if they have gotten large. The roots on all of the slo-bolts I've grown had very small tap roots.

[applestar]

I remembered this from hendi_alex. He's from South Carolina.

Subject: GAGA Over Basil

Scatter cilantro seeds in a sunny bed in late summer to mid fall. Be sure to keep the bed constantly moist until germination. You should get an abundance of cilantro all thru the winter before going to seed in early spring. Winter grown cilantro is the absolute best. Here in South Carolina we harvest fresh cilantro at least 8 months per year.

@pepperhead...looking forward to reports about those other cilantro varieties It's only recently that I've come to realize there are actually quite a few different varieties of cilantro.

[digitS']

It is one of those things you either love it or hate it.

It seems when I have cilantro all I can think to do with it is salsa, when I don't I have all these things that call for it.

We all need to move to South Carolina where there is a "winter harvest" .

Salsa? There is a problem. Ripe tomatoes and cilantro (green onions, for that matter!) How can I put it all together? I don't seem capable of it and buy far more cilantro for that simple salsa than I care to admit. (Wilt/char those three ingredients on the broiler setting of your toaster oven, one at a time. Into blender ... with a little salt and crushed, dried hot pepper -- salsa!)

Curry with cilantro? I'm too much a westerner . Like my curry with Irish potatoes. Of course, I always think - "stew."

GaGa over basil! Okay, I am but with my ripe tomatoes it leads me a continent away ... it's more than okay. Ya know, Italian Americans had to lead most other Euro Americans by the hand to the tomato. Sure, I know about the Cherokee Purple (sitting up a little taller ). However, I still remember the first pizza parlor that came to town and the first time I was at a table. I suspect it was what brought most of us to tomatoes - pizza. Basil is my choice on them ... cilantro ..? Well, now hold on, there!

Steve

[Lindsaylew82]

Cilantro to me is what Frank's Red Hot is to the old lady in the commercials. "I put that "ish" on everything!"

My Thai curries are definitely stew like! The base flavor of lemongrass, ginger, garlic, green curry paste, Thai chiles, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand(!!!) chopped cilantro stems! I put whatever veggies I have on hand, usually mushrooms, peppers, onions, potatoes, sometimes sweet potatoes, peas, broccoli, cauliflower... Literally whatever! It's by no means authentic (or I don't claim it to be...) but more of a general concept fusion. I don't follow recipes usually. Just chop, dump, taste. I top it off with coconut milk. And serve it with brown rice.

I usually serve it with chopped cilantro leaves, and lime wedges.

[Lindsaylew82]

Basil is my choice on them ... cilantro ..? Well, now hold on, there!

You could make a Mexican inspired pizza with cooked salsa a base, black refried beans, queso, and onions, grilled corn, and cilantro on top with some shredded lettuce and ripe tomatoes on top right at serving!


I'm totally making this! ::::drool::::

[pepperhead212]

And if you really want Mexican flavor in a pizza, make the crust using some masa harina and bread flour - about 1:2 gives it enough elasticity. And for non-vegetarians, some homemade chorizo!

[Lindsaylew82]

¡Ay Caramba!

I'm DEFINITELY making this now!

[digitS']

I imagine that Mexican pizza fusion would delightful! ("delightful" - that's Canadian for ay, caramba, right? My Canadian grandfather is no longer around to correct me if I'm wrong ...)

I've got the Thai peppers! They are a good choice for my garden .

So, how might you make a pizza, Asian inspired? I would think that cheese should not be included .

Steve

[Lindsaylew82]

Hmmmmmmm.


I might would put hoisin sauce on the bottom then do thinly sliced peppers and shiitake mushrooms, some thinly sliced or shaved bok Choy, or Chinese broccoli. Baby corn, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts! Lots of possibilities! Sprinkle it with Thai basil and cilantro and shaved green onions on top!

ORRRRRRR! Maybe a Korean BBQ or a BBQ spare ribs you get at the Asian takeout themed pizza? We don't eat much meat here anymore...

ORRRRRR! Maybe you could make some type of Miso based pizza!

[Brindle]

Cilantro to me is what Frank's Red Hot is to the old lady in the commercials. "I put that "ish" on everything!"

My Thai curries are definitely stew like! The base flavor of lemongrass, ginger, garlic, green curry paste, Thai chiles, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand(!!!) chopped cilantro stems! I put whatever veggies I have on hand, usually mushrooms, peppers, onions, potatoes, sometimes sweet potatoes, peas, broccoli, cauliflower... Literally whatever! It's by no means authentic (or I don't claim it to be...) but more of a general concept fusion. I don't follow recipes usually. Just chop, dump, taste. I top it off with coconut milk. And serve it with brown rice.

I usually serve it with chopped cilantro leaves, and lime wedges.

Omg! That sounds amazing

[Brindle]

I love how this conversation took off and had gone in a few different directions! This is a cool forum.

[Lindsaylew82]

Oh! And then there's these lentils that I make!!!

I cook them (a whole bag) in just enough water to keep them thick, and boil for about 30 minutes with some coriander and cumin, salt, and then dump a whole big (like 4 cups!) recipe of pico de Gallo (tomato, onion, garlic, jalapeño, salt, pepper, cilantro!) cook for another 30 minutes.

Freezes well! Makes a ton.

[digitS']

It's fortunate that gardening people eat every day .

Here's what we do with cilantro early in the season -- eggrolls!

Deep fat frying is probably not the best but I may as well confess that we had eggrolls this week. The meat can just be boiled before it goes in the food processor with the eggs, green onions and cilantro, salt & pepper. DW does the spooning and rolling. I'm excellent at turning a block of near-frozen spring roll wrappers 360° while peeling off a single, micro-thin sheet! Can use digitS' on either hand, on either side of the frozen block ...

DW uses a beaten egg to glue the sheet in place after she has loaded it with the filling. We both use the tongs to poke and prod the eggrolls in the cooking oil until they are brown and crispy. Then, they go in a colander to drip on paper towels. The kitchen smells wonderful!

Oh! We don't use the dry wrappers you soak first in water. I don't know how that would work for frying. We have been making eggrolls for years but haven't ventured too far from our simple approach. We spent the afternoon eating eggrolls and have a nice full bag of them in the freezer.

Steve

[applestar]

How the cilantro gets eaten AT THE END OF ITS LIFE is surely an integral part of its LIFESPAN.

[Lindsaylew82]

Maybe you could make soap with it. Or maybe pesticide. Cause THATS WHAT IT TASTES LIKE!

Way puke.

But we can talk about coriander!

[rainbowgardener]

It's a genetic thing/ inherited characteristic

A large chunk of the US population—including the likes of culinary goddess Julia Child—have claimed that it tastes offensive. Kinda like soap, in fact. It spreads further than these shores, too: a recent survey suggested that 21 percent of east Asians, 17 percent of Europeans, and 14 percent of people of African descent all claim to be repulsed by the stuff.

https://gizmodo.com/5942551/genetic-proo ... e-cilantro

There's a particular gene that makes people like you and me extra sensitive to the particular aldehydes in cilantro taste. I mainly grow cilantro because it is useful for beneficial insects, but I do like the coriander seeds.

It's too bad, considering how much people without this gene like cilantro, but all in all, it isn't the worst genetic flaw we could have inherited!

[digitS']

Ya know, it tastes a little like soap to me, too ...

However ..

. Mom taught me to like soap!

Steve

[Lindsaylew82]

Mom taught me to like soap

BAAAHAHAHA!

It's only offensive to me when it's bolting. It gets really soapy! I kin it's likeness to how lettuce gets offensively bitter when it bolts. I like my coffee like I like my man! Hot, strong, blond, and..... A wee bit bitter! I even like intentionally bitter greens! But just like bolting, excessively bitter lettuce, there's no room in my life for the nastiness that is bolting cilantro. Just gross!

I otherwise think it's a toss up love between basil and cilantro. LOVE the stuff!

[pepperhead212]

Basil and Thai basil are two more herbs I HAVE TO HAVE! I even set them up in hydroponics, to have them when it gets cold.

[imafan26]

I guess I don't have that gene, but it does really explain why it is a love hate relationship to people.
When I don't have it around I can think of more things to do with it besides salsa. I just seem to go blank when I have it and later when I need it it is not around.

It does reseed but there is always that gap time when I need it.

I have made thai curry paste with the roots, but it is easier to buy the paste and it lasts a very long time.

Chinese style oxtail soup
Pho
ramen
To finish stir fries and fried noodles
Ban mi sandwiches
Thai salad with lime cilantro dressing
Tofu salad

I can grow it October-April. If I try to grow it now it will last maybe a month and a half before it bolts and that is if I plant it in the shade.