Cilantro Growing Methods and Soil Requirements Explained

Cilantro leaves are tender and strongly aromatic; they are not only suitable for eating raw, but can also be salted and stored for winter. The market has always been fairly promising. So how do you grow cilantro? What are the soil requirements?

1. What are the soil requirements for growing cilantro?

Cilantro is not strict about soil, but good soil structure, fertile soil, and high organic matter content are beneficial to cilantro growth.

In addition, a 7-8 year interval is needed; without crop rotation, it will not bolt during the growing period and the yield will be low. The seed of cilantro is actually a fruit, round, containing two seeds. Before sowing, plow and then level the ground, requiring the soil surface to be free of clods and crop stubble and residual branches.

When sowing, the seeds must be rubbed apart so that seedlings emerge evenly and neatly. Cilantro can be suitable for intercropping with various warm-loving fruit vegetables because of its strong cold tolerance.

2. How do you grow cilantro?

1. Variety selection

There are large-leaf varieties and small-leaf varieties. Large-leaf varieties have taller plants, larger leaves, fewer and shallower notches, and higher yields; small-leaf varieties have shorter plants, smaller leaves, deeper notches, stronger aroma, cold tolerance, and strong adaptability, but slightly lower yields. Generally, small-leaf varieties are mostly chosen for cultivation, and specially selected heat-tolerant varieties are used.

2. Seed treatment

Cilantro seeds have a hard outer shell, and sowing by conventional methods results in slow emergence. Before sowing, spread the cilantro seeds on flat ground and rub them slowly and evenly with a not-too-hard object to crack the outer shell; then soak them in warm water at 35°C-45°C for 2-3 days before sowing; generally, seedlings can emerge 12-13 days after sowing.

3. Sowing time

Generally, direct sowing is done from September to October, and one freezing water irrigation is given before winter to help the seedlings overwinter. When the seedlings turn green again, carry out intertillage, loosening of the soil, and weeding.

4. Water and fertilizer management

Cilantro likes moisture, so it should be watered frequently to keep the bed moist. It can also be irrigated in time (furrow irrigation) when the soil is slightly dry, but after the bed soil becomes moist, any standing water in the field (in the furrows) should be drained in time so as not to affect plant growth.

5. Pest and disease control

The main pests and diseases of cilantro are leaf spot, soft rot, and aphids. Control should be carried out according to the principle of “prevention first, with treatment as a supplement”

(1) Leaf spot

In the early stage of the disease, spray with 75% chlorothalonil or 50% dimethomorph wettable powder at 1000 times dilution, once every 7 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays. Stop using the pesticide 7 days before harvest.

(2) Soft rot

In the early stage of the disease, spray with 72% agricultural streptomycin soluble powder or new phytomycin at 3000 times dilution 2-3 times; stop using the pesticide 3 days before harvest.

(3) Aphids

If aphids occur, they can be controlled in time with 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution or imidacloprid, etc.

Note that cilantro is generally eaten mainly raw, so it is not suitable to use human and animal manure as fertilizer; urea can be used for irrigation or broadcast application on rainy days.