Problems Growing Cilantro in Michigan Garden
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Tami Koehler
Posted on: April 29, 2006

I live in Lansing Michigan and have had problems with growing cilantro. I plant it within my herb garden yet it yields little harvest. Any suggestions?

Cilantro (also known as leaf coriander) does not transplant well because its tap root is easily damaged. It is best to seed the seeds directly in the garden where the plants are to grow. When cilantro plants are transplanted the transplant shock sends a signal to the plant telling it that its life is threatened. When a plant’s existence is threatened it often responds by shifting into reproductive mode. So in the case of cilantro, the plant shifts from a vegetative, leaf production mode to a flowering and seed production mode. This is the most common problem gardeners have until they realize that cilantro should be sown in the garden, not planted with potted plants.

Another possible problem is the variety of cilantro you are growing. Taxonomically, seed coriander and leaf coriander are the same species. However the seed type produces relatively fewer leafs and more quickly shifts to a flowering and seed prodcution phase. We recommend the variety ‘Santo’ which we offer online -- please see:

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?page=SubIndexPages/Coriander.html

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