Curry Recipes Online
Beginners Guide => Grow Your Own Spices and Herbs => Topic started by: Davecraft on March 13, 2013, 09:05 PM
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Hi
I've been looking to grow some coriander this year. I've been thinking of getting one of them small pots of coriander they sell in the shops and transferring it into a bigger plant pot.
Is this a good idea and are there anything I need to be aware of? I don't see many posts on coriander on here!
Also in the process of drying out some chillis to plant!
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Is this a good idea and are there anything I need to be aware of?
That should work quite well, make sure the bigger pot has fresh compost in it with plenty of nutrients to last it a while, also make sure the pot has drainage holes so the water can drain out, coriander doesn't like soggy roots. Don't put it in a window with direct sunlight, warm shade should work quite well. You might need to give it some feed (one with Nitrogen) after 4 weeks or so or the leaves will turn yellow.
Also in the process of drying out some chillis to plant!
Best way is to slice open the chilli's as if you were going to use them, take out the seeds and put them on a saucer or small plate, spread them out as much as possible and put it in a warm dark place - airing cupboard for a week or so to dry out.
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Hi
I've been looking to grow some coriander this year. I've been thinking of getting one of them small pots of coriander they sell in the shops and transferring it into a bigger plant pot.
Is this a good idea and are there anything I need to be aware of? I don't see many posts on coriander on here!
Also in the process of drying out some chillis to plant!
If you are talking about living supermarket herbs then personally i wouldn't bother. They're grown intensively to sprout lots of leaves quickly.
There must be 100 seeds packed into that 3" pot.!
Unless you can thin them out which is nigh on impossible, you will struggle to keep them alive.
Your best chance is to slice through the root ball into as many parts possible keeping each group intact with roots/soil to make plugs and to try and give them some room to grow on.
But even then they're overcrowded.
You'd be better off sowing a packet of seeds direct into a large tub and transplant those seedlings or grow on in the tub. Just make sure you thin out enough to give each plant its own space.
Frank. :)
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Thanks for the suggestions guys.
I was in the shops today and I spotted some coriander seeds by Schwartz so I bought them and now I'm attempting to germinate them to see if it will actually work (I've seen someone use Schwartz chilli flakes which germinated).
Will this work? I've made sure to use the seeds which are not cracked or damaged.
I've put them in both soil and damp kitchen roll to see if they will spring to life!
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Thanks for the suggestions guys.
I was in the shops today and I spotted some coriander seeds by Schwartz so I bought them and now I'm attempting to germinate them to see if it will actually work (I've seen someone use Schwartz chilli flakes which germinated).
Will this work? I've made sure to use the seeds which are not cracked or damaged.
I've put them in both soil and damp kitchen roll to see if they will spring to life!
Sowing coriander seeds from a packet has always worked for me, so no reason why it won't work for you, Dave. (I just sow them in a big pots and let nature do the rest.)
The Schwartz brand is pretty expensive though. The supermarkets charge around
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Just to add to the advice already offered:
-Coriander doesn't appreciate being transplanted, so plant seed where they are going to grow.
- Some companies offer 2 types of seeds. One would be grown for Coriander seeds, and the other will resist the urge to bolt so that you may harvest the leaves for longer until it does go to seed. The latter is some times known as Cilantro when you buy the seeds, and yes, I do realise this is another name for Coriander. Both produce seeds and leaves, it just depends on which is more important to you to which strain you grow.
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Some companies offer 2 types of seeds. One would be grown for Coriander seeds, and the other will resist the urge to bolt so that you may harvest the leaves for longer until it does go to seed. The latter is some times known as Cilantro when you buy the seeds, and yes, I do realise this is another name for Coriander.
GC, do you happen to know the cultivar(s) for the non-bolting variety ? Probably more reliable than just looking for "Cilantro seeds".
** Phil.
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Phil, I just read the description on the pack of seeds and it normally says to what purpose the cultivar is most suited.
Here is an example from one of the seed companies I have used previously:
http://www.johnsons-seeds.com/seeds-plants-gardening/15093/coriander-cilantro-for-leaf (http://www.johnsons-seeds.com/seeds-plants-gardening/15093/coriander-cilantro-for-leaf)
http://www.johnsons-seeds.com/seeds-plants-gardening/11754/coriander-for-seed (http://www.johnsons-seeds.com/seeds-plants-gardening/11754/coriander-for-seed)
After a quick Google search I came across this cultivar list if you are interested:
www.myfolia.com/plants/563-coriander-coriandrum-sativum/varieties (http://www.myfolia.com/plants/563-coriander-coriandrum-sativum/varieties)
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Many thanks, GC : it looks as if Mr Johnson is not too keen to tell his consumers which cultivar(s) he is offering, just the use to which they are best put !
** Phil.
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Right. Got meself a big pot, seeds, and compost. Where should we put it? Outside see,s the logical place but someone up the said they don't like direct sunlight?
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I've been growing coriander, basil and thai basil this year...
Coriander - best thing to do is to lightly crush the seeds before sowing. The thing we think is a seed is actually the fruit, the seeds are inside it so you'll get better germination if you crush the pod slightly.
Sow a few seeds in a small pot with moist compost (multi purpose is fine). Cover with cling film to retain the moisture and leave somewhere warm.
Once the seeds have germinated, move them to a light position...direct sun is ok while they're growing as long as they don't get too hot. Once they're a reasonable size and have some proper leaves, it's best to plant them out.
When you plant them out, put them in well draining soil, grit, compost mix. Ideally in a shaded but warm spot... the morning or afternoon sun directly is great as it's not too hot then. When planting out, don't mess with the roots too much, they don't appreciate being messed with.
Cut regularly to encourage new growth. They tend to bolt (go to seed) quickly if they get too hot or too dry.
Calypso is a cut and come again leafing variety so well suited to what we're after!
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Hi,
I buy basil seedlings in pots from the supermarket and break them up to plant on - cheap and easy.
But I agree that this would work less well for coriander, which doesn't like being transplanted.
You can get a variety of coriander called Slow Bolt. We started growing it about 10 years ago, and it self-seeds now all over the place. Trouble is, the slow-bolt characteristic wears off, and soon you have plants that produce very little leaf and go straight to seed. To avoid that, we only keep the seed from plants that bolt very late on.
One word of warning...I went away last year for work, and didn't grow any coriander. I tried planting the 2-year-old seed this year and it was all dud. I doesn't keep well. So I had to order more Slow Bolt and start the whole process again.
Cheers,
Tim