Maybe you are trying your hand at planting and harvesting different types of garnishes and seasonings in your garden. Or perhaps you are looking for ways on how to improve yourself in gardening. Whatever the reason may be, challenging yourself with new types of herbs and plants for growth can yield some new, unexpected results, some of which can be good!
One of these plants can be cilantro; also known as “coriander,” this specific herb is not only versatile in food dishes, but also it is easy to grow. That said, you still might be wondering just how to trim cilantro, let alone harvest them to success, especially if you have not had any experiences in doing so.
Hence, we are here to help! In this article, we will give you step-by-step instructions on how to make your soon-to-be cilantro garden the best that it can be. Pretty soon, you will have a successful batch that you are proud to call your own. Let’s get started!
What You Will Need for This Tutorial?
You might be surprised to find that you do not need a lot of materials to properly trim cilantro. Here is our list of essentials that you will need to get started:
A Pair of Scissors
Considering that it is a pruning project, having a solid pair of sharp scissors is the way to go. This is to ensure that each cut is quick and clean, without any snagged, uneven parts that can otherwise cause trouble later on, or at least make it look un-aesthetically pleasing.
Good Soil
You might be wondering just what constitutes soil as that of a “good” one? Essentially, a good soil comprises of a nice, aeration system (i.e. soil which has tiny air pockets to help the roots breathe), keeps a compact shape when damp, and overall offers enough nutrients to the seeds for growing.
Rubbing Alcohol
This is to be applied to the scissors before you go ahead and prune your cilantro. Doing so ensures that everything is sanitary and that there will not be a problem later down the line when it comes to the plants themselves.
A Paper Bag
Now, perhaps you are questioning the significance of the paper bag. In fact, this is used for pruning cilantro seeds, as you store their pods inside of the bag and waiting for the seeds themselves to fall out of them. Essentially, this is another way to trim another part of the cilantro herb, but it is just as important as well.
How to Trim Cilantro (Step-By-Step)
Now that you have the necessary items to get started, it is now time to trim the cilantro! Here are the few, but important steps to begin:
Know When They Are Ready to Be Harvested
Generally speaking, cilantro takes on average 60 to 75 days to be fully matured, so once the time comes up, you can safely bet that they are ready to be trimmed.
Granted, conditions such as weather, soil, and in general unexpected changes can lead to cilantro being harvested sooner or later, but as a rule of thumb, aim for that two to three-month mark for full maturation in the plants.
Start by Lightly Pruning Them
Once the 60 to 75-day mark comes, you can safely assume that the cilantro is ready to be trimmed, or otherwise pruned. Again, sanitize your scissors with rubbing alcohol before you go ahead and snip away.
When it comes to pruning them, do not go overboard by cutting off every single one of them, let alone all of the way down to the quick. Especially if your garden is not that big to begin with, then it is not necessary to do so. A little bit of trimming is good enough to maintain your beautiful cilantro garden.
Know Around Where You Need to Cut the Stems
Depending on the length of your cilantro, you do not want to cut off the entire stem of each of them, and instead make light cuts of no more than a third of the stem from the base.
By doing it in this manner, it ensures a healthier, longer lifespan for the cilantro than if you were to cut it down to its base, which can weaken the plant itself, as well as making it more susceptible to flowering and giving it less of a lifespan to work with.
A good rule of thumb is to trim them when they reach four to six inches and for larger clusters of cilantro, you can trim them from one to two inches right above the base, in order to slow them down. You can also use a small string (i.e. twine) to tie the clumps together, before submerging the stems in them to keep them fresh and healthy.
Be Aware of How Often You Should Harvest Cilantro
Like any other plant, flower, or crop out there, you will need to know how often you will need to trim and harvest cilantro daily. Typically speaking, you do not need to trim and harvest them more than once a week; that said, you can consider cilantro as “low maintenance.”
In addition, it depends on the area in which you are pruning the cilantro, from the clumps to the flowers to the seeds. The clumps, as mentioned, can be maintained rather easily by cutting them down from one to two inches right below the plant’s base.
The flowers themselves on the cilantro can all be trimmed away, as they are nothing but a nuisance, while pruning the seeds by using a paper bag to place the pods and let the seeds alone helps them get out of their shell on their own.
Keep the Activity Engaging and Less Tedious
Although this is a vague statement, it is nevertheless important to make sure that you do not fall into the rut of being bored while planting, growing, and harvesting cilantro.
That said, it comes down to spacing out a part of your day when you do not have any errands to do just to take the time and spend it snipping away at the bountiful cilantro. For more variety, you can also try your hand at other herbs, such as basil or rosemary.
Hence, the more proactive you are in caring for your garden, the more successful your cilantro garden will be. You can even invite along your friends to help you in the process, as a way of making it a social event that everyone can participate in (and have fun!).
Trimming, then, does not need to be a tedious chore, but rather an engaging agglomerate of everything that you love: gardening, cultivating, and the potentiality for food usage.
Conclusion
As already mentioned, trimming cilantro can be not just a wonderful way to better engage with your environment, but also as an almost-therapeutic way of living. Easy to do while yielding beneficial results, trimming your cilantro garden will yield good results over in the long run.
Happy gardening!
