This blog complements the Urban Garden Magazine article Grow Your Own Culantro and I encourage all to read it. The feeding, lighting, & pest control program I used is exactly as described in the article. Results have been more than optimal, both in yields and flavor. I encourage you all to grow your own culinary herbs — it is simple, nutritious, & fun.
Germination
Day 18
Day 20
Day 27
Vegetative Growth
Day 60
Day 150: This shot was taken approximately two weeks post-1st harvest.
Day 195
Day 199: Culantro leaves were harvested. I left the three youngest leaves on each plant to encourage re-vegging.
Day 211: Twelve days post-harvest, the plants are off to a good re-vegging.
Day 221
Day 224
Day 227: 271 culantro leaves were harvested from this tray; it is its 4th harvest! It filled up the bowl & yielded ~2 cups of fresh, fragrant culantro. A few leaves were left on each plant to ensure fast re-growth. It only took exactly 4 weeks for this yield! One tray is enough to keep our family needs met all year round.
Day 240
Day 250
Day 264
Day 264
Day 281
Day 281
Day 281
Day 349
Day 349
Outdoor
These culantro seedlings were transplanted to a pot re-vegging two orange bellpepper plants. Outdoor temperatures were in the mid-50s for the first month. Despite the less-than optimal conditions, the seedlings thrived.
36 days after being transplanted, the culantro seedlings are on their way to a good, healthy start outdoors.
70 days have passed since transplant outdoors. Direct sunlight, albeit only for 4 hours a day, has hindered growth & the longer days of summer have triggered inflorescence. These plants never really grew to their full potential.
A Bad Idea
Cell trays filled with grow medium are a bad idea for growing culantro.
The roots never took off, fungus gnats took residence in the space between the tray & the inserts, & the poor seedlings rotted because of excess humidity.
Fungus gnats continued to mercilessly attack these 50- & 72-cell trays.
Despite the seedlings' best attempts to recover, they succumbed after braving so many unfavorable conditions.
Upcoming Projects
I have culantro seeds germinating in small flats filled with coir/perlite & I also have seedlings growing out of Rapid Rooter cubes. Seeds will also be started in a 200-plug Grodan rockwool sheet and grown hydroponically. The new year seems promising!
HAHA, i just started a 200-plug rockool sheet, it sits in my lucky tray with holes & the hole thing is contained by a Mondi 10 x 20-inch tray, with a humidity dome & on a heating mat. Let’s see what happens…