How to properly grow cilantro in a greenhouse
A spicy herb grown for greens is called cilantro. If the plant is planted to produce seeds, it will be called coriander. Cilantro feels great in the greenhouse, on the garden bed and on the windowsill. In greenhouses, the spice can be cultivated separately or as an intermediate plant, planting in the aisles of other crops. Growing cilantro in a greenhouse is possible with the organization of a competent heating system, additional lighting, and an irrigation system. It is advisable to use racks on which containers or pots are installed.
Cilantro is a green mass, coriander is the fruit of the same plant.
Greenhouse benefits
Cultivation of cilantro (coriander) in a greenhouse has many advantages:
- cilantro can be harvested even in winter, if heaters are installed;
- under cover the greenery is protected from the invasion of slugs and other pests;
- a shortened growing season, from the moment of sowing the seeds to cutting off fresh herbs, two weeks pass;
- the possibility of growing with other vegetable crops;
- maintaining the required level of soil and air moisture;
- the possibility of growing greens or fruits.
Seed selection
The most popular varieties of cilantro for growing in a greenhouse today are:
- Hybrid Caribe. The fragrant, one-year-old novelty is distinguished by late shooting, resistance to temperature drop.
- Amber. Fragrant plant. With systematic moderate watering, an accelerated formation of deciduous mass occurs, which is suitable for use for a long period due to the late formation of peduncles and seeds. Leaves are shown at a height of ten centimeters.
- Borodinsky. The growing season is medium, the leaf is tender, has an excellent taste and aroma.
- Stimulus. Medium late variety with a compact rosette up to 30 cm tall. Dark green glossy leaves form a mass on one plant in 40 g.
- Venus. The variety is early, greens are suitable for use one month after the emergence of shoots. It features a raised rosette with a unique smell and pleasant taste.
- Alekseevsky 190. Not inclined to shedding and lodging, frost-resistant, rarely attacked by pests.
Growing
Cilantro, sown directly into greenhouse soil, germinates successfully at temperatures no higher than + 20 ºC. Sowing in rows is preferred if the crop is grown alone. When sown to other vegetables, the seed is scattered in an empty place, without deepening. The soil should be loosened, moistened and lightly sprinkled with dry earth. This method significantly accelerates germination and shortens the growing season. With the appearance of sprouts, the plants are thinned out, with culling of weak seedlings, at a distance of 6–8 cm.Sowing of seeds is carried out all year round.
Insulated structures are allowed to grow cilantro in winter - in January and February. On hot summer days, the growth of cilantro stops, the taste becomes inexpressive, there is a risk of flower stems dropping.
Cutting of the leaf mass begins with a growth of 15–20 cm, before the ejection of peduncles, contributing to the coarsening of the greenery and a deterioration in taste. It is recommended to cut coriander with a sharp knife in the morning. After that, the soil is loosened and fertilized for the subsequent overseeding of greenery.
Soil preparation
Growing cilantro in a greenhouse involves mixing the top layer of soil with sand and peat, and disinfection with a solution of copper sulfate. Then humus is introduced. Acidic soil should be avoided. High yields are achieved with an annual change of soil in the greenhouse.
Planting seedlings
Cilantro seedlings in the greenhouse are planted at a distance of 8–12 cm with a row spacing of 30 cm. This planting pattern simplifies maintenance and provides the bushes with enough space for effective development.
Temperature regime
For successful germination in the greenhouse, cilantro seeds are provided with a moderate temperature: 18–20 ° С. With the emergence of seedlings, the temperature regime can be increased.
Temperatures over +30 ° С will significantly reduce the yield and quality of greenery.
Watering
The optimum humidity for growing cilantro in an industrial greenhouse is maintained by installing an automatic drip irrigation system. Private traders use watering cans with a wide spray.
Bushes need to be watered abundantly twice a week with warm water. The intensity of watering should be increased during the period of stem formation and leaf growth. Mulching the soil with straw, sawdust, and nutshells will allow you to water the plants less often. Mulch inhibits the evaporation of moisture from the soil, saves spice from weeds and warms the root system on cool days.
Fertilizers
Spicy herbs love loose, generously fertilized soils. Top dressing is applied while digging the ridges. Mineral fertilizers containing superphosphate and potassium or rotted manure, wood ash are preferred. It is advisable to fertilize the soil after cutting the green mass, at the same time watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds. Shown is the annual change of the top layer of the soil to a new soil mixture.
Diseases and pests
The most common fungal disease of cilantro (coriander) is ramulariasis. It can manifest itself in the form of brown spots during the growing season, affecting all organs of the plant and leading to its death. The disease is caused by frequent rains and heavy dew. Preventive measures include dressing the seed and getting rid of plant debris.
Sometimes the culture is affected by powdery mildew. To prevent this from happening, you need to follow the rules of crop rotation, dig up the soil to a sufficient depth, destroy the remains of plants in the autumn.
Among the pests should be noted the winter scoop, wireworm, striped and umbrella bugs and coriander seed-eater, causing damage to yield up to 80%.
Harvesting cilantro
Cilantro is a spice actively used in cooking as a seasoning for first courses and sauces. It goes well with meat and fish.
The marketable height of the green mass is 10–20 cm. Later cutting is fraught with the beginning of flowering and coarsening of the leaves. You can determine the harvest time by the rich green color of the greenery. Cilantro cut early in the morning is washed with running water, dry stems, leaves, debris, insects are removed, dried with paper towels and tied in bunches. It is necessary to hang the herb in the attic or in another dry room, where direct sunlight does not get, destroying vitamins and nutrients.
Proper drying of cilantro preserves minerals and vitamins, as well as flavor and aroma. Fully dried plants are crushed and placed in glass jars with hermetically sealed lids.
Cilantro grown in a greenhouse can serve as a good financial help. Young greens are readily sold out. You can start selling spices yourself or through shops and vegetable stalls. The size of the crop, and therefore the profit, largely depends on the area of the greenhouse.
