How Can I Cut Back My Cilantro?

Cilantro is a fully edible plant, most commonly used for its leaves and seeds, and is also known as coriander. Growing your own cilantro will allow you to harvest the leaves to spruce up your home-cooked meals. As a cooler-weather herb, cilantro typically has a short lifespan and proper care must be taken to extend the life of the plant so that it can be harvested multiple times throughout the growing season. Cutting back and pruning the cilantro plant is necessary to maintain a healthy and productive plant.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Remove all dead and discolored foliage with pruning shears.

   • 2

     Prune the flower stalk(s) as the plant starts to bloom. Removing the flowers prevents the cilantro plant from seeding, allows it to continue to grow leaves and prolongs the life of the plant. If seeding is allowed to begin, the cilantro foliage turns bitter.

   • 3

     Cut the plant down to the ground when the shoots reach between 4 and 6 inches tall. Keep the pruned foliage in an airtight container for later use in recipes, if desired.

   • 4

     Wait until the shoots reach 4 to 6 inches again before repeating the pruning process.