How to Care for Cilantro Indoors

Cilantro grows its best foliage during the cool spring and early summer days. Hot weather causes the plant to flower, while freezing weather kills the cilantro. Keeping a pot of the herb indoors year-round ensures that you have fresh cilantro available whenever you need it. After cilantro flowers, the leaves lose their aromatic flavor, but you can harvest the seeds for use as coriander. Cilantro grows quickly, so start a new pot as soon as the old one flowers to keep fresh cilantro growing indoors.

Grow lights
Fertilizer
Shears

Instructions

- 1
  Set the cilantro pot in a window that receives six hours or more of direct sunlight, such as in a south-facing or west-facing window. Set a fluorescent grow light fixture above the plant to supplement natural light if you don't have a suitably sunny indoor area.
- 2
  Water potted cilantro thoroughly when the top inch of soil feels dry. Plants don't tolerate overly moist or overly dry soil, so avoid overwatering and standing water in the pot or drip tray.
- 3
  Fertilize cilantro every six weeks with a soluble nutrient solution formulated for herbs or foliage plants. Apply the fertilizer at the rate recommended on the label for the pot size.
- 4
  Harvest cilantro once the stems are at least 4 inches tall. Cut back the stems as you need them from the outside of the plant. Cut back the entire plant by up to half its height when it's between 6 and 8 inches tall. Periodically cutting the plant back encourages further foliage growth and prevents flowering.

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