Does Cilantro Flower?

Flowering Period

• Cilantro only produces foliage when the soil is cool. The plant produces the best leaves when the soil temperature is between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. During extended cool spring or fall weather, the cilantro can grow for weeks before it sends up a flower stalk. The plant bolts, or send up its flower stem, once the soil temperature reaches 75 degrees. The warm soil signals the plant's roots that it's now the optimum time to blossom and begin forming seeds.

Effects of Flowers on Foliage

• Once cilantro bolts and begins flowering, the quality of the leaves quickly declines. The cilantro produces less of the aromatic oils that give the leaves their flavor. The leaves of flowering plants taste bitter and are no longer suitable for use as an herb, so they are rarely harvested after bolting occurs. Unless you are growing the plant for its coriander seeds, bolting indicates it's time to dig up and dispose of the plant.

Preventing Flowering

• Since flowering only occurs in warm weather, planting and growing cilantro during cooler weather prevents the plants from flowering too quickly. Cilantro needs full sunlight, but the heat of the sun warms the soil even when air temperatures are still cool. Mulching the bed with straw or bark helps insulate the soil so it remains cool longer. Frequent harvesting and clipping off the flower stems as they begin to grow but before they produce buds can also prevent premature flowering.

Flowering and Coriander

• The small, round seeds of the cilantro plant, called coriander, are produced if the flower is not removed. Seeds form after the flower cycle completes and the seed pods dry on the plants. Since plants producing flowers and seeds no longer produce edible foliage, it's necessary to plant new plants every two to three weeks throughout summer. Harvest fresh leaves from the new cilantro plants and allow the older plants to flower and set coriander seed.