How Often To Water Cilantro Plants – Watering Guidance

Cilantro is a great herb to grow yourself. It’s cold-hardy and can be planted outside in the garden or inside in a pot. Its maintenance is relatively straightforward, too. But how often should you water cilantro?  This article will answer that question and explain much more. For example, we’ll discuss the benefits of growing cilantro yourself. Then, we’ll dive deeper into the topic.

First, we’ll answer how often you should water your cilantro plant and how much water it needs in various stages of its growth. Then, we’ll discuss signs of overwatering and underwatering your cilantro plant. In addition, we’ll share some tips about fertilizing your cilantro plant, how much sun it needs, and other maintenance tips. 

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Why Grow Cilantro?

Cilantro is a great herb that can be added to many different dishes. For example, cilantro is popular in Mexican, Indian, Thai, and Latin American foods.

This herb has a unique taste that’s often described as “soapy.” In addition, it has a lemon and pepper flavor to it.

In addition, you can use the fresh leaves of the cilantro plant in recipes or dry the leaves out. The dried leaves will keep longer and will have a more subtle taste. On the other hand, if you enjoy its strong taste, you can use the fresh leaves in your dish.

Also, cilantro is great to grow all year round. It has a shorter lifespan than some other herb plants, but it’s a cold-hardy plant. You can also grow it inside your house or outdoors in your garden, among other plants.

Overall, there’s a lot to love about this herb plant. But how do you care for it in terms of watering?

How Often To Water Cilantro Plant?

Believe it or not, cilantro doesn’t require a lot of water. However, its watering needs will vary, depending on which stage of growth it’s in.

For example, how often to water cilantro seeds varies from the answer to how often do I water cilantro plants? 

How Often Do You Water Cilantro Seeds?

Sometimes, you might wonder, “how often should I water cilantro seeds?”

Well, when it’s first starting, you’ll want to water your cilantro seeds at least once a day. This will help your plant get a head start on growth.

Once the seeds germinate and the plant begins growing, you won’t have to water it as much. 

How Often To Water Cilantro Indoors?

If you have your cilantro plant inside the house, then you’ll still want to provide it with as much water as it needs.

At the beginning of planting, give it some water once a day. Then, as it begins to grow, you can water it less.

How Often To Water Cilantro Outdoors?

When your cilantro plant is outside the garden, watering needs may vary. You’ll want to water it once a day when you first plant it. Then, you can water it once a week as it grows bigger.

However, you’ll want to be careful on rainy days. If there’s a drizzle, your plant should be fine. But if you get a huge rainstorm, then you’ll want to protect your plant somehow.

Protecting it might include covering it with a tarp or bringing the plant inside the house.

How Much Water Does Cilantro Need?

Luckily, cilantro does not need a lot of water to thrive. However, the amount of water you give will depend on its current growth stage.

For example, in the beginning, you’ll want to provide more water for your cilantro plant while it’s beginning to grow. Then, as it grows bigger, you’ll be able to water it less.

As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to provide your cilantro plant with about one inch of water per day when it’s first beginning to grow.

This early stage of growth includes the seeds germinating and beginning to sprout.

As your plant grows bigger and older, then you’ll only need to provide about one inch of water per week.

Giving your cilantro that amount of water continuously will allow it to grow well consistently.

Of course, some days or weeks might be different than others. For example, if it’s hot, it might drink more water than usual. So you want to keep an eye on your plant to ensure it’s drinking enough and getting enough water.

On the other hand, it’s easy to overwater or underwater if you’re not careful.

Signs Of Overwatering in Cilantro Plants

Overwatering your cilantro plant means that you provide it with more water than it needs. Unfortunately, this is easy to do if you’re not careful enough since cilantro doesn’t need a lot of water, to begin with.

If you’re unsure whether to water your plant or not, then feel the soil. If it’s bone dry, then you should certainly give it a drink.

However, if you provide water to your plant every day after its early stages of growth, then you’ll be giving it too much water.

Also, overwatering can occur if you’re using the wrong soil type. For instance, cilantro needs soil that drains water well.

Unfortunately, you can tell that your cilantro plant is being overwatered if you notice the following signs in your cilantro plant:

• Leaves turn yellow and fall off
• Leaves turn a darker color or black
• The cilantro stops growing
• The stems and roots break off easily
• The plant does not perk up when being watered
• Fuzzy mildew will grow on the plant

Unfortunately, if you overwater your cilantro too often and it’s difficult to correct, this may result in your cilantro plant dying.

Signs Of Underwatering Cilantro Plants

On the flip side, you can also underwater your cilantro plant. Since this herb doesn’t require too much water to grow, it can be easy to forget to check on the soil’s moisture.

The best way to remember to water your cilantro is to check on it at least once a week. However, it’ll be best to check on it once a day to see how it’s growing.

Your cilantro will tell you if it’s not getting enough water.

For instance, your cilantro will begin to wilt. The leaves might turn yellow, and the stems will be soft and limp.

In addition, the leaves may dry up and fall off of the stems.

If you notice this, be sure to give your cilantro a drink right away. Otherwise, the plant could die.

However, if your plant is being underwatered and you want to give it a quick drink, be sure to give it only the water it needs.

For instance, because your plant didn’t get enough water, doesn’t mean you need to provide it with extra water.

Adding a little bit of water is better than adding too much at a time. Then, you can check on the plant again in a couple of hours to see how much it drank.

Does Cilantro Need Fertilizer Regularly?

Fertilizer will help cilantro grow well. For example, you can add fertilizer once every other week to your well-drained soil.

You can begin adding fertilizer when your cilantro plant grows to be about two inches tall. Any time before that, you can allow your cilantro plant to grow well on its own with the right soil.

For instance, you want to use loamy-like soil that drains water well. In addition, this will help your cilantro plant be able to drink what it needs to and then drain any excess water. 

Does Cilantro Need Full Sun?

Yes, cilantro does need full sun to grow well. So planting it in the garden where it’ll get about six hours of direct sunlight per day is ideal.

However, you’ll want to plant cilantro in the early spring or late summer to avoid extreme hot weather.

Cilantro loves the sun, but it can burn easily when it gets too hot.

Read more about cilantro, and its sun needs here.

Other Maintenance Tips For Growing Cilantro

Sometimes, if you notice something wrong with your cilantro plant, it might not be a watering issue.

For example, if you notice that its leaves are wilting, it could be an issue with the soil or fertilizer. Without proper soiling or fertilizing needs, your plant may not be able to grow as well as it can.

In addition, if you’re growing your cilantro in a pot, make sure there are holes at the bottom. This will allow any excess water to drip out if your cilantro doesn’t need to drink it.

Finally, if you notice that your cilantro plant is drinking a lot, you can add more soil so that it has more room to spread out its roots. 

Final Words on How Often to Water Cilantro Plants

Overall, cilantro is a cold-hardy plant that doesn’t require much water. However, it’s easy to overwater or underwater your cilantro plant. So, you want to make sure that you know its water levels at all times. With proper watering, your cilantro plant will be able to thrive.

Want to learn more? Click here to learn how to grow cilantro in water or find out what it means when cilantro flowers here. You can also find out how big cilantro grows here or all my cilantro guides here.

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