Coriander
Also called: كزبرة · Kuzbara · Cilantro · Dhania
The most-used herb in a Gulf kitchen and the quickest to bolt. Sow a small batch every fortnight rather than one big one.
The year at a glance
Each month is split in half. The outline marks now.
Stage by stage
Stage 1 of 7
Seed
Days 0–6
Seed
Days 0–6The seed sits in the soil taking up water and swelling. Nothing shows above the surface — everything is happening underground.
Do now
- Water lightly and often so the soil stays damp but never soaked. Letting it dry out between waterings kills the seed before it sprouts.
- Cover the surface with a thin layer of straw or compost to slow evaporation and steady the temperature.
- Label what you sowed and when. You will need the date to work out the harvest.
Watch for
- A hard crust forming on sandy soil after watering, which traps the sprout underneath. Break it gently.
- Ants carrying small seeds away — a very common problem in Qatari gardens.
In Qatar
Soak the seed 24 hours after rubbing it. That takes germination from about 50% to 90% in Qatar’s dry soil.
Germination
Days 7–15The seed coat splits: a root pushes down and a shoot pushes up. The two seed leaves that appear are not true leaves — they are the seed’s own food store.
Do now
- Keep moisture constant. The first root is very fine and a single dry day can end the seedling.
- Remove any covering as soon as the first sprout shows, or it will stretch thin looking for light.
- Give bright, indirect light. Direct midday sun will scorch a new seedling within hours.
Watch for
- A long, thin, pale stem: the seedling is not getting enough light and will collapse.
- Sudden wilting with a pinched stem at soil level — damping off, caused by overwatering.
In Qatar
Slower than you expect. Keep the surface damp under a light cover until it sprouts.
Seedling
Days 16–28The first true leaves appear, shaped differently from the seed leaves. The plant is now feeding itself and the roots are branching fast.
Do now
- Thin crowded seedlings and keep the strongest. Crowding gives you many weak plants instead of one good one.
- Start watering less often but more deeply, to drive the roots downwards.
- Harden the seedling off — build up its sun exposure over a week before transplanting.
Watch for
- Yellowing lower leaves: nitrogen shortage, very common in Qatar’s poor sandy soil.
- Small holes or chewed edges, meaning snails or young grasshoppers.
In Qatar
Never transplant it. Moved coriander bolts within a fortnight however cool the weather.
Leaf growth
Days 29–38Leaves multiply fast and the rosette widens. All the energy goes into leaf — which is the crop itself, so speed is the goal.
Do now
- Feed nitrogen every ten days. Leafy crops want more of it than anything else you grow.
- Keep the moisture even. Any drought turns the leaves bitter and tough, permanently.
- Clear competing weeds. Leafy crops root shallowly and lose the competition easily.
Watch for
- Small, thick, dark leaves: the plant is thirsty or the soil is salty.
- Aphids gathering in the heart of the plant, where they are hard to wash out.
In Qatar
Partial shade buys it three extra weeks here. Grow it in the shadow of something taller, like a tomato.
Cut and come again
Days 39–65The plant is at its most aromatic. Regular cutting makes it branch and produce more; leaving it uncut pushes it to flower.
Do now
- Cut from the top just above a pair of leaves, and the stem branches into two.
- Never take more than a third of the plant at once.
- Cut before the midday sun, when the aromatic oils are at their strongest.
- Pinch out any flower buds as soon as they appear to stretch the leaf season.
Watch for
- Woody stems at the base: the plant is ageing and needs a hard cut back or replacing.
- Spider mite in hot dry air, showing as faint speckling and fine webbing.
In Qatar
A short picking season — only four weeks. That is exactly why you sow it in successive batches.
Bolting
Days 66–85Heat or lengthening days convince the plant its life is ending, so it rushes to make seed. The leaves turn bitter and tough.
Do now
- The leaves are past salad use. Cook them if the bitterness is bearable.
- Let the strongest plant finish flowering and collect its seed for another season.
- The flowers pull in beneficial insects, so leave some standing if you have another crop nearby.
Watch for
- Early bolting caused by sowing too late in the season — the commonest mistake in Qatar.
- Seed scattering itself and coming back as a weed next season.
In Qatar
Do not bin a bolted plant. Let the seed dry on it and collect it — that is coriander seed.
End of cycle
Days 86–105The plant’s cycle is over. The roots left behind break down and add organic matter if you leave them.
Do now
- Cut the plant at soil level and leave the roots in place to rot down.
- Sow a crop from a different family in the same spot to break the pest cycle.
- Add compost and cover the soil before the summer heat.
Watch for
- Planting the same family twice running in the same bed.
- Leaving the soil bare in the sun all summer.
In Qatar
Scatter some seed where it stands and it will come up on its own next Al-Wasm.
- Water
- Medium
- Salt tolerance
- Medium
- Heat tolerance
- Low
2 L/week in winter, 6 L in summer
Soil preparation
A taproot that hates being moved. Work the soil to 20 cm and sow where it will grow.
Pests
Aphids
- Sign
- Clusters on the tender stems.
- What to do
- Water blast. Coriander is harvested so fast that nothing else is needed.
Fungal wilt
- Sign
- Sudden wilt from the base, with overwatering.
- What to do
- Cut back watering and improve drainage. Coriander hates wet feet.
Common problems
Bolting within weeks
- Cause
- Heat over about 27 °C, or transplant shock. The most common complaint about coriander in Qatar.
- Fix
- Sow in place, in partial shade, and stop sowing after January.
Only half the seed comes up
- Cause
- A coriander "seed" is a capsule holding two seeds fused together.
- Fix
- Rub the capsules gently between your palms to split them, then soak overnight.
Picking
Cut outer stems at the base once it reaches 15 cm. The seed it makes when it bolts is dried coriander.
Keeping
A week in the fridge bagged with a paper towel. Freezes well chopped into ice cubes with oil.