Culantro is a fantastic herb that deserves a spot in more gardens. If you love cilantro but find it bolts too quickly, culantro is your resilient alternative. This guide will show you exactly how to grow culantro successfully, even if you’re new to gardening.
It’s a key ingredient in many Caribbean, Latin American, and Asian dishes, offering a robust, cilantro-like flavor that stands up to cooking. Unlike its delicate cousin, culantro is a tough, leafy plant that thrives with minimal fuss. Let’s get your plants started.
How to Grow Culantro
Growing culantro is straightforward once you understand its simple needs. It’s a biennial in very warm climates but usually grown as an annual. The goal is to encourage lots of those long, serrated leaves for harvest.
What You’ll Need to Get Started
Before you plant, gather these basic supplies. You probably have most of them already.
* Culantro Seeds: The variety is often just called ‘Culantro’ or ‘Recao.’ Source them from reputable seed companies specializing in tropical or Caribbean herbs.
* Containers or Garden Space: It grows well in both. Pots should be at least 10-12 inches deep.
* Potting Mix: Use a high-quality, well-draining potting soil. A mix for vegetables or herbs is perfect.
* Fertilizer: A balanced, organic fertilizer (like a 5-5-5 formula) or compost.
* Watering Can or Hose: With a gentle spray nozzle.
* Location: A spot with some shade, especially in hotter climates.
Step 1: Choosing the Right Time and Place
Culantro is a heat-loving plant but it dislikes intense, all-day sun. Timing is crucial for good germination.
The best time to plant is after the last frost in spring, when soil temperatures are consistently warm. In tropical zones, you can plant it year-round. For location, choose a spot that gets dappled sunlight, morning sun with afternoon shade, or bright, filtered light. Full, blazing sun will often scorch the leaves and stress the plant.
Step 2: Planting Your Culantro Seeds
You can start seeds directly in the soil where you want them to grow. Culantro has a taproot and doesn’t always love being transplanted.
1. Prepare your soil or container by filling it with moist potting mix.
2. Scatter the seeds lightly over the soil surface. You can sow them about 1-2 inches apart.
3. Gently press the seeds into the soil, but cover them with only a very thin layer of soil—no more than 1/4 inch. They need some light to germinate properly.
4. Water the area gently using a fine mist to avoid disturbing the seeds.
5. Keep the soil consistently moist, but not soggy, while waiting for germination.
Step 3: Germination and Early Care
Here’s where a little patience is needed. Culantro seeds can be slow to sprout, often taking 14 to 21 days.
Keep the soil moist during this period. Once you see the first seedlings, continue with gentle watering. When they have a couple of sets of true leaves, you can thin them if they are too crowded. Aim for plants to be about 6-8 inches apart eventually. This gives them room to develop those large leaf rosettes.
Step 4: Watering and Feeding Your Plants
Consistent moisture is the secret to tender, flavorful leaves. Culantro prefers soil that is evenly moist.
Water when the top inch of soil feels dry. In pots, this might be every other day during hot weather. In the ground, deep watering a few times a week is better than daily sprinkles. For feeding, culantro isn’t a heavy feeder. Apply a balanced organic fertilizer or a side-dressing of compost about once a month during the growing season. This supports steady leaf product.
Step 5: Optimal Growing Conditions
To keep your plants happiest, focus on these three factors:
* Light: Partial shade is ideal. Think of the kind of light it would get at the edge of a forest.
* Temperature: It thrives in temperatures between 70°F and 85°F (21°C-29°C). It can tolerate higher heat if shaded. It is very sensitive to frost.
* Soil: Well-draining soil is non-negotiable. Soggy roots will cause the plant to rot. If your garden soil is heavy clay, raised beds or containers are your best bet.
Step 6: Harvesting Your Culantro
Harvesting is simple and encourages more growth. You can start once the plant has several mature leaves, usually about 2-3 months after planting.
Never cut the entire plant. Instead, use clean scissors or a knife to snip off individual outer leaves at their base, close to the soil. Always leave the central growing point and several younger leaves intact. The plant will continue producing new leaves from the center. Regular harvesting is the key to a bushy, productive plant.
How to Store and Use Culantro
Fresh culantro leaves can be wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for about a week. For long-term storage, you can chop the leaves and freeze them in ice cube trays with a little water. It’s excellent in stews, sofrito, soups, and marinades. The flavor is stronger than cilantro, so you’ll need to use less.
Step 7: Troubleshooting Common Problems
Culantro is relatively pest-resistant, but a few issues can pop up.
* Bolting (Flowering): If the plant gets too stressed from heat, drought, or age, it will send up a central flower stalk. The leaves become bitter once this happens. To delay bolting, keep it well-watered and shaded in peak heat. You can snip off the flower stalk to encourage a few more leaves, but it’s a temporary fix.
* Yellowing Leaves: This is often a sign of overwatering or poor drainage. Check that your soil isn’t waterlogged. It can also indicate a need for a light fertilizer application.
* Pests: Slugs and snails might munch on the tender leaves. Use organic slug bait or beer traps if needed. Aphids are sometimes a problem; a strong spray of water usually knocks them off.
Growing Culantro in Pots and Indoors
Culantro is an excellent container plant. This is a great option for gardeners with limited space or cooler climates.
Choose a deep pot (for its taproot) with good drainage holes. Use a quality potting mix and place the pot in a location that gets bright, indirect light—an east-facing patio or near a bright window is perfect. Indoor plants may need less frequent watering; always check the soil first. Rotate the pot occasionally for even growth. Container plants might need slightly more frequent feeding, as nutrients wash out with watering.
Propagating Culantro for More Plants
While growing from seed is most common, you can also propagate culantro from cuttings or by division.
To propagate from a cutting, select a healthy, non-flowering stem with a few leaves. Place the stem in a glass of water, ensuring the leaf nodes are submerged. Change the water every few days. In a couple weeks, you should see roots forming. Once they are an inch or two long, pot the cutting up in soil. For division, you can carefully split a mature, healthy plant at the roots, making sure each section has both roots and leaves attached.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is culantro the same as cilantro?
No, they are different plants, though they share a similar flavor profile. Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) has delicate, lacy leaves. Culantro (Eryngium foetidum) has long, saw-toothed leaves and a much stronger, more robust flavor that holds up better in cooked dishes.
Can I grow culantro from store-bought leaves?
It’s very difficult. The leaves are typically harvested without the stem base needed for rooting. Your best and most reliable method is to start from seeds purchased for gardening.
Why are my culantro seeds not sprouting?
Old seeds or incorrect planting depth are common causes. Culantro seeds lose viability quickly, so use fresh seeds. Also, remember they need light to germinate, so don’t bury them too deep. Keeping the soil warm and consistently moist is also critical.
How much sun does culantro really need?
It prefers partial shade or filtered sunlight. In cooler climates, it can tolerate more sun. In hot, southern climates, afternoon shade is essential to prevent leaf scorch and slow down bolting.
Can culantro survive winter?
It is a tropical plant and cannot survive frost. In zones 10-11, it may act as a perennial. Elsewhere, it is grown as a warm-season annual. You can try bringing a potted plant indoors to a sunny window over winter, but it may not thrive without high humidity.
What are the best companion plants for culantro?
It grows well alongside other partial-shade plants like tomatoes, peppers, and sweet potatoes. Its strong scent may even help deter some pests from your garden beds, acting as a useful companion in that way.
Growing culantro is a rewarding way to add a unique, persistent herb to your kitchen garden. By providing the right balance of shade, moisture, and warmth, you’ll be rewarded with a continuous harvest of flavorful leaves. Whether in a garden bed or a container on your patio, this hardy plant offers a taste of the tropics with very little hassle. Give it a try this season—your cooking will thank you for it.