Last updated on September 23rd, 2022 at 02:51 pm
Having a plant and not knowing how to treat it can be the most challenging part of the gardening practice.
However, indulging in the proper gardening practices will help you get more out of your farm.
Cilantro is one susceptible plant that requires special attention. Furthermore, watering cilantro is another task that requires expertise.
Else, you may end up damaging your whole cilantro plant. As a result, the question many often ask is how often to water cilantro. So, let’s find out.
Moist soil is optimum for cilantro. As a result, you need to ensure you give your cilantro plant in beds about an inch of water every week. If you’re growing cilantro in containers, it may require more frequent watering. This need is crucial, especially if you notice a temperature rise. Also, you must check the soil around your plant after every few days and note the moisture.
Does Cilantro Need a Lot of Water?
Cilantro is a plant that loves richly moisturized soil, and it’s well grown when appropriately watered. However, it does not need a lot of water.
When the plant has grown to about 1inch tall, it does not require a lot of water for growth.
Nevertheless, whether a cilantro plant needs a lot of water is dependent if it is grown outside or indoors.
When cilantro is grown indoors, it is essential to water them thoroughly, especially when they are planted newly. The reason is that at this stage, they need water for growth.
However, watering should not be frequent. Cilantro needs very little water to keep it healthy when they are grown.
Therefore, avoid filling up your cilantro at this stage with plenty of water to prevent a damp environment that can create a harboring place for diseases.
How Much Water Does Cilantro Need?
At an early stage, cilantro needs about 1 inch of water daily for healthy growth.
However, when grown, cilantro needs about an inch of water weekly for continued healthy growth. That is about 2.36 liters of water.
It is essential to know the required amount of water cilantro needs to avoid overwatering it. Also, asides from overwatering, another factor to consider is underwatering.
As much as cilantro does not need much water, underwatering can be dangerous. Wilting will occur, and when it does, the leaves become weak and possibly dry off.
Furthermore, lack of watering will also cause drought and possibly death because it will lead to drying leaves and shedding off.
Also, stems will be affected, leading to the complete demise of the cilantro plant.
Can You Overwater Cilantro?
How often to water cilantro is dependent on how the soil is and the cultivating means. When you notice the soil is too dry for cilantro, there is every need to water it.
Therefore, it is often recommended that watering be weekly, but this is also dependent on the stage of the plant.
When grown in nursery plant beds as seeds, it is often required to water daily as the plant needs more water to grow. In addition, the water helps the seeds germinate properly.
After the nursery bed stage, plants moved to gardens should be watered with at least an inch of water per week.
For most people who would love to leave their cilantro plant in containers, watering increases daily, significantly when temperatures are rising.
When planted as stem cuttings, much water is required, mainly because the fast sprouting roots will use every available water to settle well in the soil.
Also, regular watering should be done daily, and you should use about 1 inch of water. This activity is supposed to last for up to 2 weeks, then regular watering of about 1inch of water per week.
Sometimes you may want to grow your cilantro in a container before finally transferring it to the ground.
Notwithstanding, when in containers, regular watering is required to keep the cilantro plant growing well.
As much as it is excellent to water a cilantro plant, it is also important to note that you can overwater it, and the aftermath is usually terrible.
As stated earlier, the required amount of water to be applied to a cilantro plant should be about 1inch per week.
When you use more than this quantity, especially up to like 3 inches, you are overwatering your plant,
Also, applying water too often, probably every day, especially when the plants have passed the nursery stage, will lead to overwatering.
Overwatering can be from the frequency of the water applied to the plant and the quantity of water used.
On either basis, overwatering will be more intense when there is a lack of drainage, especially if the soil planted is not well-drained.
In such a situation, an accumulation of water will occur, and the plant will be affected.
How Do You Know If You Are Overwatering Cilantro?
When you have overwatered a cilantro plant, the general activities of the plant slow down, and the outcome of the plant is affected, especially if it is not corrected.
Firstly, overwatering can be noticed in the soil. To check if the soil contains too much water, dip your fingers or tiny sticks into the ground.
When you have removed the fingers or the stick, look out for how wet they may appear.
If they are very wet up to the extent that water is dripping from your finger or the stick, then you will know that you have overwatered your cilantro plant.
Furthermore, the results of over-watering cilantro are pronounced on the leaves and stems.
Some of the ways to know if you are overwatering cilantro are by the signs below:
#1. Yellowing of cilantro leaves occurs as a result of overwatering.
The plant’s roots are affected, and they become rotten. When this occurs, nutrients like nitrogen required for the greenish coloration of the leaves do not get to the plant’s leaves. As a result, the leaves become yellow.
#2. Leaves tend to become darker or appear black. This occurrence is caused by a condition called leaf spot, which affects plants in a cool and damp environment.
This leads to water-soaked lessons, and it is often caused by a pathogen called Pseudomonas syringae v. Coriandricola.
#3. Edema or accumulation of fluid occurs, especially in the leaves and stems. As a plant that does not need water for growth, when too much water is applied, the leaves and stems may soak up and become bloated.
This situation may lead to the rotting of the leaves and stems and possibly the death of the entire plant as the plant becomes unable to absorb nutrients properly.
#4. Softening of stems and roots: this is another consequence of overwatering other than edema. Here, the leaves and stems of the cilantro will become too soft and lead to easy breakage.
#5. The herbs tend not to perk up even when watered: Getting used to something is sometimes not good.
As a result, when a cilantro plant is overwatered, the leaves usually do not perk up any longer because they always have water available for them.
#6. Presence of mildew on the leaves: Mildew is a form of fungus. When it affects a cilantro plant, it will make it less productive and even cause a reduction in the flavor and taste.
However, it is essential to know that this condition does not lead to the death of the plant.
#7. Slow down in the growing process: Just as the famous saying goes, “too much of everything is bad,” overwatering cilantro can slow down the growth process.
This will happen because the general activities of the plant will slow down. For example, activities such as absorption of nutrients and oxygen will slow down basically because of watering.
When this occurs, the plant’s entire growth will slow down because oxygen is essential to promote photosynthesis and the roots of plants.
Conclusion
Cilantro is very sensitive and yet easy to cultivate the plant. The most important thing aside from the type of soil it is planted on is how well to water it.
All that you need to know about watering a cilantro plant has been provided. We’ve treated all required to water cilantro, how often to water it, and the possible consequences of overwatering.