Last updated on September 23rd, 2022 at 04:12 pm
We all know the pain associated with having invasive plants. Sometimes, their spread can get so bad that they practically become weeds.
And their effects don’t stop there; they can also make the landscape of your gardenless attractive. So, it’s pretty much a valid concern when you wonder whether your plants are invasive.
Thus, if you would like to plant cilantro, you should probably consider this.
So, is cilantro invasive? Although cilantro grows very fast and reseeds itself, it technically isn’t an invasive plant. It is an annual herb and cannot tolerate the heat of summer; thus, it bolts quickly and dies away. It is also not hardy enough to tolerate hard frosts, although it can tolerate light frosts. It also has weak, shallow roots.
Furthermore, its life cycle is short, and to keep a steady supply; you may even have to plant seeds every three to four weeks.
Will Cilantro Take Over My Garden?
There is a low possibility of cilantro taking over your garden. And several factors contribute to this.
Firstly, the life cycle of a cilantro plant is relatively short. In a warm or hot climate, it is even faster. It will bolt, flower, and set seeds about 6-8 weeks from the time of planting.
In the cooler months, it will grow for a few months longer before flowering and seeding.
So, considering the brief life span of cilantro, it is unlikely that it will take over an herb garden. Furthermore, cilantro prefers cooler temperatures.
However, the plant does not regrow after being harvested or at the end of its life cycle, even in such climates.
Also, the root system of cilantro is not strong enough to take over your garden. The plants’ roots are also very shallow.
And since the plant is an annual herb that does not transplant well, it hardly survives beyond one year. This is another reason that makes cilantro unlikely to invade your garden.
Although cilantro can “regrow” a second time, it may not grow as effectively and efficiently as the first time.
In such cases of “regrowth,” it is because its seeds fall onto the ground and germinate. And it is pretty difficult for this to happen.
Furthermore, cilantro doesn’t have perennial roots to cause reemergence.
How to Control Unwanted Cilantro Plants in Your Garden?
So, I have established that cilantro doesn’t typically spread around your garden. Nonetheless, if you notice that cilantro keeps appearing in your garden even when you didn’t replant, you may want to control it.
If this is the case, here are some simple steps you can take to eliminate the existing cilantro weeds and prevent their spread:
1. You can weed out the unwanted cilantro plants by hand. Manual weeding is one of the best methods of preventing unwanted cilantro.
Because cilantro is not relatively sturdy and has shallow roots, you can easily pull it out of the soil.
2. Planting cover crops near cilantro also discourages unwanted growth.
3. You can carefully use herbicides to eliminate the unwanted stands of cilantro in your garden.
What Plants Can You Grow Near Cilantro?
Companion plants are essential to cilantro. Furthermore, certain combinations of plants make it more productive because they have some complementary characteristics.
Some benefits of companion plants include the following.
1. Cilantro can grow better beside companion plants because it shares similar or complementary growth habits.
2. Their presence can repel insects, pests, and even some diseases.
3. Companion plants can also attract beneficial insects that help to pollinate your cilantro.
4. Unique companion plants release chemicals that encourage faster growth and better taste in cilantro.
For instance, Cilantro thrives near plants that add nitrogen to the soil. Plants that exhibit this serve as natural fertilizers for cilantro.
So, below are some plants that are good companions for cilantro.
- Beans
- Peas
- Alfalfa
- Clover
- Lupines
What Plants Do Not Go Well With Cilantro?
I just talked about how planting certain plants with cilantro are advantageous. But, on the other hand, some plants are lousy growth companions and will not benefit cilantro when grown together.
In identifying these plants, you should bear in mind that cilantro grows well with plenty of water. Furthermore, it also favors loamy soil due to its shallow roots.
As such, you should not plant it close to plants that prefer well-drained drier soil as they have deeper, stronger roots that can source water better.
So, below are some plants that you should avoid planting near cilantro.
1. Lavender is one herb that should be grown near cilantro. This compatibility is because it thrives better in sandy soil, so its roots are pretty deep and absorb a lot of water.
On the other hand, cilantro grows better when it is watered frequently because of its shallow roots.
2. All varieties of thyme, especially creeping thyme, do not pair well with cilantro.
3. Rosemary is another plant that you should keep away from cilantro. The rosemary, unlike cilantro, prefers a sunny bed and sandy soil.
Therefore, growing it close to cilantro will be difficult, which prefers partial sun and loamy soil.
4. Fennel is generally not a good companion plant for several herbs and plants because it is a harmful substance that inhibits growth.
As such, you should keep it away from your cilantro as well.
5. You should also not grow cucumbers near cilantro because the latter’s strong scent may harm the flavor of the cucumbers.
Conclusion
Cilantro is typically not an invasive herb. It grows very fast and lives out its complete life cycle within 6-8 weeks in warmer climates.
Although in cooler temperatures, it can last for as long as 2-3 months or even more. So, because cilantro is an annual herb with a fragile and shallow root system, it is improbable to invade your garden.
Invasive plants mostly have extensive root systems and can regrow and reseed after completing their cycle.
As such most perennials are invasive plants. However, cilantro is not a perennial plant. Thus, it technically isn’t intrusive.
Furthermore, some plants should not be grown together with cilantro because they are harmful to the cilantro, and sometimes, it’s the other way around.
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