Help needed with Corriander

[Mac]

Hi All, I've planted corriander seeds and they have all come up, the problem is that they are really leggy. I'm growing it successionally as I love the stuff, but even after a few weeks of being in leaf, I wouldn't say there was enough off 10 seeds/plants to use in a decent curry. I'm growing them in the good old Morrisons buckets in a greenhouse. Any suggestions?

[zazen999]

For some reason, my coriander this year is also rubbish.
I'm just keeping sowing until it isn't.

[Capsid]

It prefers shade to stop it bolting. A greenhouse may be too bright I reckon.

[Mac]

Thanks Capsid, but it's not even getting to the stage where it might bolt. It's in a fairly shady corner of the greenhouse which doesn't get any direct sunlight. The stems are about 3 inches long, fairly white, and then there may be about 3 or 4 leaves at the top. Each "plant" is the same. Depressing as I love curries!!!

[LostGoddess]

I would also be interested in others thoughts on this as I have had the same problem, both this year and last.
I have grown Delfino and regular broad leaf to see if one was better than the other. The Delfino variety, which has very thin cut leaves, I pinched out very early to encourage some bushiness. Although they took a long time to grow to even 6 inches in height, they are bushier than previous attempts and I can get enough for a curry from 6 small plants.
My latest theory is that I treat them mean in that I keep them cut regularly to stop them bolting, but i also give them plenty of light and keep them quite moist.

[WeeGarden]

I sowed some back in March, nutured them in a pot and they took absolutely ages to do anything - barely a handful of very young leaves by May and then they bolted. I then chucked a handfull next to the courgette plant outside, and now they're growing happily under the shade of courgette leaves. Maybe tough love required?

[Rabidbun]

Think they'd grow inbetween leeks outside? Having same trouble with the darn stuff and the ones in the greenhouse keep needing the flowers picked off so probably will die back soon!

I have some on the window ledge inside but it is leggy as heck - have ended up shoring up the plants with an inch of gravel up to the seed leaves in the hope they'll get stronger...

[Krisztene]

Bad Corriander

I adore corriander an have tried on numerous attempts to grow it.

It starts off okay them just dries up. (I do water it)

My latest try has now gone thin and has flowers? I never knew you got flowers.

Might I pick to much off, should I pick certain parts off to keep the plant going?

Any help welcome.

[LostGoddess]

Yes Krisztene, if your coriander is flowering and you don't want it to, pinch the flowering stems right down as far to the base of the stem as you can. You can still chop up the flowering stem and use it up until it gets a bit tough down at the bottom, it's all coriandery-tasting If you decide to let it flower out of curiosity, it produces pretty umbellifer type flowers and when the seeds set you get, well, coriander seeds! but if you let it flower it will stop producing leaf and will eventually finish it's life cycle.

[Two_Sheds]

Coriander hates being transplanted. Sow it direct, and leave it alone

(mine self-seeded in the middle of my path, so I have to hurdle over it like Colin Jackson. Well, Colin's elderly aunt)