How to grow Coriander, Dhania leaves at Home

May 3, 2018December 30, 2018 Yasmeen 0 Comments CORIANDER, DHANIA, DHANIYA AT HOME, GREENS IN POTS, GROW FROM SEED, HERBS, SEED SOWING, SUMMER, WINTER GREENS, WINTER HERBS

7 TIPS TO GROW DHANIA / CORIANDER AT HOME

Choose a well-lit, less heated spot.
Make sure the roots can get deep soil. Dhania / Coriander does not like to grow in shallow soil.
Slightly crush the seeds before sowing.
Give each seed some space to grow. Don’t sow thickly.
Grow at 2 places sown at a gap of 3-4 days to ensure continuous harvest.
Pick only leaves & stems not the entire stalk.
Start a fresh batch every 2-3 months.

Coriander or Dhania leaves are the potato of herbs. Add over any dish to give it a new flavor. No wonder almost everyone, even non-gardeners, prefer to grow their own supply of coriander leaves at home for a regular supply of this herb. Coriander or Dhania is very easy to plant from seeds and very low maintenance as well. Once planted, you can continue to harvest Dhania leaves for a long long time and enjoy your fresh supply of greens each day!

Does Dhania, Coriander grow in Summers / Hot season?

YES! Most of us associate growing Dhania or Coriander only with winters, and rightly so, because it definitely does better in the cold season BUT, who says it doesn’t grow in the heat of summers? Give it some special treatment (partial shade, regular water) and grow Dhania at home all year round for a fresh supply of this wonder winter herb, even in the scorching Indian summers!!

Can you move grown Dhania , Coriander plants?

YES. Dhania or coriander plants can be transplanted easily. If you happen to find some coming up at random places, you can move them to a pot or place you like. They take a few days to settle down though. Even bigger coriander plants can be shifted easily.

I’d found some growing in the grass, big plants and small seedlings, both. I moved some of them to a pot and they are doing very well!

Does Dhania, Coriander grow in pots?

YES. It is easy to grow in pots. Just sow the seeds directly in a container or move from anywhere (read above). Just make sure that the pot is deep enough since Dhania has tap roots and the deeper they can go, the better Coriander leaves grow.

GROW DHANIA , CORIANDER FROM SEEDS AT HOME

THINGS YOU NEED

Dhania or Coriander Seeds
Rolling pin
A tool to loosen up the soil
Paper tissues

HOW TO SOW DHANIA / CORIANDER SEEDS

Get some dhania / coriander seeds. The whole coriander seeds used for cooking are the same thing if they are not too old. I bought this packet for Rs.10 from a local seed shop.

Place the seeds on a paper tissue or newspaper and cover with the same. Gently go over it with a rolling pin to crush the seeds a bit. We only need to crush them not grind so do this just once with a slight pressure. Crushing dhania / coriander seeds helps them germinate faster.

This part is important if you want to grow coriander / dhania in hot summers – choose a well-lit BUT shaded spot. This means the area gets light but not direct heat. For eg. I’ve chosen a spot under a big tulsi plant. The shade of tulsi protects the area from too much heat while still allowing it to be well-lit. You may choose a corner that doesn’t get direct afternoon sun or is shaded by any structure. If you are growing in a planter, surround it from 2-3 sides by bigger planters.

Sow the seeds thinly/sparsely. You might be tempted to throw in a lot of seeds for lush growth but it produces the opposite effect. Properly spaced dhania / coriander seeds allow each seedling to grow lush & thick. Just like human beings need their personal space, seeds do too!
Lightly cover dhania / coriander seeds with soil and then a paper tissue. This is important because the paper keeps the seeds in place when watered. They don’t move around when watered and helps retain proper spacing.
Water lightly over the tissue. Never allow germinating seeds to dry out completely. Also, over watering can kill them. The paper must stay just moist not wet.
Be patient. Dhania / coriander takes a few days to germinate so don’t give up quickly.
Remove tissue when you see germination and continue to water lightly.
Harvest when the leaves appear big enough. No rules here. The more you harvest, the more it produces. This applies to all herbs.