How to Prune Cilantro in 4 Steps

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), also called coriander, is a cool-weather herb that grows quickly and is easy to harvest. Home gardeners can plant cilantro in their vegetable gardens or on a sunny windowsill to ensure they have access to the fresh herb.

Cilantro plants produce aromatic herb leaves and spicy, citrusy herb seeds called coriander seeds. The herb is a staple ingredient in Mexican and Southeast Asian cuisines.

Pruning a cilantro plant can extend its lifespan, so it can sprout new growths that you can harvest for various culinary uses, from flavoring soup stocks and salad dressings to garnishing salads, tacos, and enchiladas.

Pruning your cilantro plant at least once a week during its growing season can prevent it from going to seed and flowering, which will make the leaves turn bitter. While cilantro will start to bolt in hot weather (at the end of its life cycle), your plant may try to send up flowers earlier. Pruning the plant’s flowers as it matures can prevent bolting.

To prune a cilantro plant, you’ll need a sterile pair of garden shears. Here’s how to prune your cilantro plant safely:

1. 1. Disinfect your shears. Before pruning, you’ll need to disinfect your scissors to avoid spreading any diseases to the plant. Simply apply rubbing alcohol to the scissors to ensure a clean, sterile cut.
2. 2. Cut from the base. Prune stems of cilantro from the plant’s base so that you’re trimming the outer, more mature stems rather than the younger interior stems.
3. 3. Remove yellowing or damaged leaves. Use shears to remove any damaged or yellowed leaves. Prune these leaves away weekly to help prevent the cilantro from dropping its seeds too soon, which marks the end of its life cycle.
4. 4. Prune off flowers. Your cilantro might be growing white or pink flowers if it has already started to proliferate in the sunshine. Prune these flowers off at the base of the stem, where they connect with the central part of the plant.
5. 5. Prune the stems minimally. Only prune up to one-third of the stems off your cilantro plant; cutting off any more than that can stunt its growth.
6. 6. Remove seed pods. Yellow or brown seed pods may begin to form when the cilantro goes to seed. Prune the seed pods by removing the entire stems they grow from at their bases.

The best way to prevent cilantro from bolting—or dropping seed—is regular pruning, which will extend the life of your plant. (Bolting indicates the end of a plant’s growing cycle.) Here’s how to prevent cilantro from bolting and flowering in your herb garden:

1. 1. Plant the seeds early. Plant cilantro seeds in early spring so that they can begin growing in cool weather. If the plant starts growing during the warmer months, it has a higher chance of bolting in the heat.
2. 2. Consider succession planting. Succession planting involves planting new seeds weekly or biweekly, so you have a constant supply of mature and young plants. As your older plants begin to bolt, your newer plants will be ready to harvest, and you will always have fresh cilantro on hand. Learn how to use succession planting to grow more vegetables.
3. 3. Mulch to maintain soil moisture. Warm soil will speed up bolting, so add organic mulch to the soil to help it remain cool. The mulch will also help the soil retain moisture. Learn how to mulch your vegetable garden.
4. 4. Pinch back the tips at six inches. Prune your cilantro up to once a week by removing any damaged growth or yellowing leaves and new flowers or seed pods.
5. 5. Water when the topsoil is dry. Growing cilantro seedlings need about one inch of water per week. Established cilantro plants require much less—just keep the soil moist and monitor your plants. If they start to droop, increase the frequency of your watering.
6. 6. Harvest the leaves regularly. As you harvest your cilantro, remove newly formed flower stalks or buds, which can help delay bolting.

Begin harvesting cilantro leaves once your plant is at least six inches tall. To harvest the individual leaves, pick them off one by one with your hands, or trim off small stalks with scissors for fresh use. Harvest fresh cilantro leaves throughout the cool-weather growing season until the plant bolts, or starts dropping seeds, or else the leaves will taste bitter.

Enjoy your cilantro leaves fresh or dry them on the countertop and store them in an airtight container.

Follow these steps to harvest coriander seeds from a cilantro plant that has gone to seed.

1. 1. Let the plant bolt. Once the weather becomes too hot, your cilantro plant will naturally bolt, or end its life cycle, which is when it will produce clusters of flowers and begin to grow seeds, called coriander. Allow your plant to bolt, flower, and drop seeds.
2. 2. Snip off the stems. Once the leaves and seeds begin to turn brown, snip off the stems.
3. 3. Dry the stems. Hang the stems upside-down in a paper bag in a cool, dry place. Once the seeds are ripe, they will fall off the seed head and into the bag.
4. 4. Store the seeds. Store your coriander seeds in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, like a pantry. Your seeds will keep for up to four years. Learn how to cook with coriander seeds and cilantro leaves.

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