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In today’s short post, we will look into a unique hack or trick for growing enormous coriander (Cilantro) at home. We will show you the results of this simple gardening experiment we conducted using this trick in the end.
Before we start, let’s look into the difference between Cilantro and Coriander. The botanical name for both is Coriandrum sativum. Well, actually it’s the same but in US, it’s known as Cilantro and rest of the world its Coriander. Some say in US, the leaves and the stem is called Cilantro whereas the seeds are called coriander.
Anyways! Now let’s start this coriander experiment with our usual:
Hypothesis: “Split
coriander seeds germinate faster and healthier than the whole / unsplit
coriander seeds”.
But wait! Do not use any method like using a hard or heavy object like this to
crush coriander seeds. This will damage most of the seeds and the result will
be very bad.
So, I have a special unique trick to achieve this task. Please stay tuned.
Now let’s start our experiment:
Step 1: Take some good quality Coriander seeds preferably sealed packets from a grocery store.
Step 2: Take two containers something like these, and make sure you make drainage holes at the bottom of both these containers. We are using this Yellow one to grow whole coriander seeds without splitting them wheras this Green container, we will use it to plant split seeds and show you the result of this experiment in the end. Please Do not skip step 4 and 5. They are very important.
Step 3: The Potting mix. Our potting mix for both these containers is identical and contains cocopeat 60 to 70 percent and vermicompost 30 to 40 percent.
Step 4: Seed Split Method: Each Coriander seed is technically a fruit containing two seeds in it. As you can see these are two halves each having one seed and Each of them will grow into an independent coriander plant. Let’s first look into the Conventional method of Splitting these seeds – better called Scarification of seeds. Most of you might use this hard and heavy rollers to crush these seeds. Some even use foot wear or shoes to crush them. This is not the ideal method to do this because during this process of rolling or hitting, it can damage the seeds. So, the correct way to scarify these seeds is using the Sand paper method. Pour small quantity of seeds at a time on a sand paper base and take another smaller piece of sand paper to scrub these seeds gently without exerting too much force. Gently scrape through and the job is done!
Step 5: Now you can optionally soak these seeds in water for 1 to 2 hours for much faster germination. But this is optional, you can even sow the seeds directly without soaking.
Step 6: We are sowing the seeds in both these containers on the same day. Make sure you evenly space the seeds and cover them with a thin layer of potting mix.
Step 7: Now water these two containers thoroughly. Coriander loves to grow in good moisture and hence daily watering is necessary.
Now! Let’s look into the results of this experiment. You can see clearly that container with split seeds using our sand paper method, shows enormous growth and loads of coriander plants. You can watch video below:
