How to Revive a Dying Cilantro Plant

I love cilantro for its fragrance, ease of growth, and flavor when cooking, so I grow it every year!

Along the way, I have made lots of the classic mistakes that have caused it to die back, which is sometimes due to seasonality (some scorching hot weather in Summer!) and sometimes neglect when you go away on holiday, and some other mistakes in between!

What I’ve learned is that Cilantro (also known as coriander) is an annual leafy herb that is relatively easy to grow; the secret is to recreate its preferred growing conditions.

In this article, I’ll share with you all my first-hand experience and tips for growing cilantro and give you a step-by-step guide for how to save it if yours is dying!

Want to cut to the chase and find out the most common reasons for dying cilantro?

A dying cilantro plant is commonly caused by drought, which results from too much sun, not watering frequently enough, and fast-draining soil. Overwatering, too much nitrogen fertilizer, or pots without drainage can cause cilantro to droop and the leaves to turn yellow, with a dying appearance.

I think it’s important to note cilantro is an annual herb that dies back after flowering so it is important to prune your cilantro regularly to prevent flowering to increase the cilantro’s longevity and promote the production of fresh leaves.

As I mentioned the secret to revive a dying cilantro is to provide the plant with its preferred growing conditions such as partial sun (morning sun followed by afternoon shade is ideal), frequent watering, good quality compost, planting in pots or containers that have drainage holes in the base and regular pruning.

As a veteran gardener, I have revived many cilantro plants back to full health! Keep reading for how to implement these best practices to revive your dying cilantro plant…

Why is My Cilantro Wilting? (Drought and Too Much Sun)

• Symptoms. Cilantro leaves are wilting and possibly turning yellow. Cilantro can sometimes wilt despite frequent watering.
• Causes. Not watering frequently enough, soil drains too quickly, intense sun causing temporary wilting during the day and small pots drying too quickly.

So, this is usually the easiest problem to address, as most of the time, I find that cilantro is very forgiving. The most common reasons for cilantro wilting are that they are not being watered enough OR they are temporarily wilting on the hottest days.

Cilantro has abundant leaves with a good surface area, therefore they tend to lose a lot of moisture through their leaves on hot or windy days (transpiration).

To remain healthy and prevent wilting cilantro requires the soil to be consistently moist so that the roots can draw up water at a faster rate than it is lost through their leaves.

Is your soil sandy or stony? Then, cilantro tends to wilt as the roots struggle to draw water up.

Whenever people tell me they have this problem, I always ask them, “How big is the pot?” The reason I ask is that cilantro planted in small pots often wilts. Smaller pots and containers have less capacity for soil and, therefore, retain less moisture, which results in wilting as the sun dries out the pot. Sometimes, on really hot days, my cilantro dries out even if it has been watered that morning.

I found that was particularly true when I planted my cilantro in a terracotta pot, which is porous, and therefore, the soil dries out very quickly.

“But my cilantro is still wilting despite the fact I water it regularly, and the soil is always the most!” I hear you say!

I discovered this because cilantro temporarily wilts on hot days to conserve moisture and perks up later in the evening with cooler temperatures. This is simply an adaptation to heat, and the cilantro isn’t dying.

I usually find this phenomenon occurs either during a heat wave or when the temperature suddenly increases after several cooler days.

How to Revive a Wilting Cilantro Plant (Best Tips)

So, I have a lot of experience reviving wilting cilantro, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve for you to try that I have found effective through first-hand experience. If your cilantro is wilting, it can be easily saved. Here are my steps to reviving wilted cilantro:

• Increase the frequency of your watering so that the soil stays consistently moist (but not saturated). Typically, watering your cilantro once or twice per week is the best practice to prevent wilting. However, during drought or a heat wave, you may have to water at least 3 times a week and perhaps every day to keep the cilantro hydrated.
• Ensure that your potting mix has plenty of compost to help retain moisture. So I have experimented quite extensively with different potting mixes when growing leafy herbs over the years and what I’ve found is that a combination of 50:50 Multi-purpose compost and leaf mold are the best materials for a potting mix as both help to retain moisture yet have a structure that allows excess water to drain away and allow for root establishment. Leaf mold is just composted leaves, but it has the ability to hold water like a sponge, thus reducing the risk of your cilantro wilting. If you are planting cilantro in a vegetable garden, amend the planting area with lots of compost and add a mulch around the plant to help conserve moisture.
• If the pot is smaller than 10 inches and your cilantro is wilting, then I would recommend replanting your cilantro in a pot that is at least 12 inches across. A bigger pot or container can hold more compost and therefore retain more moisture which helps to prevent your cilantro from wilting.
• Cilantro that wilts in the sun on hot days and can require some protection from direct light. Find an area of your garden with partial sun or morning sun followed by afternoon shade. This is the right balance for cilantro to grow and develop its flavor whilst not constantly enduring heat stress.

Pro tip: So this one tip has made the biggest difference to my leafy herbs, such as cilantro. To prevent them from wilting, I always plant them in either a plastic or glazed ceramic pot. Why is this? These pots are impermeable and therefore retain moisture much better then terracotta and clay pots which are porous.

I have had potted herbs side by side and had to water the cilantro in the terracotta pots every other day whilst the cilantro was planted in a plastic pot, which is literally side by side, with the same potting mix and the same pot size with the only differentiating factor being the material of the pot. I hope this highlights to you how important choosing the right pot is to keep your herbs healthy!

The most important step is to keep watering your cilantro regularly so that the soil is moist. With the optimal soil profile (lots of compost) and a large enough pot, your cilantro should revive from a wilted appearance as quickly as a day or so if the cause is dehydration.

I would monitor the soil with your finger to see whether or not it is moist. This is the most reliable way of telling whether you are watering sufficiently. I have tried using soil gauges, which are supposed to detect soil moisture, but in my opinion, they are not as accurate as feeling the soil yourself.

Always water your cilantro so that excess water trickles out the base of the pot, or if placed in a vegetable garden, give the soil a good soak.

Is Your Cilantro Dying After Planting? (Transplant Shock)

If you have bought cilantro from a store or garden center or grown it from seed indoors, then the plant often droops and looks like it requires reviving after transplanting outdoors.

So, I’ve worked in garden centers and I’ve seen first hand that when the plant is grown commercially for sale it is cultivated in the optimal conditions often in a greenhouse with full sun, specific temperature, watering, and soil conditions.

What happens then is that your cilantro is then accustomed to a specific set of conditions and suffers from shock due to a contrast in temperature, watering, and soil conditions when it is planted in your garden.

Fortunately, I find that the shock is often temporary as the root systems establish in the new soil and the plant becomes more accustomed to its surroundings.

As long as the cilantro is planted in 6 hours of sun, in good quality compost, and watered regularly then it should revive after it has adapted to the conditions of your garden.

Pro tip: Is your potted cilantro wilting after its planted? Move it to 6 hours of morning sun, with shade in the afternoon. This way, your cilantro gets enough light, but it doesn’t have to contend with being in the sun whilst it is the hottest part of the day when temperatures are high during midday and afternoon.

The soil must be watered so that it is consistently moist whilst the plant establishes that cilantro can lose a lot of water through its large leaves to help mitigate the shock.

If the cilantro was already quite leggy when you bought it, I recommend pruning it to around 8 inches, as longer stems can be due to higher levels of nitrogen in the soil, which causes them to weaken and increases the risk of drooping.

Pruning should reduce the stress on the cilantro and stimulate new growth.

Why is My Cilantro Falling Over? (Drooping)

So your cilantro may not be wilting as such but drooping over. Whats the difference I hear you inquire?!

Well if you take a look at the leafy part of your cilantro, if it’s wilting due to a lack of moisture or heat stress, then the leaves curl inwards to reduce their surface area and thus reduce water loss, whereas if it is drooping over for other reasons, typically the leaves are not curled inwards indicating that the problem isn’t because of dry soil.

If your cilantro stems are all falling over under their own weight, then this can be due to several reasons:

• Too much fertilizer. Cilantro can benefit from the use of fertilizer to stimulate new growth, however, too much nitrogen fertilizer can cause the cilantro to fall over (and turn the leaves yellow). Nitrogen is an important nutrient for plants but too much nitrogen can stimulate excessive growth and weaken the stems so that the cilantro falls over.
• Pots or containers without drainage holes in the base. If your potted cilantro is drooping then this can be due to boggy soil caused by a lack of drainage holes in the base of the pot or because of a tray underneath the pot used to catch the water. As we discussed, cilantro requires moist soil, but if the soil is saturated, then it can show signs of water stress, such as drooping stems. If cilantro is in damp soil for too long, then it can develop root rot, which causes drooping and the foliage to turn yellow or brown.
• Lack of pruning. Cilantro requires regular pruning to keep it looking neat and to prevent flowering (which impairs the flavor of the leaves). Regularly pruning promotes more growth of the flavourful, tender leaves that are best for cooking.

Assuming that the cilantro isn’t wilting due to a lack of watering, Cilantro can also have a falling-over appearance after planting due to transplant shock.

How to Revive Cilantro That is Falling Over

So, after some experiments, I’ve learned that the secret to reviving cilantro that has fallen over is to recreate its optimal growing conditions and prune regularly.

• Cilantro can grow quickly in the Summer and may require pruning every three weeks to prevent them from growing too tall, leggy, and falling over or flowering. Ideally, I try to keep my cilantro stems at a height of around 8 inches to ensure good productivity in terms of growing new leaves and preventing the stems from falling. This way, I have the most leaves for cooking soup and making pesto!
• Ensure pots have drainage holes in the base to allow excess water to escape to avoid root rot. The soil should be moist yet well-draining so avoid planting cilantro in heavy clay soils or boggy areas.
• Only use a half-strength all-purpose fertilizer to prevent adding too much nitrogen to the soil which causes the stems to weaken and the plant to fall over. Ideally, scale back the use of any fertilizer and use a good quality compost. Fertilizer can cause excessive growth which lowers the concentration of essential oils in the leaves which impacts aroma and flavour. I personally don’t use any artificial fertilizer, and my cilantro grows well.
• Place the cilantro in full sun and water frequently (once every 3 days) so that the soil is moist but not saturated.

I’ve learned to prune back any leggy growth that is greater than 8 inches tall and provide the best conditions for lopsided cilantro and your plant should show signs of recovery after a week.

Here is a helpful YouTube video for a visual guide to pruning cilantro:

If the soil has been saturated for too long, it is likely to have helped root rot, in which case I would discard the soil (as these can harbor fungal pathogens) and then sow some more seeds.

Why is My Cilantro Turning Yellow?

• Symptoms. Cilantro leaves are turning yellow, and the stems are drooping.
• Causes. Not enough sun, over watering, too much nitrogen or not enough nutrients.

If your cilantro turns yellow (or brown) often this is a sign of stress because of a lack of sun, overwatering causing root rot, or as a result of too much nitrogen due to fertilizers or not enough nutrients in the soil.

As we discussed, cilantro prefers full sun in cooler climates or morning sun followed by afternoon shade in hot climates. If your cilantro is in too much shade, then the growth is sparse and leggy as it looks for more light, and the leaves can turn yellow.

However, I should highlight that overwatering or slow-draining soil can also result in yellow leaves. Cilantro requires the soil profile to be able to retain moisture yet drain well so the roots are not sat in saturated soil as this causes root rot.

I’ve also seen it when fertilizer is applied in too high concentration then the cilantro can droop and turn yellow due to excess nitrogen in the soil.

But rather confusingly, a lack of nutrients can also cause yellow leaves! As shown in the photo, I planted cilantro in the same pot of compost as last year to see if it made a difference in yield. The cilantro grew well initially, but halfway through the season, the soil was exhausted of nutrients, the growth rate of the cilantro decreased, and the leaves turned yellow.

My conclusion was that In good soil or potting mix, cilantro does not necessarily require additional fertilizer for lots of growth.

Also, keep in mind that if your pot is too small, then it contains less soil and, therefore, fewer nutrients, which could be why your cilantro is turning yellow.

How to Revive Cilantro with Yellow Leaves

So, in my experience, cilantro can often be revived even if the leaves are yellow if you change the conditions to suit the plant.

• Ensure your cilantro is located in full sun (in cool climates) or at least 6 hours of morning sun (in hot climates). Move the pot or container or transplant the cilantro to a sunnier location to stimulate more growth. More sunlight means an increase in the concentration of essential oils in the leaves which improves the flavour and aroma.
• Cilantro must be planted in soil that is well-draining yet retains moisture. If the soil is boggy transplant your cilantro to a garden border with more drainage and amend the planting area with compost to improve the soil structure. Transplant the cilantro into a pot with drain holes to avoid root rot.
• If the cilantro is planted in good soil or compost then it is unlikely to require additional fertilizer however it can help in soil that is low in nutrients. If your cilantro is turning yellow then stop using fertilizer for the time being to help the plant recover. I would cut all the cilantro right back and give time to grow again.
• Cilantro planted in small pots or containers may struggle to find the nutrients it requires. If it has been planted in sandy or stony soil or a small pot or container, replant it in a larger pot or container with new potting soil (multi-purpose compost amended with leaf mold). With greater nutrients available to the roots, the cilantro can begin to recover from a yellowing appearance, and green shoots should emerge with the right weather conditions.

Top tip: I have recently been experimenting with using a liquid seaweed fertilizer for cilantro and other herbs that may be struggling due to a lack of nutrients, and I am pleased to report it is working really well, and the leaves have greened up nicely. Why liquid seaweed? Because it’s an organic and sustainable form of fertilizer that contains a balance of nutrients, therefore preventing any ill effects of using chemical fertilizers.

Once you have corrected any environmental conditions that may have caused your cilantro to turn yellow then trim away any yellowing leaves and trim the whole plant back so that it is no taller than 8 inches to stimulate new growth.

I would always discard the yellow leaves as their flavor is impaired and not recommended for culinary use.

If you have successfully recreated the optimal growing conditions for cilantro then it should revive and produce new green growth that has much better flavor and aroma. I think you’ll be amazed at how resilient cilantro is when you apply these tips for revival. The only time I have problems is usually when the cilantro has been in boggy soil…

If the cilantro has been in saturated soil for too long, then it is difficult to revive, and I would recommend sowing more seeds or buying a cilantro to plant in a pot with new soil.

Why is My Cilantro Dying After Flowering?

I hear this one quite a lot from my readers. The reason for this is Cilantro is an annual herb so its objective is to grow and flower, then produce seeds for next year. After cilantro flowers, the plant dies back and the flavor of the leaves is inferior to new growth.

So what do we do? The key to increasing the longevity of your cilantro is to prune it regularly.

I always prune mine roughly every 3 weeks and prune the plant once the stems exceed 8 inches to stop the plant from developing flowers.

Pruning once every 2 or 3 weeks in the Summer keeps the plant at its most productive and provides lots of new leaves throughout the year until the temperature drops in Fall or Winter.

But what to do if you do not need the cilantro leaves immediately? I find that they freeze very well. I put all my excess harvested herbs in a freezer bag to access when I need to cook.

After the cilantro has flowered, there is not much you can do to revive the stem supporting the flowers, but you should treat each stem individually. If one stem of cilantro has gone to flower, the other can be saved.

Regularly prune the other stems back to about 8 inches to stimulate new growth and prevent them from flowering and then dying back.

Have you got any more questions about cilantro? or any insights into saving your herbs? Please leave a comment below! I love to hear from you!

Key Takeaways:

• A dying cilantro plant is often caused by the soil not being at the right moisture level. If the soil dries out due to infrequent watering, excessive heat, and sun or because of poor soil, the cilantro wilts and dies. Cilantro is an annual herb that dies after flowering.
• To revive your cilantro, water the soil so it is consistently moist. If the pot or container is small, transplant the cilantro to a larger pot with lots of compost. Prune cilantro when it is taller than 8 inches to stimulate the growth of new, tender leaves with a better flavor.
• Cilantro prefers full sun but in heat waves or drought, it may require some shade to prevent wilting.