The pleasant spicy aroma of coriander cannot be confused with the smell of any other plant. Thanks to this, it occupies a special place among spices. But the most famous and popular among gardeners is Yantar coriander. Let's take a closer look at the features of this variety and recommendations for its cultivation.
Description of the variety
Coriander belongs to the annual plants of the Apiaceae family. Its height can reach 75 cm. Characteristically, the root has the shape of a spindle.The stems are round, branching from the very root. The pinnately dissected leaves of cilantro variety Yantar have a dark green color.
The flowers are white or pink. The flowering period of the plant begins in May and lasts until the end of July. Flowers are collected in a spreading umbrella.
In August, the fruits of Yantar coriander are fully ripened. They look like small beads with a diameter of no more than 0.5 mm. Their distinctive feature is that they have a pleasant rich spicy aroma.
In the wild, the plant is found in southern Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia or Crimea.
The plant is often grown in home gardens or summer cottages in Ukraine, the Caucasus, and the European part of Russia.
Greens are used in cooking for preparing salads or other dishes. The seeds are simply irreplaceable when preparing marinades and sauces.
It is also impossible not to note the medicinal properties. For example, it is used for colds or diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Periodic consumption of greens and seeds helps improve visual acuity.
Similar varieties
The plant is valued primarily for the fact that it contains a large number of elements beneficial to human health:
- vitamins A, B, B2, C;
- carotene;
- starch;
- sugar;
- essential oils, etc.
There is quite a large list of similar varieties.
Borodinsky
The variety is classified as mid-season. The greens are ready for consumption within 45–50 days after the first shoots appear. The seeds ripen approximately 90–95 days after germination.
This variety reaches a height of no more than 75 cm. Its stems have an attractive spreading appearance. The Borodino variety can tolerate temperatures down to -1 degree.
It is often used in medicine as a choleretic or analgesic.By applying coriander greens to the wound, you can be sure that it will heal much faster.
Debut
The plant of this variety fully matures 30–40 days after the first shoots. The leaves have a pleasant green color and are collected in a rosette, which rises slightly above the soil surface.
The height of this variety does not exceed 30 cm. The plant is rich in vitamins P, B2 and C.
Stimulus
This is mid-late variety of cilantro. The plant fully matures only 100–120 days after the appearance of the first shoots. Plant height is no more than 29 cm.
Venus
A distinctive feature of this variety of coriander is that it ripens quite late. The leaves are neatly collected in a rosette raised above ground level.
Caribe f1
The plant of this variety is also a late-ripening plant. The bush has an attractive, neat and compact appearance.
Growing
Despite the fact that the plant is considered exotic, it is quite easy to grow. It is suitable for cultivation both in open ground and in greenhouses.
The place for growing cilantro must be chosen sunny, without drafts.
It is better to prepare the soil on the site in the fall. To do this, add a third of a bucket of humus mixed with 1 spoon of superphosphate or potassium sulfate fertilizer to 1 square meter of soil. After this, the area is carefully dug up and leveled.
Before planting, it is recommended to add 1 spoon of urea to the soil. Seeds are sown in bulk (no more than 2.5–3 g of seeds are used per 1 square meter).
Due to the fact that the plant ripens quite quickly, up to 3 harvests can be harvested in one season.
Coriander is one of those plants that do not require special care. It consists only of timely watering, removing weeds and loosening the soil.
In order for the bushes to have branched greenery, experienced gardeners advise thinning out the cilantro seedlings so that there is a distance of 9–10 cm between the rows. If the seedlings are not thinned out, it is possible that the plants will grow and develop slowly and their stems will be weak and not juicy.
If the soil under the plant is not watered in a timely manner and it dries out, this will lead to the formation of early shoots. This significantly worsens the quality level of the finished product. When the period of seed ripening begins, it is better to stop watering the beds with cilantro.
Features of care
The basis of agricultural technology is proper care of seedlings. The first rule, on the observance of which a good harvest of Yantar coriander depends, is to periodically moisten the plants. It is considered optimal to water twice every 7 days. This process helps the cilantro develop thick and juicy greens.
During the period of seed ripening, experts recommend watering plants no more than once a week. If it is not possible to follow such recommendations, you can mulch the soil under them. This will help retain moisture in the soil.
Since coriander is a light-loving plant, when choosing a place to plant it, you must choose well-lit areas.
At growing coriander Amber indoors, care comes down to providing additional lighting, timely watering of the soil and moistening the plants.
Advantages and disadvantages
This amazing plant has both a large number of positive characteristics and disadvantages.
Among the advantages are the following:
- ease of cultivation and reproduction;
- possibility of use in cooking;
- contains a large number of useful components and vitamins;
- the ability to harvest up to 3 harvests per season;
- many medicinal properties of the plant.
If we talk about the shortcomings, you should pay attention to the following:
- the presence of contraindications to the use of cilantro for people who have been diagnosed with ulcers, gastritis, diseases of the cardiovascular system, high blood pressure or diabetes;
- With excessive consumption of spices, the possibility of impaired potency in men cannot be ruled out, and in women, disruptions in the monthly cycle are possible.
In order to avoid a negative reaction to grass, it is recommended to eat no more than 35–40 g of greens and up to 5 g of seeds per day.
Pests and diseases
Like any plant that is cultivated on land, Yantar coriander has its own pests, and it is also prone to various diseases.
The most dangerous pests for grass are:
- Coriander seed eater. It feeds on plant seeds, gnawing tiny holes in them. This can cause irreparable damage to the quantity and quality of the crop. The seed beetle lays its larvae inside the fruits, damaging their endoderm. One insect can damage up to 80% of the crop. In order to avoid the development of such an unpleasant situation, it is recommended to treat the seeds before sowing them. The soil in which they are planned to be sown must be thoroughly cleaned of any plant residues.
- Bugs (striped and umbrella). Insects eat plants that are in the vegetative stage.
- Winter armyworm. The vectors of this pest are plants of the Apiaceae family. After wintering on them, insects migrate to coriander and feed on its seeds.
Among the most common diseases of Amber coriander are the following:
- Ramulariasis.The development of this disease is facilitated by low summer temperatures, as well as heavy and frequent dew on the ground surface. At the same time, roundish brownish spots appear on the surface of the green part of the grass. Over time, a white coating appears on them. With a strong spread of ramularia, the plant dies.
- Rust. The symptoms and causes of development completely coincide with the previous disease.
- Powdery mildew. A coating of powdery color and texture appears on the surface of the leaves and stems.
To prevent the development of diseases, before sowing seeds, it is recommended to treat them with special preparations.
Harvest and storage
The spice can be grown for both herbs and seeds. In order to get a good harvest, you need to know what time it needs to be harvested.
If we talk about collecting the green part of the grass, it is best to collect it before the flowering period of the plant. When it is cut at a later time, the taste becomes quite unpleasant. The height of the greenery to be cut should not exceed 13 cm.
As for collecting seeds, the most favorable time for this is the period when they acquire a rich brown tint.
Greens can be consumed both fresh and dried. Dried leaves and stems must be stored in a dry and dark place at a temperature not exceeding 22 degrees.
Dried seeds, placed in a tightly closed container, can be stored for a long time without losing their unique aroma.
Use in cooking
The popularity of Yantar coriander among gardeners is due to the fact that it can be actively used in cooking.
It could be:
- marinade;
- sauce;
- ketchups;
- pea or bean soup;
- sandwiches;
- smoking;
- pilaf;
- shashlik.
Before deciding to add coriander to a dish, we must not forget that it is used in small quantities. In addition, different parts of the plant have different tastes.
Coriander Amber is a unique spicy plant that has a unique aroma and taste. Even a novice gardener can grow it.
