Tarragon, cilantro & other herbs - why are they so difficult to grow?

Not an expert in indoor citrus, but if it was me, I’d not fertilize it in the low-light house, and especially not in the winter.

Thank you for posting the verboten name for the Thai lime, I had completely forgotten.
Also, what kind of fruit does a Flying Dragon produce?

Poor-quality oranges.

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Trifoliate “Oranges”, including Flying Dragon, produce a very aromatic, incredibly seedy fruit, about 1 3/4–2 inches (4.5–5 cm) in diameter, on average. I’ve had a jelly and a rum made from these, but they each had this odd, unpleasant component. There’s not much juice in them. To date, I’ve not found a use for them. They do smell better than they taste.

People smell and taste things differently. A friend once made a marmalade out of them which he liked. When I tried it, the citrusy taste was melded with some funky almost spoiled note. I may try them again, with extra care to not include the pith, which supposedly improves the flavor. There are some mild toxicity concerns and the fruit’s resin is a bother. Here’s a good write up.

But if you’re expecting a flavor similar to any other citrus, forget it! It’s very different.

Some animal occasionally grabs one off the ground and carries it off. Then, they drop it and a whole mini colony of Trifoliate oranges sprouts the next year, crowded into a golfball sized space.

In the end, why use these instead of limes, oranges or Lemons? Just because they’re “free”, one’s time and/or resources (sugar honey, et al) are not. The plants are great barricades! Bees like the flowers and they make fine grafting under stocks.

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I would trim those two long branches on the left way back and dry or freeze the leaves for use.
Whenever you prune it you can use the prunings for their intended use, or give them away to like-minded folks, OR- trade/sell them to Thai restaurants. My mother used to do that with Thai basil

Tarragon does not set seeds, at least French taragon doesn’t. You have to get a start from a nursery or dig a rooted cutting out of an existing plant

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Kobuta, the general rule for pruning is to remove 20% or less at a time. Then, give the plant at least six months, if possible, to adjust. The top part of a plant, leaves and green stems, are feeding the root system, which has grown, in balance, with the top. The top feeds the roots sugars, to live and make more fiber/roots and the roots feed the leaves water and nutrients. If plants are foliar-fed, then nutrients can travel downward, as well.

When you prune, the balance is disrupted and the plant needs to make more foliage to keep the root system healthy, or roots will die off. That’s why trees which are improperly pruned will often start growing lots of fast-growing “suckers” and rampant, soft growth. Below a 20% top removal, this shock is generally minimal and regrowth more conservative.

I think I mentioned before, I’ve tried a lot of ways to preserve Magroot lime leaves. So far, the best method is to make a flavored tincture. Put the leaves, packed into a suitable sized glass jar and pour neutral flavored vodka over them. Tightly close the jar and let the leaves soak for about 4–5 days. It’s important you do not leave the leaves to soak too long or the tincture will pick up unpleasant flavors. Strain out the leaves and keep the tincture tightly covered, preferably in the freezer, but it has a good shelf life if kept out of light. When using, add it with aromatics such as curry pastes to cook off, evaporate the alcohol. This tincture was used by one chef to create an amazing gelato, but I don’t know what he did. I need to get him some more!

This tincture method does not work for Lemon Grass.

As for French Tarragon, contrary to much information, it does bloom every now and then; I’ve seen it. However, seeds are rare.

I used to produce hundreds of plants from French Tarragon beds. In late winter, early spring, you’ll see the shoots emerge with just a tiny cap of 1–4 mm leaves. These young shoots can be dug and plucked, each around 4–8 cm long, and buried in a very sandy mix, with just the top green part exposed above the sand mix. Keep very humid and in about 50% shade. When watering, try to water beside the cuttings; water in the top may encourage mold. A plastic, white kitchen trash bag can be fashioned into a rooting tent, leave the end opened about the size of a golf ball and increase the vent as top growth indicates the cuttings have taken root. Remove dead cuttings.

Not all the cuttings will take, so make more than you need. Tarragon hates very acidic soil, so make sure the pH is 6.8–7.3 for best results.

It’s amazing how long Tarragon vinegar keeps it’s delicious flavor. In 2008, I had a surplus of tarragon and made ten recycled/reused wine bottles worth of tarragon vinegar. To best preserve flavor, use dark glass bottles. Stuff bunch of fresh, washed and dried (no surface water) tarragon into the bottles and fill with simmering, not boiling, hot white vinegar (5% acidity). Fill as close to the top as you can and still get a cork in, to eliminate as much oxygen as possible. I used freezer tape to wrap the corks and seal the bottles. Kept in a dark, cool basement, the 2008 tarragon vinegar still tastes great!

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So happy with this majestic lemongrass, and I haven’teven eaten it. From a plant mailed by @bogman ! Thanks again.

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They smell heavenly when you break off a bit of the leave too. Just be careful with the sharp edges of the leave. The drought and bright sunny skies for the last two months ( and insane heat waves) have made some of the leaves on my lemongrass plants turn brown. :unamused:

Thank you and heard!

On the freeway my car registered 114 f this week.

It is a bit "caramelized " :grin: on the edges of some of the leaves but this plant has a reservoir on twice daily automatic irrigation, which I’m sure is it’s salvation.

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Leaf vs leaves. Thank you autocorrect. :roll_eyes:
I’ve been watering everyday, but still no help. We’ve never experienced this type of weather; even with no rain, you might get some cloudy days. Nope, strong sunny days almost every day. I honestly didn’t know leaves and fruit can get sunburned. Learned the hard way. :sob:

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Around here, everything, including tomatoes and peppers, benefit from afternoon shade, and “tolerates partial shade” means shade.

Tomatoes and peppers under shade cloth in June.

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I’ll need a set up like that for the future, and watch us never have this much sun again. :joy:

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You’re welcome! I’m happy to see it’s thriving. Lemongrass can take a lot of heat 90–105 is not a big deal unless it gets dry, and man, does it drink! It’s also a heavy feeder.

Aside from its use in SE Asian cuisine, especially Thai, Peruvians use the leaves to make tea.

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Hmm. Tarragon is a little trickier; but I’ve planted cilantro damn near everywhere, and I would probably need Roundup to kill it (which, obviously, I would not do.) I think you might be better off starting from seed. Cilantro seems to to like staying put , where it germinated. Once established, get ready.

Are your pots on a balcony, patio, indoors?

Outdoor balcony. Sowed indoors and moved then when they grew bigger worked sometimes. Sowed directly outdoor doesn’t work.

They didn’t grow sown directly? Hm. I just dig up some turf, throw the seeds in, and a few weeks later, there they are. I would have sworn your issue would be them growing up inside, then moving outdoors.

Does your balcony have southern/eastern exposure.

I’ve never grown any indoors; but, I wonder if you set out those pots on the balcony, just as the ground softens from winter , depending on where you live. As soon as I can get a shovel in the ground, I turn the soil. They can handle a little frost, but not much. I turn the soil, chop it up, toss some seeds around, and gently pat them down with my boot. Can’t stop them after that.

So, I take you start them indoors. Might be the first red flag. They like it moist the early goings. I don’t know where you live, but WI gets some rain in mid/late May. I plant them in a place where I’ve worked up the ground around them, so they can seed later on.

So, in your case, I’d say: start them outdoors, don’t ever bring them in. Be sure they are well watered through the germination process and a little beyond. Be sure the pots drain very well. They need drainage. Throw in tea or coffee grounds for good luck. Just be sure to turn the soil well before planting and water the hell out of them.

Tarragon would be almost the opposite. They are drought resistant and like sand, well drained sand. They are perennial, though, and once it survives, you’re likely to get the love back every year. Had a few plants for a while, but had the use the space they occupied for another project and have never planted them again. I just remember using a lot of sand (my neighbor has great sand.) For Tarragon, you want neutral acidity. No pine needles or other stuff you might use to help blueberries along.

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That sounds like either it’s too hot and the seed will not sprout, or the seed viability has gone downhill. Unless… you see tiny cut-off stalks, indicating snails or slugs. Cilantro germinates best at cooler temperatures, 65–70 F ( 18–21C). It also typically is a two-part seed-two seeds stuck together. That’s why you often see two seedlings emerge when you plant one “seed”.

And it likes the cool dry and cool wet. Get wet, dry off, get wet dry off. I have never had it not grow like this. Probably only 1/4 to 1/2 inch down. Mine’s all grown out and seeded now. Still has flowers and seeds, though. Keep the seeds for more than just planting. The flowers make my salsa look cool.