When plants elongate and topple over like these, it is usually a sign that they are not getting enough light. Staking won't help if light remains insufficient. Where are you growing them?

On a west facing window sill. It is the only place I have available.

I have tried propping them up, they kind of just slide off whatever I use and they are too skinny for me to use the twisty ties unless you have a recommendation for that? Instead of liquid fertilizer, could I feed them with solid that I soaked in water? Would it be possible to just keep growing these until they are bigger?

Though all young seedlings require fertilization of some kind, it will not resolve the problem. Cilantro seedlings need as close to full outdoor light as possible in order to develop strong, stocky stems.

Your seedling stems are severely etiolated...extremely elongated, weak, and pale.

Most of us who start their plants inside resolve the problem by providing artificial sunlight via grow lights of some sort. Seedlings, once germinated, do best when grown in very cool temperatures with high light.

I'm afraid that this first crop of cilantro can't be 'fixed' or rescued. Even windowsill gardens can be supplied with plant lights.

Herbs in general benefit immensely from frequent trimming. I think I read that mediterranean herbs like rosemary and thyme etc have historically been accustomed to being grazed by cattle which encourages vigorous regrowth. I find all my herbs that get frequent trimming from me do the best. I have been successfully growing the same herb pots for 2 years.... winters inside under lights and summers outside. Obviously cilantro has a shorter life span that the woodier types.

So I would start trimming the top of the cilantro sprouts to see if that encourages new growth from the base of the seedling which would encourage more strength and stability. It might be too late for these ones but try this technique again with a new batch.

Also get a gentle oscillating fan on them, that's what helps encourage strong stems.

Here are mine, I also tend to grow the short lived herbs like cilantro and dill as microgreen style herbs. See my cilantro sprouts aren't much taller than yours but they are bushier due to trimming and also more rigid due to the fan off in the corner. Sage at the bottom, very vigorous as well. I will start to separate those seedlings out soon and will trim the tips to encourage bushing out.

Would the lower light be a problem for basil? I think it gets more direct light than the cilantro.

Basil can take less light, they got big fat leaves = lots of green area.

I'd better go move my coriander to brighter corner too :) got another batch about ready to sprout.

Basil is another full outdoor sun plant, turtle. Larger leaves do not translate to a lesser requirement for light.

hobbyartisan's beautiful herbs are so nice and healthy largely due to the lighting provided. Look at that gorgeous cilantro!

The cilantro shot up thick, dark green leaf branch things after I fertilized them. The original stems do not seem to have changed, but I think that is fine.

Cilantro needs STRONG light, not part of a day through a small window. So does basil. Actually, I can't think of any herb that does well indoors except in a large south-facing window.

I blame Pinterest - they show pictures of herbs thriving in places herbs will not thrive, when really they were just bought from a nursery for staging the photos.

How large is large?

Hi Turtle, not to be rude but we have all given you tons of good advice on this thread and also your basil thread... that window does not provide enough light period.

If you want to grow herbs successfully you need better light. Get a compact CFL and point it on your herbs or get a fluorescent shop light to suspend over your herbs.... both options are very cheap and easy to set up.

That's the secret.... proper light. Finito.

I was just wondering how large a window had to be to be "large", you don't have to scold me for it.

Much bigger than your window. Maybe 4 times the area, although it is impossible to give a precise answer because there are so many variables affecting the amount of light coming in. Even with a much larger window the herbs are not guaranteed to grow well because without additional light they will still not get what they would receive outdoors.

p.s. In addition to its small size you have a lot of vegetation outside your window reducing the light.

Most culinary herbs need little in the way of fertilizer. Some resent it, in fact. As noted, lighting is the issue.