How to Grow Cardamom at Home in the Easiest Way

Everyone wants to grow cardamom plants at their home because of the high demand for cardamom. But everybody does not know how to grow cardamom plants. Here we discussed how to grow cardamom the easiest and quickest. So keep scrolling down to know all the details.

How to Grow Cardamom Plant?

Are you wondering how to grow Cardamom Plant at home from cardamom seeds? Well, growing Cardamom at home is easy and also very useful. Almost every cuisine in India consists of cardamom, and it gives a really superb taste to food. Therefore you can follow these simple steps, and grow cardamom plants on your own.

Soil Preparation

 Loam soil is best for growing cardamom plants. Also, remember to make it well-draining. For this mix 50% garden soil, 25% compost, and 25% sand. Also, you can mix coco peat or perlite to make it lightweight.

Propagation

For propagation, you can buy seeds either from the market or from a nursery. You can also grow cardamom plants from the seeds taken from cardamom from your home. But remember that the cardamoms in our house are not freshly collected. They are processed and then brought to our house. Therefore do not waste time on them. For this, you can contact some suppliers who can provide you with fresh cardamoms from his cardamom plantations. Now follow these steps, and you can comfortably grow the cardamom plant:

• Take the cardamom and remove the cover and take out all the seeds.
• Soak the seeds for 2 days in water in a glass. In one-fourth water and keep the glass in the dark. Keeping the glass in the dark is necessary; otherwise, the fungus will become active.
• Now remove the cardamom seeds which are floating on the surface as they will not sprouts in the future.
• Now gently place the seeds on the soil and cover them. Remember the rule that we must dig a hole the size of the seed.
• Now wet the soil and keep in the shade till the seeds sprout.
• Always remember to keep the soil moist otherwise the seeds may not sprout.

Care for cardamom plant:

Water

cardamom tree loves moist soil but even doesn’t like to stand in the water. Therefore water when the soil is dry upto 5 cm. For this dig your finger upto 5cm and try to feel the moisture. Water it fully until it comes out of the drainage hole. It will assure that the whole soil is wet properly.

Sunlight

The cardamom plant is not very fond of direct sunlight. The dappled sunlight loves it. Try to grow cardamom either under a tree or placing the pot where it can receive 6 to 8 hours of indirect sunlight.

Pot Size

In general, an cardamom plant needs 14-16 inches pot. It grows deep, therefore try to give it a perfect space to grow.

Fertilizer

Any organic, water-soluble fertilizer is excellent when it comes to the fertilization of an cardamom plant. Try to make compost tea by mixing 5-6 spoons of any organic fertilizer into 1 L of water. Pour in twice a month when your plant becomes stable and is nearly 3 months old and has ample cardamom leaves. Organic fertilizers like Gobar Khad, Neem ki Khali, and Banana Leaf fertilizer are also good.

pH

A slightly acidic to neutral pH level of about 6-6.8. is needed. It can withstand acidic soils down to 5.5-6 as well.

Pest

Mainly cardamom plant does not get affected by the diseases but even though ‘Azhukal’ (capsule rot), leaf blotch, seedling rot (damping off), rhizome rot (clump rot), leaf blight, leaf blotch, and nursery leaf spots are major fungal diseases that affect the plant in cardamom farming.

When should we harvest cardamom?

Three years after planting, the plant starts typically fruiting. When they begin to turn green and dry, you can harvest the fruit manually. Dry these pods after harvest for 7-8 days and store them in an airtight jar.

Facts about cardamom plant

The scientific name of cardamom is Elettaria cardamomum. This is a perennial herbaceous plant which is native to India, and cardamom cultivation is widely done in the parts of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

Cardamom plants grow to a height of 2-4 metres and have 40-60cm long leaves. Its leaves are pointed where the plant bears white flowers.

Types of cardamom:

Green cardamom plant or Choti cardamom Tree: mainly found in India and Sri Lanka. Black cardamom plant or Badi cardamom tree: grown in the mountainous regions of India and Nepal.

Some common varieties of cardamom tree are:

Malabar: comes from Kerala. Mysore: comes from Karnataka. Vazhuka: hybrid of Malabar and Mysore

Cardamom has been identified in the Ayurvedas books and also used in many Indian cuisines. It is one of the most cultivated spices in India.

What are the health benefits of cardamom plant?

cardamom contains antioxidants and has diuretic properties which help to lower blood pressure.

cardamoms are very useful for the digestive system. It helps to fix digestive problems from thousands of years ago.

Mainly cardamoms are being used to remove the foul breath odour and therefore act as mouth-fresheners.

cardamoms helps to cure liver problems too.

Conclusion

cardamom plant is one of the most expensive spices in the world. India is the largest producer and exporter of cardamom around the globe. Cardamom is used in almost every cuisine and also chewed for mouth freshening in all the nations. Therefore cardamom plant becomes one of the essential plants to grow in your home. In this blog, we have discussed the easiest and quickest way on how to grow cardamom plant at home without knowing any garden cores. Follow all the steps mentioned above to grow a healthy cardamom plant.

FAQs about Cardamom plant

1. Why is cardamom so expensive?

Cardamom price is high as compared to some other spices because it is being picked up by hand during cardamom farming. Therefore the labour charges and time to pick them makes it really expensive.

2. Is eating too much cardamom bad for you?

In India as well as other nations, people also consume cardamom daily in Cardamom tea, their dishes or chew it to prevent bad breath and improve their digestive function.

3. Which cardamom is best?

The aroma and taste of the green cardamom are very strong and powerful, while the black cardamom has a smoky and vaguely camphor-like flavor. The taste of black cardamom is often similar to that of mint, but both types of cardamom are used to add spice to foods and beverages. Cardamom is mostly consumed in India, and therefore India is the biggest producer of cardamom and has the most cardamom plantations in the world.