The Latest Planting Methods and Cultivation Techniques of Cardamom Explained in Detail

Cardamom is a medicinal herb, which is divided into red cardamom and white cardamom, and is mainly grown in China's Hainan, Yunnan and Guangxi, among other places. It has the effects of resolving dampness, stimulating appetite and aiding digestion, relieving chest tightness, and treating chest and abdominal distension and pain. It generally grows in shady, damp places in mountain gullies or where there is tree shade. So how do you grow cardamom artificially? Let's take a look at its planting methods below.

1. Soil and Fertilizer Preparation

The planting site should have an ample water source nearby, fertile soil, and convenient drainage and irrigation. At the same time, the soil texture should not be too sandy, otherwise it will affect permeability, and rainfall can easily cause the soil to become compacted. Deeply plow the land at least 25 cm, apply sufficient base fertilizer, and clean the weed roots, stones and other debris from the field. Finally, apply sufficient farmyard manure (livestock manure) or compost, and open ditches to make beds, with a bed width of about 1 m and interconnected ditches to facilitate drainage and water diversion.

2. Propagation Methods

Cardamom propagation methods include seed propagation and division propagation. Seed propagation is generally carried out in August and September each autumn, and the seeds need to be treated before sowing. First, mix the seeds evenly into wet river sand, then put them in a pot and place them in an environment at about 30 to 35 °C for germination, while frequently moistening them to maintain humidity and speed up germination. Generally, sowing can be carried out after about 10 days. Division propagation, on the other hand, is relatively simple; whenever you want to plant, you can dig them up at any time.

3. Building Shade Frames

After sowing, shade frames must be set up immediately to avoid direct sun exposure and sunburn damage to the seedlings. After sowing, we also need to cover the built plastic shed with a layer of rice straw or wheat straw, and then after the seedlings emerge, part of the covering straw needs to be removed, and then the shading degree should be gradually reduced. When the seedlings reach about 30 cm, the shade frames can be completely removed.

4. Transplanting and Field Planting

Cardamom transplanting is generally carried out during the rainy period in June, or in the rainy season. Then plant them at a row spacing of 1.5 m and a plant spacing of about 1 m. When planting, holes need to be dug in advance, with a hole width and depth of about 35 cm, then an appropriate amount of farmyard manure is scattered into each hole, and after mixing evenly, plant according to a reasonable density, with 2 to 3 seedlings per hole. In order to improve the survival rate of transplanting, water promptly after planting and press the soil firm.

5. Management After Field Planting

Cardamom is a perennial plant, so its post-planting management must be carried out over multiple years. Within two years after planting, cultivation and weeding need to be carried out at least two to three times each year, and deep cultivation is not needed during cultivation and weeding, so as not to damage the cardamom roots and affect plant growth. After two years, cardamom begins to bloom and bear fruit, and at this time we only need to clean the field and apply compost after harvesting each year. In the first two years, topdressing is mainly based on human and livestock manure water, and later only dry slow-release fertilizer needs to be applied in winter. At the same time, note that during the flowering period, foliar fertilizer should be sprayed in an appropriate amount to improve the fruit-setting rate and increase cardamom yield.

The above is what the editor wants to introduce to you today about cardamom planting methods. Whether it is red cardamom or white cardamom, the planting methods are basically the same. If you have other questions about planting, or have better planting methods, you can leave a message for the editor.