How to Grow Cinnamon? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cinnamon Planting Methods
Cinnamon, also known as Yushu or Ping'an Shu, is a plant of the genus Cinnamomum and an extremely precious tree species. Its bark is often used to make spices, cooking ingredients and medicinal materials, and it has extremely high edible and medicinal value, with the effects of tonifying fire and supporting yang, dispelling cold and relieving pain, and warming and unblocking the meridians. So do you know how to grow it? Let's take a look together.
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
Cinnamon prefers a warm and humid climate and is suitable for growing in environments with an average temperature above 20 degrees. Below 20 degrees, growth will slow down or stop. It requires abundant rainfall, so when cultivating it, pay attention to whether the local weather and climate are suitable for its growth. Choose a sunny, wind-sheltered, sun-facing slope for planting, requiring deep soil layers, fertile, loose soil, and well-drained sandy loam. After selecting the plot, first plow the soil, apply enough organic fertilizer such as barnyard manure or compost, then make raised beds 1 m wide and 10 cm high, or 1.2 m wide and 20 cm high.
2. Harvesting Seeds
Cinnamon can be propagated in three ways: sprout propagation, cutting propagation and seed propagation, but for large-scale seedling raising, the seed sowing method is used. From February to April each year, harvest the mature fruits from the plant. Mature fruits are characterized by purple-black skin and softened flesh. After harvesting, rub and wash them in clean water to remove the peel and flesh, then scoop out the seeds that sink to the bottom of the water and dry them. It is best to sow immediately after harvesting, because cinnamon seeds have a short lifespan; exposure to the sun and long storage will reduce their vigor and affect the germination rate.
3. Sowing and Raising Seedlings
After the seeds are treated, they should not be sown immediately. They must go through a germination-promoting step to ensure the germination rate. Mix the seeds with moist sand at a ratio of 1:2, store them indoors in a cool, wind-sheltered place, and they can be sown after about two months. When sowing, use the method of drilling furrows and sowing in rows, using 20 kg of seed per mu. After sowing, cover with a layer of fine soil about 2 cm thick, then cover with plastic film or rice straw to keep warm and retain moisture. When the seedlings emerge, promptly remove the plastic film and rice straw, and clear weeds. When the seedlings grow to 3-5 true leaves, you can begin watering and fertilizing. When the seedlings grow to 30 cm, they can be planted out.
4. Planting Out
When planting out, first dig planting holes, with 3-4 m between each hole and 2-3 m between rows, and 20 kg of farmyard manure can be applied to each hole as base fertilizer. In spring, from March to April, choose a cloudy day or a day with light rain, lift the seedlings, and after lifting them, cut off excess branches and leaves at the base and overly long main roots, then dip the roots in yellow mud slurry, wrap them in wet grass, and send them to the planting site. When planting out, keep the seedlings upright and spread out their root systems. After covering with soil, tread it firm. If the soil is dry, promptly water once to settle the roots.
The above are the planting methods for cinnamon. We hope they can help you. To learn more about medicinal herb cultivation, please stay tuned to us.