For ages, cinnamon has been known and used countless times for multiple culinary and medicinal uses. And if, believe it or not, the cinnamon It is not only implemented as another ingredient for the preparation and preparation of dishes and sweets, it also has beneficial properties for the body.
The curious thing about this plant is despite being a widely used species, the vast majority of homes and above all, gardens, do not have this plant anywhere. And that’s not to mention that its cultivation and maintenance is quite easy and that it can be perfectly cultivated both indoors and outdoors.
General data of the plant
However, have you ever wondered where you get cinnamon? The tree from which it is extracted is an immense plant, which can reach 15 meters in height. Its leaves are very pretty, lanceolate, dark green.
He is originally from Sri Lankaalthough today it is cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, that is, all those regions with warm environments where the ambient temperature is between 24 ° and 30 ° C. In any case, let’s learn more about this interesting cinnamon plant.
It must be recognized that this is one of the species that highest worldwide recognition currently has. And it is not for less that it is so, since there are many cultures that use this plant for food or medicinal purposes.
The reason for its widespread use is thanks to Chinese culture and knowledge. more than 4000 years ago. After this plant was discovered, the Arabs included it in their culture giving it a more environmental usethat is, they used the cinnamon to aromatize rooms and rooms.
The cultivation of this plant occurs mainly in tropical and subtropical areas such as those that can be found in the India, Madagascar, Brazil, China and other similar areas. And in case you still don’t know, this plant has the ability to generate seeds that can be used for its cultivation. Although it is not the only way to do it.
Features
Despite its great popularity, This plant does not have great attractions, nor showy flowers, much less leaves with a unique appearance and different from the rest of the plants you already know.
What we can tell you is that the scientific name of our protagonist is True cinnamon. This is an arboreal plant with evergreen leaves up to 25cm in length.
As far as its trunk is concerned, usually kept straight, with brownish-gray bark. What you know as cinnamon stick is taken from the bark or, failing that, from the trunk of the plant.
On the other hand, cinnamon flowers can be self-pollinated and do not need to have any animal to begin this well-known process. Regarding its appearance this is white or greenish yellow and it is covered with hairs.
The fruit is a 10cm berry, bluish-black in color when ripe. This fruit contains seeds that can well be used for the cultivation of new plants of the same species. You just have to follow a series of steps to grow cinnamon by this method.
As mentioned earlier, cinnamon grows in humid tropical or subtropical rainforestswhose average annual temperature is at least 24ºC and a rainfall of 2.000mm per year. They do spectacularly well in deep, sandy and fertile soils.
Thus, unfortunately it is not a plant to have in temperate climatesHowever, if you are lucky enough to live in an area with mild-warm temperatures, you can grow your own cinnamon plant.
Now, a fact that can be very useful if you live in less temperate areas than the plant needs, is to have a nursery or space in which you can have it. In such a way that you can create the necessary conditions for its growth.
Key points for a good crop
Now, before going on to the explanation of how to grow cinnamon, below We are going to provide you with some vital points that you should know and always keep in mind when planting and cultivating this species.
- The best time to grow cinnamon is during the rainy season. Although the ideal would be to do it during the early spring or failing that, the first days of autumn.
- You can sow them directly into the fertile soil or use a large pot.
- The soil that you should use must have a little clay contentBesides, the land has to be very fertile.
- In case of planting it directly in the ground, you have to make sure weeds don’t grow around.
- Irrigation has to be drip or with a container and with an exact measurein order to avoid flooding.
- After sowing, the first harvest will be after two or three years at least.
- You have to take care that pests and diseases do not affect the plant.
Sowing
To have a healthy plant it must be planted in a bright area, so that it is directly exposed to the sun and it must have a crown wide enough (4-5m) to provide good shade, so it must also have room to grow.
Irrigation has to be frequent, watering every 2-3 days in summer and every 4-6 the rest of the year. In addition, it is advisable to fertilize using a liquid organic fertilizerlike guano or humus. In this way, your cinnamon plant will not lack anything and will be able to grow without problems.
This is perfectly valid for cinnamon that has been grown using cuttings or the seeds of the plant. Now, as you already know, you can grow cinnamon by two different methods. If you are interested, you can read how to do it using the two methods that we will detail below.
Sowing cinnamon by cuttings
When choosing or acquiring a branch of the plant, you have to make sure that this has not been processedthat is, that it is no longer prepared and ready for consumption. Therefore, it is better that you choose the cutting yourself since when they are processed, they do not have the peculiarity of germinating.
After having the cutting, proceeds to moisten it and then bury iteither in a pot or in a warehouse. It is best to keep it in a container where it can grow and then transfer it directly to the ground where you plan to have it.
Of course, no matter where you are going to have it, necessarily it has to be a land with enough fertility. And to achieve this, you just have to use organic matter and a little substrate to give more nutrients to your soil.
There will be times when the cutting you have planted ends up germinating, but not a single root has grown. If this happens, neither do you think of transplanting itsince it would not resist such a change.
Sowing cinnamon by seeds
All you have to do is take about three seeds at the most and then plant them in your pot at a distance of one centimeter between them. As for the depth, you will have to place them enough to double the diameter of the seeds and that will be the depth at which the three seeds will be.
After that, proceeds to cover them with earth but without crushing it. Something that you should remember before putting in your seeds is to have prepared the soil with some compost and the substrate you have chosen.
After such preparation, having planted the seeds and covered them with soil, proceed to water it. At this point you can water it manually without using a hose or use a small container with a little water.
But no matter how you do it you have to make sure that the water does not fall directly on the place where you have planted the seedsso you should only water the surroundings of this place and avoid flooding.
Yes, in this point of the initial cultivation you have to do a daily watering. The reason is that due to the ambient heat, humidity and direct sun on the plant, it will cause the soil to dry out quickly.
And based on the last thing already said, you have to bear in mind that the place where you should have the plant will be in a place where the sunlight give it for at least 6 hours a daythis with the intention of helping it to carry out the photosynthesis process and that the plant does not die in its initial stages.
Cinnamon is a species that is obtained from the inner bark, that is extracted by peeling and rubbing the branches. When it has detached, it is separated and peeled again.
The crusts roll up with each other, such that it ends up forming a 1m long bar. These bars are put to dry in the sun, and voila! You can now use it to prepare delicious dishes.
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