Cardamoms are popular for their flavour and fragrances. However, you may not be aware of the fact that this herb which you always have in the kitchen as this is used in many dishes, can be grown easily at home. Isn’t it wonderful to hear? So, buy some seeds when you are shopping of indoor plants online.
If you are living in tropical or subtropical regions then there is good news for you that Cardamom loves to grow in tropical regions. This plant is from the family of ginger ultimately they all belong to the family of grass. This plant has its origin in India, so it is native to India.
How many types of cardamom are there?
We have used two types of cardamom in our dishes. One is dark brown in color and bigger than the other cardamon. The flavor of this cardamom can be described as strong and smoky. The other type of cardamom which we use in the kitchen is green coloured cardamom which is the one grown in tropical parts of India. It has a small size and its seeds are in black color.
How can you grow cardamom at your home?
The green cardamom can be easily produced at home.
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Quality of cardamom seeds
If you want to grow cardamom at your home, you should first arrange its seeds. You should buy the seeds of cardamom from online nurseries or from any local nursery. If you will use the cardamom purchased from the grocery store then there can be chances that this can be old and there can be chemicals on it. The seeds from nurseries can be fresh and of good quality. You should also keep in mind that big cardamom seeds should be chosen to grow them. The small or shrieked seeds can slow down the growth of a plant or sometimes plants do not grow at all. The growth of cardamom can be slow as covering of cardamom seeds make them difficult to grow fast. You can remove this covering or coat with the help of a simple trick. You should simply rub the seeds of cardamom on a sandpaper until the inner white portion of the seeds begins to appear. After that you should put the seeds in a glass of water for one day. This will make the germination process easy. You will see that the seeds will increase in after absorbing the moisture from the water.
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Mixture of soil for germination of seeds of cardamom
For preparing soil, you should mix some organic fertilisers like compost or manure in the soil. Some amount of cocopeat should be added as well because this helps in retaining the moisture in the soil, for the times you forget to water the plant. Moreover, the soil should always be moist during the initial process of planting a plant. Then, you can put this soil mixture in small containers which must have holes for the drainage of water. You can reuse disposable glass of plastic for this purpose as one should reuse old plastic as much as possible.
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Sowing seeds
Seeds of the cardamom should be spread on the top of the soil after leaving some space in these small pots. Two or three seeds are enough in each container. After placing the seeds, you need to cover them with some cocopeat. Why do we cover the seeds? Sometimes birds can eat the seeds or these seeds can be displaced by wind. Thus, you must provide protection to the seeds by covering them while sowing them in the soil. You should place these pots in semi shady areas of your house.
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Shifting of seedlings to big pots
When you see two or three true leaves after some days, you can shift the plant in big containers. This can take more than two months. Again, the soil in big pots should have some amount of compost or other natural fertilizer.
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Harvest the fruit of cardamom
One should have a lot of patience for harvesting the fruit of this as cardamom plants can take more than two or three years to bear its fruit. If you cannot wait for this long then it would be better for you to buy plants online. You can also buy small plants of cardamom from local nurseries but be careful while purchasing any plant as it should not be suffering from any disease.
Are there any advantages of cardamom to your health?
Of course, there are many health benefits of cardamom as this is a kind of herb. It has a lot more than just being fragrant. People consume cardamom to heal many health problems like skin problems and digestion problems. This is also known to decrease the level of cholesterol in a body and can also be good for your heart health. It consists of fibre and minerals like potassium, magnesium, etc. Its aroma and flavor can reduce stress and improve one’s mood. People also chew them for removing the bad odour of their mouth. So, the next time before going on a date with your partner, chew a piece of cardamom or two to leave a good impression.
What do they use cardamom for?
Cardamom is used in many sweet and spicy dishes. These spices make a boring dish into an interesting one. Some people make tea out of it and tea made of only herbs can boost your immune system.
