How to grow cinnamon to bring the highest yield? Environment & technique

how-to-grow-cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of the plants that grow very strongly in tropical climates in Asian countries in general and Vietnam in particular. So what conditions do these regions have to be suitable for the growth of cinnamon?

The favorable condition for growing the best-quality cinnamon

1. Temperature

how-to-grow-cinnamon
Cinnamon forest

Cinnamon is a tree suitable for hot and humid climates. The suitable temperature for cinnamon trees to grow and develop well is 20-30°C. However, the tree has very good cold tolerance and can withstand high temperatures continuously. Cinnamon can still tolerate cold from 0°C – 1°C or maximum high temperature from 37 – 38°C.

Cinnamon is a plant that likes shady places and is afraid of strong sunlight. When young, the plant likes to grow in the shade of other trees. As the tree grows larger, more light is required, and if there is no light, the bark will be thinner, contain less essential oils, and be of poor quality.

2. Soil

Climate and soil have a great influence on the quality of cinnamon bark. Therefore, it is very important to select proper soil for cinnamon plant growth. With slightly acidic soil (soil pH 4.5 to 5.5) and moist, well-drained soil, sunny to partially shaded are good conditions for cinnamon to grow. Sandy or lateritic soils with high humus are best suited for this crop. Red dark brown soils free from rock gravel are also good for cinnamon plants

3. Rainfall

Cinnamon trees are suitable for areas with a lot of rain. Specifically, cinnamon trees often grow naturally in areas with rainfall from 2000 to 4000 mm/year. The appropriate rainfall for plants to grow is from 2000 to 3000 mm/year. In addition, the air humidity must be above 85%. In Vietnam, the annual rainfall in cinnamon-growing localities is usually around 1600 – 2500 mm.

4. Light

Cinnamon trees love natural light, but at different stages, trees need different amounts of light. At the young stage, the tree needs to be shaded. When the tree is 3-4 years old, it needs adequate lighting. The more light, the faster the plant grows and the higher the quality of the essential oil.

5. Altitude

Cinnamon is often grown in places with an altitude of 200 m above sea level in the North; 500 m in the Central region and 800 m in the South. Cinnamon trees grown in high areas tend to be short, slow to grow, but have thick and oily bark. When planted in lowland, the tree often suffers from pests and diseases, thin bark and little essential oil, and a short life cycle.

Techniques to grow cinnamon

Seeds

how-to-grow-cinnamon
Seeds of Cinnamon

Cinnamon can be sown from seeds or cuttings, but experience shows that the seeding method gives more thick bark and essential oils, so the method of propagation from seeds is still applied more commonly. Cinnamon seeds need to be taken from seedlings of 15 years or more, growing well, free from pests and diseases.

Sow seeds

Soil for nursery should choose a place where the soil is loose and sandy, avoiding alluvial soil. Then, go to bed 10m long, 1m wide, 15-20cm high. In addition, the east-west bed direction to promote the effect of the cover, fertilize 3-4 kg/m2 of manure, spread evenly. On the incision, each seed is spaced 3-4cm apart, fill the bed with soil 12 – 15mm deep, then cover the bed with rice straw that has been disinfected with lime water.

Planting

Spring crop is the main crop for growing cinnamon. Besides, people can also grow cinnamon in autumn crops during continuous rains for several days. The soil must be sufficiently moist. Besides, the size of the planting hole is about 40 x 40 x 40 cm. Plants for planting are from 1 to 1.5 years old; 50 – 70 cm tall, root neck diameter 4 -5 mm, healthy plants, planted at a density of 4000 to 5000 plants/ha.

Care and protection of cinnamon trees

Caring for and protecting the cinnamon tree is an extremely important step to having high quality cinnamon. It is necessary to kill weeds around the hole 1m in diameter, vines, invasive shrubs, over the entire area, keep the soil moist, prevent erosion, especially after planting. Combine agricultural plant care for the best cinnamon care. If the weather is sunny, you have to water the plants.

how-to-grow-cinnamon
Small Cinnamon Trees

People take care of cinnamon for a long time until the cinnamon forest closes, usually after 4-5 years. When cinnamon is 3-4 years old, there are many trees branching, so in winter or early spring, it is necessary to prune low branches, so that the tall trees can be easily peeled later and have more bark. This work needs to be careful to avoid scratching the bark.

Fertilizer

Use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in the planting hole to get your cinnamon plant started. Then, fertilize every spring, following label instructions.

Common Pests and Diseases

Fungal diseases can affect cinnamon plants growing under stress in excessively wet or shady conditions. Many of the insect pests that impact cinnamon plants, such as the cinnamon butterfly and cinnamon gall mite, are not present outside of the tropics. Leafminers can also affect cinnamon plants and cause leaf drop, and mealybugs can cause foliage damage. Apply an organic insecticide if the infestation is severe.

Which region is the best choice for Vietnamese high-quality Cinnamon?

1. Cinnamon growing area in Yen Bai – Northern Midlands and Mountains region
The capital of Yen Bai cinnamon tree is Van Yen district. The cinnamon area of ​​Van Yen is the largest in Vietnam. Yen Bai cinnamon is also known as simple cinnamon, plain cinnamon,… Evergreen trees, 10-20m tall, trunk diameter can reach 50-80cm. Outer bark grey-brown, often flaked off, brown inside, 0.4 – 0.6cm thick, fragrant.

how-to-grow-cinnamon

This land has many advantages to develop the cultivation of forest cinnamon such as: the mountainous area is divided, the altitude is 300-700m, the average annual temperature is about 22.7 degrees Celsius, heavy rainfall and high humidity. Yen Bai cinnamon harvest season is in March and August every year. In terms of output, the total output of dried cinnamon bark is over 6,500 tons/year, the output of cinnamon branches and leaves is about 65,000 tons/year, the output of essential oils is 300 tons/year. Moreover, in recent years, Japan, Korea, India, Egypt, USA, UK, Netherlands… are the markets that love Yen Bai cinnamon and have imported a lot of cinnamon from Yen Bai.
2. Cinnamon growing area in Yen Phong Thuong Xuan – North Central region
The average altitude here is about 300-700m, the average annual temperature is 23.1 degrees Celsius; rainfall over 2000mm/year with an average humidity of 85%. Because of such natural conditions, the cinnamon tree here grows very well. Some prominent cinnamon growing areas here are Que Phong and Quy Chau districts of Nghe An province and Thuong Xuan and Ngoc Lac districts of Thanh Hoa province.
Cinnamon in this area has the same morphological characteristics as Yen Bai cinnamon, straight trunk, smooth bark, thick foliage, green leaves, but the tree is usually smaller than Yen Bai cinnamon. People here exploit and process carefully, so cinnamon products have high essential oil content, prestige and high economic value.
3. Cinnamon growing area in Quang Ninh – Northeast region

Here forest cinnamon trees are grown on 200-400m high belts. The average temperature is 23 degrees Celsius and the rainfall reaches 2300mm/year, helping the cinnamon tree grow healthy here. The cinnamon gardens here are not only a source of domestic products but also for foreign export. Here there are typical cinnamon growing areas such as Ha Coi, Hai Ninh, Dam Hoa, Tien Yen and Binh Lieu.

how-to-grow-cinnamon
Vihaba’s Cassia
Quang Ninh currently has over 3,400ha of cinnamon trees, each hectare of cinnamon planted for 15-20 years will yield 12-17 tons of cinnamon bark. Especially, Control Union Certifications (EU) has certified the quality of cinnamon in Quang Ninh, exporting cinnamon to the European market.
4. Cinnamon growing area in Tra Mi, Tra Bong – South Central Coast region
Tra Mi and Tra Bong are two regions that have long been famous for growing cinnamon in terms of both yield and quality of forest cinnamon. Here, the annual average temperature is about 22 degrees Celsius, the rainfall is 2300mm/year and the average humidity is 85%. Tra Mi and Tra Bong cinnamon areas have an altitude of about 400-500m.
Cinnamon here has good quality, thick peel, a special scent, contains a high amount of essential oils, so it is popular in the domestic market and many countries around the world such as China, France, India, Korea,… Cinnamon in Tra Bong is one of the 8 specialties of Vietnam that set an Asian record

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