General description, rules for caring for cardamom, recommendations for independent reproduction, pest and disease control, interesting facts, types. Cardamom (Elettaria) is sometimes referred to as cardamom and most often the fruits of a herb with a long life span are mentioned - Cardamom real (Elettaria cardamomum), which is part of the Ginger family (Zingiberaceae). Up to 52 genera and more than 1580 varieties of representatives of the green world of the planet are also included there. All of them have one cotyledon in the embryo - monocotyledonous and mainly growing in the territory of South or Southeast Asia, where tropical or subtropical climate prevails, and they can also be found on the lands of the African and American continents. India, namely its Malabar coast, as well as the islands of Ceylon and Sri Lanka, has long been considered the native area of distribution of the very same cardamom. If we talk about the XXI century, then Guatemala is considered the leader in the production of this spice.
The fruits ripen only in the third year of the plant's life, and they have a very highly saturated aroma in which tones of camphor are present, therefore cardamom is considered one of the most expensive spices and is popularly called the "queen of spices" or "queen of spices", and the ancient Greeks called it his "heavenly potion." Cardamom has a herbaceous form of growth, and shoots can reach a height of 3-5 meters. The root of cardamom is fleshy, often with tubers, with knobby outlines. It is the basis for the germination of leafy stems. Leaves are large in size, elongated with a pointed end. They are arranged in two rows, their outlines are wide, with a lanceolate shape. They take their origin from the sheath (this is the part at the base of the leaf, expanded and grooved in shape, enclosing the stem), formed at the base of the stem. The surface of the leaves is smooth, the color is bright green, they reach 60 cm in length. On both sides of the leaf plate, the central vein is clearly visible, from which smaller veins originate, diverging like a fan in different directions to form a bizarre pattern.
There are non-leafy shoots, the top of which is crowned with racemose, spike-shaped or paniculate inflorescences. The surface of the petals in flowers is shaded with a white, pale lilac or pale green background, on which there is a pinkish, dark lilac or blue pattern of veins. Often the petals have a light green rim. The buds are crowned with elongated pedicels, which usually spread over the soil surface. Flowers of both sexes, zygomorphic (they have a single axis of symmetry, which usually runs along the growth of the shoot). The shape of the hood is usually irregular or resembles a concave tongue.
At the end of flowering, greenish fruits with the shape of a box of oblong outlines begin to set in place of wilted flowers. They are somewhat similar to bean pods. Inside it there are multiple seeds, with a greenish or straw color. They are similar to flax seeds and have a rounded or triangular shape. Their surface is wrinkled, up to 4 mm in length and about 3 mm in width. They have a sweet-spicy pleasant aroma. It is this material that is used to make expensive spices.
Recommendations for growing cardamom, care
- Lighting. For the "queen of spices", the place should be with bright, but diffused lighting, direct sunlight should be shaded, if the plant is in the northern room, then backlighting will be organized. If the light level is high, then the leaves will begin to turn yellow.
- Temperature contents for cardamom should be in the range of 20-25 degrees in the spring-summer months, and with the arrival of autumn it should be in the range of 12-15 degrees.
- Air humidity. When growing eletaria, humidity indicators should be above average, you can carry out in the summer months when the temperature rises, regular spraying and shower procedures, wiping sheet plates with a soft sponge.
- Watering. In order for the plant to be comfortable when grown indoors, it is recommended to irrigate the soil regularly and the earthen lump should be evenly moistened. Stagnation of water is unacceptable in any case, as this threatens the onset of putrefactive processes. The signal for moisture in the spring and summer period is the drying of the top layer of the substrate in the pot. With the arrival of winter, since the heat indices decrease, irrigation is carried out less often, but the soil should not be allowed to dry out. If there is not enough moisture for cardamom, then its leaf plates will acquire a brown color and begin to dry out. In this case, you should gradually increase the watering of the substrate and observe the "queen of spices".
- Fertilizers for eletarii are brought in in the spring-summer period every two weeks. Organo-mineral preparations are used for vegetable crops; in the winter months, this regularity becomes every 3 weeks. It is important that there is no excess nitrogen, as the condition of cardamom will immediately worsen. If, during the heating season, spraying with "Ferovit" or "Zircon" is carried out, the cardamom will become more resistant to dry air.
- Transfer carried out using a substrate based on sod and humus soil, river sand, in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. The acidity index is pH 5, 5–6.
Self-propagation technology of cardamom
In order to get a new plant "queen of spices", you can sow seed, carry out cuttings or division of the rhizome of an overgrown bush.
When dividing the rhizome of cardamom, it is recommended to combine this procedure with a transplant. The plant is carefully removed from the pot, the soil is shaken off the roots, if possible, and its rhizome is cut with a sharpened knife. This is done in such a way that each part of the cardamom has a sufficient part of the roots and at least two recovery buds and two growing root lobules. It is recommended to treat the sections with activated or charcoal crushed into powder, this will contribute to disinfection. Then the division is planted in a prepared pot with soil.
For seed propagation, it is recommended to use only freshly harvested material, since the seeds quickly lose their germination. In spring, when they are planted, the soil is selected light (sand-peat mixture). The seeds are embedded in the soil to a depth of double the width of the seed, after which they are sprinkled with a small layer of the same soil and slightly moistened. Then the container with crops is covered with plastic wrap or glass to create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse. Then the container is placed in a well-lit place, but without direct streams of ultraviolet radiation, which can burn young shoots. The germination temperature should be kept at 25-28 degrees. Do not forget to regularly remove condensate, ventilate crops and, if necessary, moisten the substrate from a fine-dispersion spray bottle. After 6-7 weeks, cardamom sprouts can be expected to appear. After that, the shelter is removed, but the humidity and heat indicators continue to be monitored. When two months have passed, you can carry out the first feeding of young plants of the "queen of spices". As soon as the autumn months come, the temperature and watering gradually begin to decrease, while the growth of the seedlings begins to slow down, and the leaf plates gradually acquire a yellow color. With the arrival of spring, cardamom gradually wakes up, and watering evenly leads to a normal regime.
When grafting from the plant, the tops are cut off from the branches, which are about 10 cm in length. Then the sections are recommended to be treated with a root formation stimulator (for example, heteroauxin) and placed in a vessel with water, to wait for the appearance of root processes. You can immediately land in a moistened sand-peat mixture (or just wet sand) and wrap the cuttings with polyethylene or put under a vessel made of transparent glass or plastic. This will help create a constant high humidity environment (mini greenhouse). It is recommended to carry out daily airing of the branches, and if they are planted in the ground, then, as it dries, they are moistened. As soon as roots form on the cuttings that are placed in a container with water and reach a centimeter in length, the branches are planted in a prepared pot with a peat-sand mixture and also put under cover, or you can use a cut plastic bottle (part with a cork). The care is the same as for the specimens planted in the ground initially. The rooting temperature should be between 20-25 degrees. As soon as new leaves appear and the plants grow up, then you can transplant into a large container with a more fertile substrate.
Difficulties in keeping cardamom at home and solutions
If, during indoor cultivation, the conditions for keeping eletaria are violated (for example, the humidity level drops), this will lead to the fact that harmful insects such as scale insects or spider mites can attack the plant. In this case, the leaf plates begin to turn yellow, deform and dry, and subsequently fall off. A thin cobweb begins to form on the leaves and internodes, and the back of the leaf is covered with brown plaques. If measures are not taken to destroy pests, then the leaves and shoots are covered with a sticky sugary bloom (waste products of pests) and this can contribute to the development of a sooty fungus. In this case, all parts of the plant will be covered with a grayish-black bloom. To prevent such a problem, at the first detection of harmful insects, it is required to carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations, for example, "Fitoverm", "Acrofit" or "Vermitekom". After a two-week period, the treatment is repeated, if the eggs of the pest remain, then they will also die.
When a scabbard appears, the pest is removed with a cotton swab, and then the cardamom leaf plates are wiped with soap, oil or alcohol solution. After spraying with an insecticide, and then the plant is covered with plastic wrap and kept in this state for up to half an hour. After two days, the drug must be washed off under the shower jets, while the soil in the pot is covered with a plastic bag. This operation is repeated every week. Until the pest is completely destroyed.
Interesting facts about cardamom
It is the varieties of green and black cardamom that are most popular, since their seeds have a pronounced aroma and medicinal properties.
Even in Ancient Greece, this plant was called "heavenly grain", due to the fact that seed material was actively used not only in cooking, but also in medicine and aromatherapy. And it is still believed that all the properties of cardamom are not fully disclosed. And in the ancient Indian epic mentions of the "queen of spices" are there a thousand years before our era. And already in the 1st century AD, the philosopher from Greece Plutarch wrote that cardamom was used in ceremonies in temple complexes or was mixed in perfumes in Ancient Egypt. Europe got acquainted with this spice thanks to the Arabs, who brought it to these territories, but in those days cardamom was used mainly only for the manufacture of perfumes. Pedanius Dioscorides (about 40 AD to 90), who was a famous ancient Greek pharmacologist, physician and naturalist, preferred the seeds of the cardamom that was supplied from Armenia, but Ovid did not stay away from singing the aroma of this wondrous spice.
It is best to buy cardamom in pods, because if you buy a product that has already been ground, then its aroma evaporates very quickly. Be sure to remove the seeds from the pods before grinding - this will allow the aroma to be more saturated.
Oriental healers have long known that cardamom helps to remove mucus from the body and is used to treat bronchitis, coughs, colds or asthma. There is information that with the help of cardamom it is possible to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract, and if the "queen of spices" is included in the medicinal preparations, it will raise the appetite and improve digestion. Cardamom also helps to cleanse the mouth and breath, neutralizing pathogenic flora.
Types of cardamom
Green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) also bears the name Cardamom real (true) or Green Cardamomum, Choti Elaichi. This plant is widespread and actively cultivated in lands ranging from India to Malaysia. The fruits are plump green pods. It is this variety that is of particular value and quality. The aroma of its seeds is very strong, with a sweet and pleasant taste. Its smell is comparable to that of mint. The color of the seeds is dark gray, they are sticky, with an angular shape. Seed material is placed in large rounded greenish bolls.
Black cardamom (Amomum Cardamomum) This plant is in the genus Amomum and can be heard as it is called Brown cardamom. There are many of its names among the people: Bengali cardamom, Java cardamom, Siamese cardamom or white cardamom and red cardamom. You can hear the name - Kravan or Black cardamom (in England), in France the name Cardamome noir is not uncommon, in Germany - Schwarzer Cardamom, in Italy - Cardamome nero, and the Spaniards call him Cardamome negro.
The pods ripen with a dark brown color and are larger than the previous variety. Their appearance is somewhat reminiscent of tiny hairy coconuts. Inside there are three chambers, where the seed is placed. The length of each seed reaches 3 mm. The taste also differs, it is more tart and there is a bitter note, therefore, it is rarely used in the manufacture of desserts.
In addition to these two most popular types, there are also the following varieties:
- High cardamom (Cardamomum longun) or Cardamomum majus, distributed in the wild on the island of Ceylon, except for the variety of real cardamom, which exceeds its height.
- Javanese cardamom (Amomum Cardamomum L.) mainly distributed on the lands of the islands of Java and Sumatra. In this variety, the seeds have a very strong camphor smell, are quite aromatic, and somewhat resemble the fruit of real cardamom.
- Chinese cardamom (Amomum globosum Lour.). In the wild, it can be found in the Chinese territory. The fruit has the smell of real cardamom, but with a stronger camphor note.
- Bengal cardamom (Amomum aromaticum Roxb.). The fruits of this variety contain a large amount of essential oils, and also have a strong camphor-cineolic aroma.
- Narrow-leaved cardamom (Amomum angustifolium (Sonn) K Schum or Amomum kararima Pereira) grows on the territory of the African continent and on the island of Madagascar, and it is called Madagascar cardamom.
- African cardamom (Amomum melegueta (Roscoe) K Schum). The native territories of growth fall on the lands of the African continent, as well as in Central America, where it was brought there during the period of the slave trade. If you grind its fruits, then a subtle aroma appears. The seeds are warm and peppery.
