Cardamom: cultivation, harvest & uses

Cardamom is known for its versatility. Although you cannot harvest seeds in this country, we will show you how you can grow the exotic ornamental plant yourself to obtain the leaves that can also be used.

Cardamom is a very special spice that quickly makes us want to travel to South Asia. In this article you will learn everything about the uniquely flavorful capsules, their origin, planting and the use of cardamom.

Cardamom: origin and properties of the spice

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) belongs to the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) and is therefore not only associated with the ginger (Zingiber officinalis), but also closely with 

turmeric (Curcuma longa) and Galangal (Alpinia officinarum) related. The thick-rooted tropical perennial comes from the front Indian Himalayas and is now also commercially grown on a large scale in Tanzania, Thailand, Guatemala and Honduras. The plant reaches a height of up to 3 meters and usually thrives in the partial or partial shade of tropical forests.

The lanceolate leaves of the cardamom are bushy and their arrangement is reminiscent of palm fronds. Similar to ginger, thick rhizomes are formed in the soil to survive. The white cardamom blossom is very reminiscent of an orchid, with some blue stripes and yellow edges of the petals. This is where the triple capsule fruits, used as a spice, develop, each containing 15 to 20 angular, brown seeds. The seeds contain almost all of the flavoring power of the capsules. The seed pods are harvested immature and dried directly, sometimes also bleached. The spice is after saffron (Crocus sativus), Vanilla (Vanilla sp.) and nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) one of the most expensive spices in the world.

Note: Incidentally, the spice is often pronounced “cardamom”. Since the name (Elettaria cardamomum) but comes from Latin, the correct spelling is “cardamom”.

Different types of cardamom

When it comes to cardamom, most people think of light green capsules. However, there is also a variety of black cardamom. We introduce the types used as spices.

Black cardamom

The black cardamom (Amomum subulatum) is a separate species within the ginger family and has deep brown, almost black seed pods, which are also larger than those of conventional cardamom. The taste of black cardamom is smoky and tart, it is often used in Sri Lanka for seasoning and for making liqueurs.

White or green cardamom

White cardamom is the name given to the unripe harvested, bleached seed pods of conventional cardamom, which are pale beige in color. The best quality, however, has dried cardamom without further processing with the typical, pale green capsules. Their taste is milder than that of black cardamom and has no smoky note. The species is divided into the two varieties of Malabar cardamom used as a spice (Elettaria cadamomum var. cardamomum) and the less popular Ceylon cardamom (Elettaria cadamomum var. major).

Planting cardamom: site conditions and Co.

The warmth-loving cardamom plant can only be kept as a houseplant in our latitudes. Seeds cannot be harvested here, but the leaves also have the typical cardamom taste and smell aromatic. This is because cardamom requires consistently high temperatures of around 25 ° C and a long exposure time that is only found in the tropics. The tropical spice does not come into bloom with us. The plant can be kept very well in the house, as it also gets along well in partial shade and more shady places. It does not need direct sunlight and does not tolerate it very well.

We do not grow cardamom in the open air, because they come from the tropics and cannot tolerate temperatures below 15 ° C. The plants should therefore be kept in pots and placed outside in summer at most, but then in partial or partial shade. As soon as the night-time temperatures fall below the minimum temperature in autumn, the cardamom must be brought into the house and wintered there in a light and warm place.

Propagate cardamom

You can grow your own houseplant from fresh cardamom pods. The seeds contained in it are soaked in lukewarm water for about 24 hours and then sown in nutrient-poor soil, like ours Plantura herb and seed compost. The cardamom seeds should only be covered with a little substrate and kept well moist. Older seeds from the spice rack do not germinate very well, so you should purchase fresh seeds for sowing. At 20 to 25 ° C and in a light but not sunny location, the first cardamom plants germinate after two to three weeks. After a few weeks they can be pricked out and converted into more nutrient-rich soil.

If you already have a cardamom plant, the thick rhizome can be divided in the spring after wintering. As with ginger, the thickened root and the fine roots are divided into several pieces with dormant buds and put in their own pots. As many of the fine white fine roots as possible should be retained so that the cardamom plant can grow quickly in the pot and form fresh sprouts.

Cardamom care: repotting, fertilizing and watering

The expensive spice plant should be repotted annually to provide enough space for its rhizome. This can be done from spring to autumn. A larger planter is initially provided with a drainage layer and for repotting the cardamom then filled with nutrient-rich potting soil, the plant after careful removal in the new one Pot set. The rhizome is covered with earth, lightly pressed and watered well.
From time to time it is also necessary to fertilize the cardamom, especially when young leaves are being harvested. When repotting, a long-term fertilizer can be added directly into the soil or, alternatively, the potted plant can be regularly mixed with an organic liquid fertilizer in organic quality, such as ours Plantura organic indoor & green plant fertilizer, be fertilized. This is added to the irrigation water about every two to three weeks and so served when watering. This ensures a constant but gentle supply of nutrients, which prevents deficiency symptoms such as yellow leaves and supports the growth of the cardamom. At the same time, the liquid fertilizer comes to you in sustainable packaging.
When watering the tropical houseplant, the top layer of soil should be dry before the next watering.

tip: Fertilizing with a liquid fertilizer in the irrigation water saves time and is easy to do. Our Plantura organic indoor & green plant fertilizer provides your indoor plants with all the important nutrients.

Wintering cardamom

Cardamom is only wintered indoors and must be above 15 ° C. In the cold season from October to March there is no fertilization and only little watering because the plants hardly absorb water and the root ball tends to rot if too much moisture can hold on for a long time. You just have to make sure that the root ball does not dry out completely.

Tip: Container plants often have to struggle with pests, especially in winter quarters. Many pests can multiply rapidly in our warm living spaces and also find no natural enemies. Typical pests on cardamom are in the house Mealybugs or mealybugs, which form a white, puffy ball of excretions from the back armor and feed on the sap.

Cardamom: uses, taste and effects

The taste of cardamom can be described as slightly bitter to flowery-sweet and spicy-fiery. The young leaves also taste sweet and spicy, while older leaves become incredibly bitter and no longer tempting to be eaten.

As a spice, cardamom is particularly popular not only in its home countries in South Asia. In Sweden, around a quarter of world production is consumed in the form of the delicious "Kardemumma Bullar", a variant of the well-known cinnamon bun. Mixing some freshly ground cardamom with coffee increases the effect of the caffeine. Cardamom can be baked, ground or poured hot as a pure cardamom tea or enjoyed as part of traditional chai tea. Every now and then you can chew whole capsules of cardamom against bad breath and even counteract tooth decay. Cardamom powder should be consumed as quickly as possible as it quickly loses its flavor. The best way to store the whole capsules in airtight containers for about a year without any loss of taste.

Cardamom is a healthy spice that has always been used in Ayurvedic healing. The seeds are said to have heart and stomach strengthening, antispasmodic and antiseptic effects.

Not only the cardamom finds a place outside the tropics in our rooms. Discover more exciting ones in our special article exotic houseplants like pineapple and baobab.