How to grow cinnamon at home

Cinnamon is a delicious spice and widely used in the kitchen, especially for sweet preparations. However, it is rarely grown in homes, although the cinnamon tree requires little care and can live both outdoors and indoors, and adapt well to a pot.

Cinnamon is grown mainly in Sri Lanka and India and is native to hot, humid areas, so it will be better suited if your region has that type of climate.

This beautiful tree requires little care, you just have to know some particularities of its cultivation. In its natural state, the plant can reach up to 15 meters in height, but if we grow it at home we will not have a problem, since if it is kept at a height of approximately 120 centimeters, it survives perfectly.

In addition to cinnamon to prepare delicious desserts, sweets and even to use in home remedies, the tree will offer us seeds that can be replanted.

1. You can plant cinnamon in two ways: by seeds, or by cuttings. To reproduce it by cuttings, you need a healthy branch from another tree and make it take root. You can get an idea of ​​how to grow plants from cuttings in this article on rose bushes. If you are planting for seeds instead, you should get them from healthy, mature trees, place them in a container with soil, and leave it in a shady spot. Then, you will have to water regularly.

2. After about four months, the seedlings will have grown and you must transplant them to their final site. If it will be in a pot, keep in mind that the bigger it is, the bigger the tree will be.

3. Place the plants in a warm place where they do not receive direct sun, but do receive light. They must be watered regularly but not excessively, so that the roots do not rot.

4. The first harvest will be obtained after two or three years, and then every two years. It may seem like a long time, but it is less than the time it takes to harvest many fruit trees for the first time.

5. At any time you can prune the tree, so that it does not get too big. If it is in the garden, you have to be careful with this because it can reach many meters in height.

6. To harvest, branches should be cut when they are about 3 centimeters in diameter and purplish in color, 5 centimeters from the main trunk. This is done every two years, and then new shoots grow.

7. To use the cinnamon you must remove the bark from the branches that you cut. If it is difficult, you can soak them, and then dry the useful part. Only the outer rind is edible, not the center.

8. Keep in mind that you will get better quality cinnamon from the middle part of the plant, and worse quality from the base.

9. To store cinnamon, store it in a cool, dry place; even better if it is in airtight containers, because prolonged exposure to air causes loss of aroma and flavor.

With it you can prepare apple rings, cinnamon rolls without cooking, carrot alfajorcitos without flour, peach muffins, and everything you can think of!