Under West Coast conditions, cinnamon flowers in January and the fruits ripen during June-August.
The fully ripened fruits are either picked up from the tree or the fallen ones are collected from the ground.
The seeds are removed from the fruits, washed free of pulp, and sown without much delay as the seeds have a low viability.
Sow seeds immediately after harvest on raised beds.
The seeds are sown in sand beds or polythene bags containing a mixture of sand, well rotten cattle manure and soil (3:3:1).
The seeds start to germinate within 15-20 days.
Frequent irrigation is required for maintaining adequate moisture.
Pot seedlings when they are six months old.
The seedlings require artificial shading till they are about 6 months old.
Vegetative propagation
For raising cinnamon from cuttings; semi hardwood cuttings of about 10 cm length with 2 leaves are taken and dipped in IBA 2000 ppm and planted either in polythene bags filled
with sand or a mixture of sand and coirdust in the ratio 1:1 or in sand beds raised in a shaded
place.
The cuttings in polythene bags must also be kept in a shaded place or in a nursery.
The cuttings are to be watered regularly 2-3 times a day for maintaining adequate moisture
and prevent wilting.
Rooting takes place in 45-60 days.
The well rooted cuttings can be transplanted to polythene bags filled with potting mixture and maintained in a shaded place and watered regularly.
Air Layering
Air layering is recommended for all cinnamon nurseries.
It is done on semi hardwood shoots.
A ring of bark is removed from the semi hardwood portion of the shoot and a rooting hormone (IBA 2000 ppm or IAA 2000 ppm) is applied on the portion where the bark has been removed.
Moist coir dust or coir husk is placed around the region where the hormone has been applied and is secured in position by wrapping with a polythene sheet of 20 cm length.
This would also avoid moisture loss.
Rooting takes place in 40-60 days.
The well rooted air layers are separated from the mother plant and bagged in polythene bags filled with potting mixture and kept in a shaded place or nursery by watering the plants twice daily.
Planting
Select seedlings with green leaf petioles.
Plant seedlings in the main field when they are 1-2 years old with the commencement of
southwest monsoon.
Planting is done in pits of size 60 cm x 60 cm at a spacing of 2 m x 2 m.
Dig the pits sufficiently early to allow weathering.
Fill the pit with leaf mould and topsoil before planting.
