01
Choose the right variety
Compare Malabar, Mysore, Vazhukka, research releases and farmer selections.
Open guide →Small cardamom cultivation
Grow the Queen of Spices with confidence.
A complete, practical website covering varieties, planting material, nursery production, field establishment, nutrition, irrigation, pest and disease management, harvesting, curing and storage.
Botanical name: Elettaria cardamomumWestern Ghats native
Crop at a glance
Essential cardamom farming facts
Small cardamom is a shade-loving, perennial rhizomatous crop of humid hill ecosystems. Its management must balance light, moisture, drainage, nutrition and pollinator protection.
800-1300 mTypical elevation
20-22 monthsPlant maturity
Year 3Economic yield begins
8-12 yearsHigh-yielding phase
40-60%Filtered light
90-120 daysFruit maturation
The guide also notes a plant lifespan of 30 years or more, while each pseudostem is biennial. Figures should be adapted to local variety, rainfall, soil and management.
Cultivation pathway
From planting material to premium capsules
Use the step-by-step sections as a complete farm reference or open only the stage you need.
02
Produce healthy plants
Raise disease-free suckers, primary nursery seedlings and polybag plants.
Open guide →03
Establish the field
Manage shade, pits, planting, weeds, irrigation, mulching and soil conservation.
Open guide →04
Feed the crop
Apply lime, organic manures, NPK and micronutrients using the correct method and timing.
Open guide →05
Protect the plantation
Recognise important diseases and pests, then combine sanitation, biological and approved controls.
Open guide →06
Harvest and cure
Pick at the right maturity, cure efficiently and store at safe moisture for better green colour.
Open guide →Healthy start
Planting material determines plantation health
Cardamom can be propagated through seed, suckers and tissue-culture plantlets. Select mother clumps that are high yielding and free from viral disease. In sucker multiplication, one grown tiller with a young growing shoot forms the minimum planting unit.
Recommended planting layout: high-yielding varieties may be planted at 3 m × 3 m, equivalent to about 1,111 plants per hectare.
See nursery and sucker methods
Water and microclimate
Moisture without prolonged waterlogging
Summer irrigation supports young tiller and panicle development. Hose, sprinkler, drip, micro-sprinkler, mist and fogger systems can be used. Avoid excessive wetness around the plant base because prolonged saturation favours rot diseases.
Hose: 20-30 L/plant weeklyDrip: 5-6 L/clump/daySprinkler: 35-45 mm/fortnight
Irrigation detailsPopular cultivars
Three major cardamom types
Malabar
Medium plants, suited broadly to 600-1,200 m, relatively less susceptible to thrips and able to perform under lower rainfall.
Read cultivar profile →Mysore
Robust 3-4 m plants with bold dark-green capsules; best under assured, well-distributed rainfall at 900-1,200 m.
Read cultivar profile →Vazhukka
A natural hybrid type with intermediate characters, extensively cultivated in Kerala and Tamil Nadu at 900-1,200 m.
Read cultivar profile →Seasonal planningOpen 12-month calendar
Build work around rainfall and crop stage
The source guide connects critical operations to summer showers, southwest and northeast monsoons, pest peaks and flowering. The month-by-month calendar reorganises those recommendations into an easy field schedule.
March-April
Shade regulation, sucker multiplication, soil sampling and pre-monsoon sanitation.
Shade regulation, sucker multiplication, soil sampling and pre-monsoon sanitation.
May-June
Planting, manure, lime, first rot-prevention measures and monsoon drainage.
Planting, manure, lime, first rot-prevention measures and monsoon drainage.
September-October
Second nutrient split, pruning, post-monsoon biological control and pest surveillance.
Second nutrient split, pruning, post-monsoon biological control and pest surveillance.
November-January
Forking where needed, earthing up, weeding and seasonal nutrition.
Forking where needed, earthing up, weeding and seasonal nutrition.
Local adaptation is essential
Timing varies with elevation, local rainfall, shade, irrigation and variety. Treat the calendar as a planning guide, then confirm with local extension specialists.
Historical production figure
The source reports about 69,190 ha and 22,520 MT in India for 2020-21. It is preserved here as dated reference information, not a current market statistic.