May - September of Second year

i. Weeding to be carried out around the plants. You need to ensure that about 3 feet diameter around the plant is clear of weeds

ii. Apply NPK Mixture at the rate of 50:50:100 Kg / Hectare

iii. Plant shade trees at open or low shade areas in the field

iv. Thrash the old and dry leaves and stems before the rain sets in. Apply 1% Bordeaux mixture and soil drench 0.20% CoC (Copper Oxychloride) at the rate of 3-10 litre per plant depending on the size of the plant.

JULY - AUGUST:

Quinalphos (200ml) Pseudomonas (1 litre)  Beauveria Bassiana (100gm),  Metarhizium 100gm may be mixed in 100 litres of water and drenched around the plant at the rate of 3-5 litre per plant

SEPTEMBER 

i. Dry leaves and stems to be cleared from the plants

ii. Apply NPK mixture at 50:50:100 kg per hectare for a second time 

iii. Usage of EPN may be done on need basis

iv. Spray Zinc (250gm), Boron (75gm) in 100 litres of water. NPK may also be used

v. Quinalphos (200ml) Pseudomonas (1 litre),  Beauveria Bassiana (100gm), Metarhizium 100gm per 100 litres of water maybe applied 

Scientific Plantcare Methods - Second Year

February - May

i. Continue mulching the plant base starting Decmber - January and upto May. Irrigate the plants with atleast 25 litres of water every 15-25 days.

ii. February : Thrash the dry leaves and stems (kavath) and spray Quinalphos 200 ml per 100 litre using a powers sprayer

iii. March : Spray Phenthoate 150 ml per 100 litre on the plants.

iv. May : Spray Acephate 150 gm / 100 litre water

v. By end of May or early June, if you find incidence of root grub in the field, you may insert EPN in the soil. For this, make an insertion of about the length and diameter of your finger at 4-5 spots around the plant (or as many as required) - and then insert the EPN, then cover the same with the soil

vi. April - May: With the onset of South West monsoon, Organic manure + PGPR mixture (or) Organic Manure + Micro organisms (5 kg vermi compost, 25g Asospyrillum, Phosphobacteria, Pseudomonas, Trichoderma) may be applied

vii. April : Zinc Sulphate (250g/100 ltr) + Boron (75g/100ltr) may be sprayed on the plants. NPK and micro nutrients may also be sprayed.

First Year : December - January

December - January Works 

i. The weeds would appear again and cover the base and the space between the rows and columns. It's time to weed out around the plants and mulch the same.

ii. Spray DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) 1 kg / 100 litre water + Potash 1 Kg / 100 litre water + Pseudomonas 2 Litre / 100 litre water on the plants. Try and do this activity on a cloudy day or a day with light drizzles

iii. Spray Quinalphos 200 ml per 100 litre + Pseudomonas 1 litre per 100 litre water + Beauveria Bassiana 100 gm per 100 litre + 100 Gm Metarhizium per 100 litre water

iv. Apply NPK at 37.5: 37.5: 75 Kg per hectare for the second time.

First Year : August - November

August - September 

i. Clear the weeds : Weeds are the general source for Nitrogen, however, do not let them grow bigger and older than 2-3 months. You should clear the plant base and around a 3 ft diameter of the plants. 

ii. You may mulch the base of the plants using the weeds so removed. You may also add organic manure, PGPR (which promotes vegetative growth) and organic Manure + micro organism mixtures. 
- 100 gm Neem cake + 50 gm bone meal + 25 gm each of Azospirillum, Phosphobacteria, Trichoderma, Pseudomonas, Paecilomyces

You may mulch post application of the above mixture in moderate quantities. 

iii. If you come across any root grub pest, one way is to make an insertion at the four corners in a finger length and insert EPN - one each in each of the four corners. 

iv. Spray the following  pesticides using power sprayer / Knapsack
- Phenthoate - 100 grams / 100 litres of water 
- Beauveria Bassiana - 100 ml or gm / 100 litre
- Pseudomonas - 1 litre / 100 litre 

October - November 

i. Spray the following solution using a power sprayer 
- DAP (DiAmmonium Phosphate)  - 1 litre / 100 litre water
- Pseudomonas - 2 litre / 100 litre 
The spray should cover all the leaves of the plant 

ii. To retain and ensure soil moisture as well as to collect the rain water, it is imperative that you make pits of  a minimum dimension - 2Ft Length X 1 Ft Height X 1 Ft width. (2x1x1) in between four plants. This may be done basis the requirement of individual fields and at the desired intervals. 

iii. Drench Pseudomonas (2 litre / 100 litre water) + Trichoderma (2 litre / 100 litre water) around the plant base 

iv. At around this time you will notice fresh white roots - cover the same with soil and mulch above the soil 

v. Apply NPK in the ratio 37.5kg :37.5 kg: 75 Kg, about 150 - 200 grams per plant 

Scientific Plantcare Methods - First Year

First Year: 

February - July : 

• Soil Testing: During the month of March / April, test the soil for the PH, Organic Carbon percentage & Micro Nutrients. 
• Make a conical incision in different areas in the field and take out a section of the soil like you slice a piece of bread. collect the same in different packages if your field is vast or if there's a vast difference in soil type of plant growth in different areas of the field. Else, you may take different samples from different areas, combine the same and shade dry the soil and pack in aerated container before sending for soil test. 
• Contact details of Soil test labs: 
• http://www.indianspices.com/quality-evaluation-laboratory
•  http://www.nabllab.co.in/
• http://www.vimta.com/

• Shade Regulation: There should be a 40% - 50% shade in the field. Shade needs to be regulated before taking the planting pits in the field. Please keep in mind that the shade regulation required is advised on the presumption that the field is not South/South-West facing and that the same has a gentle slope. In case your field faces South / South- West direction, or if your field has a steep terrain, you will need to increase the shade percentage accordingly. This is done so that the summer heat intensity is reduced and so that the plants do not wilt due to the heat.

• Planting Pits: The pits for replanting may be taken once you get the summer showers and before the month of April. 

• Pit Dimension: The pit should be a minimum of 90cm X 90 cm and with a minimum depth of 45 cm. The soil obtained while digging the pit should be set on the sides of the pit.

• Distance between plants: There should be a minimum of  10 ft distance between the pits and the rows. There are planters who insist on 11 ft distance - however, 10 ft is found to be ideal for the plant and the economics. This way, you will have a minimum of 1000 plants per hectare (435 plants per acre)

• Covering the pits: Once the summer showers start in the month of May, you may fill 2/3 of the pit with the soil taken while digging the same. Above this, you may mix the balance soil with about 2 Kg of organic manure/dried and powdered cow dung and make a cone of about 15 cm from the surface of the pit. 
• Usage of Lime / Dolomet: Depending on the PH value of the soil: 
• PH Level above 5.5 - 250 Gm
• PH level 5-5.5 - 500 Gm
• PH Level <5 - 1 Kg  ; may be added to one planting pit. This should be spread evenly on the surface of the pit. If using lime, try to make them fresh on the field than buying ready mix from the shop. 

Planting 

• Sapling: A sapling with a minimum of  10 cm diameter at the base (bulb) and with two new tillers of about 15 cm may be selected for planting. Please give a few minutes to selecting the sapling, since this is going to decide whether the plant and the field remains healthy and gives your yield as per your expectation. Please look for spots on the stem or decay signs on the leaves - if you find any, discard them. 
• Care for the sapling: Dip the base of the sapling in 1:50 diluted Pseudomonas. 
• Planting: Before planting, make a small hole, and add about 20-25 grams of VAM (vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza) and the same amount of Carbosulfan before planting the saplings. There should be soil upto half of the bulb at the bottom of the sapling. Please note that the sapling has to stay with the support of a stick and not on its own. You should not cover the bulb in an attempt to ensure that the sapling is standing on it's own - this will result in decay of the bulb. Depending on the soil moisture level, complete the planting activity by the end of May or first week of June. 
• Support for the sapling: You should provide a support for the sapling - ideally of the same length as the sapling and with 2-3 ties, so that the sapling doesn't fall off in heavy wind / rain
• Mulching:  The entire base of the sapling (the whole pit surface) should be mulched with dry leaves. Do not attempt to cover the base using green leaves - they tend to radiate heat while degenerating. 
• Shade tree planting : This is also the ideal time to plant shade trees and they get around a year and half of sunlight before the plants cover the area. 

Replanting

Preparing the field

There's more to preparing the field that just digging pits and planting the saplings. If done systematically, ita can help you in reducing your plant care expenses in the coming few years and at the same time help in maximizing the yield. 

i. Making a nursery (atleast 18 months prior)
It would be nice to visit the high yielding farms in and around your vicinity. This will help you compare the variety of plants (Njallani is the most common variety, however there are hybrids made by individual farmers) with that of the fields being visited. Once you decide on whether to go with the variety of the plants in your field or to buy saplings you can decide on whether to make a nursery or not. If you plan to go with the variety in your field, you should make a nursery. 

a. Decide the number of plants you require for planting. For this, first decide the distance between plants. If you decide of 10Ft X 10 Ft, then one acre will need (43560 Sq Ft / 100 = 435 Plants). If you decide 11Ft X 11 Ft (43560/ 121 = 360 plants and so on and so forth. 

Plain land with moderate or no slope will do good with 10Ft X 10Ft. However in steep terrain, you can try and reduce the gaps between plants moderately with low impact on yield. 


ii. Clearing old plants 
First you need to clear the area of all the old plants. Basically you remove the old plants off the field, then clear the roots using fork or earth moving machinery. 




Although a cumbersome process, this will ensure that no root related diseases that existed in the earlier plants gets carried over. 


iii. Cutting old and dying trees

Have a look at the field and identify the old and dying trees that will probably fall in the coming years. Have those trees removed from the field. (As per the Kerala Forest Officials, if your field falls in the CHR area of Idukki district in Kerala, they will have to inspect the trees before we are given the permission to cut the trees). Please adhere to the procedures to avoid heartburns or unwanted confrontations. 

ideally, you medium sized trees every 20-25 feet, however if the trees are big in size, then you may have decide in accordance to it. 

iv. Making planting pits

There are different approaches to making planting pits;

a. The traditional way is to make planting pits of 2.5Ft Depth 2Ft X 2Ft. This ensures that the soil is loosened to promote root growth.

b. Loosen the entire field using earth moving machineries (JCB, Hitachi etc). But this has an impact on the trees and should be chosen only with concurrence with forest officials and depending on the terrain. If the same is done is steep terrain, you risk losing the top soil in the rainy season. 

c. Make a 1 Ft X 1 Ft X 1 Ft pit using just a spade and continue with planting. This is possible in fields with moderate sloped and rich loamy soil. 

Buying / Leasing a Plantation

There are a few things to keep in mind whilst looking to buy or lease a cardamom plantation. These are not Greek or Latin, but a few criteria which are to be looked for and which has been arrived at as a result of years of experience in Cardamom planting, by our forefathers. 

Zones, Which do i go for? 

Given a choice, go for the areas classified as Zone A. Let's get to know what Zones are. The Cardamom Hill Reserve (CHR) area has been classified as Zone A, B & C - by the Income Tax Authorities as well as the Spices Board. 

ZONE - A 

Places within  Kattappana, Anavilasam, Anakkara, Ayyappankoil, Chakkupallam, Vandanmedu, Peerumedu, Mlappara, Periyar, Manjumala & Kumili villages are classified as Zone A 

Zone - B 

Places within Santhanpara, Rajakkad, Bison Valley, Upputhode, Kalkoonthal, Parathode & Kanthippara villages are classified as Zone - B 

Zone - C 

All other areas where cardamom is grown currently are classified as Zone - C 

Why is there a Zone Classification ? 

The places within Zone A, are supposedly falling within the most ideal climatic and geographical conditions favourable for growing cardamom. 

The next ideal climatic & geographic conditions for planting cardamom are found in Zone B

Zone C are places where the climatic and geographic conditions are not favourable for a profitable cultivation of the crop. 

Does it mean i can buy land eyes folded in Zone A? 

It basically means that the chances of finding an ideal land within Zone A is above 90%. i.e. if you find a block of hundred acres land, the chances are that, not less than 90% of the said land will be ideal for cultivation of cardamom. 

The caveat is that, while going for small piece of land, say 10 acres, you need to make sure that atleast 9 acres of the land is ideal and well suited for raising the crop. The chances are that, the land was earlier a part of a bigger block and that it was not good enough for profitable cultivation of cardamom and hence it was sold ; so - be aware of the possibility. 

So, extreme caution and inspection of the entire block of land is required before making a decision to purchase the land. 

Features to look for in that ideal land

A few things to keep in mind while assessing a new plantation ( please remember, this is not an exhaustive and complete list; these are compilations of a few wise things passed on for generations - the ultimate judge in any decision is YOU.)

• Terrain : Ideally, the terrain should be a gentle slope. The rain water shouldn't completely wash out, whereas, excess rain water should drain out of the land as well. Steep areas have the disadvantage of drainage of top soil and thereby loss of fertility. Excessive rocks are also not ideal for a good plantation. 

  

  Medium Steep Terrain

• Gegraphical Direction of the land : By direction, i mean, whether it faces North / South / East or West. The ideal direction for a cardamom plantation is North, North-East, East. The logic behind this is, while facing North or East or in between, the land doesn't receive excessive heat from direct sunlight. The land tends to retain the moisture in top soil. The micro climate that forms within the plantations in this direction are best suited for cardamom plantation. The West direction in the Western Ghat regions brings the direct sunlight post noon and thereby, loss of moisture and tendency of plants to dry up if not irrigated properly. The west direction also brings in the monsoon winds - which may uproot shade trees, plants and may even tear the leaves of the plants during early June to late August. 

  

  Ideal Slope & Direction

• Soil Type : The ideal soil is loamy, loose soil rich in minerals formed as a result of mulching. Clay rich soil retains excessive water during monsoon and results in rot decease. Take a handful of soil, examine the texture and colour; if the prominent colour of the soil is whitish to yellowish - move on, find another land. Look also for translucent stones (vellaram kallu in Malayalam), this is a sure sign on weak soil structure. 
  

• Access to land : Eventhough this has an inverse relationship with the price of the land, i would still recommend paying that extra money and getting a land with tar road access. This will eventually save you loads of money. The cardamom cultivation is very intense and requires the planter to transport huge amount of materials to and from the plantation. So the easier the access, the lesser the cost and trouble in transportation.