How to grow Cinnamomum verum

Cinnamomum verum grow and care – tree of the genus Cinnamomum also known as True cinnamon tree or Ceylon cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum is perennial evergreen plant, used for the edible leaves as spices and edible bark also used as ornamental plant for the fragrant also possible to grow it as bonsai, can grow in mediterranean, subtropics or tropics climate and growing in hardiness zone 10+ but with the right care can grow in hardiness zone 9.

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Cinnamomum verum edible bark and leaves

Bark color brown mostly the useful part, the bark fall from the mature trunk sometimes needed help.

Leaves edible, can be used for flavor of the leaves, fragrant but week smell, and weaker when it’s dry and almost gone.

Flowers small color yellow, flowers grow on stalk in inflorescence.

Cinnamomum verum for sale – Seeds or Plants to Buy

How to grow Cinnamomum verum – True cinnamon tree growing and care:

Warm climate, moist soil, mulch especially when the tree is young

How to care:
Add fertilizer once a year and when the tree is young better to fertilizer with high content of nitrogen, put mulch before the winter but when the tree young it’s important to put mulch to keep the soil moist

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seed / Vegetative Reproduction propagating by cutting or air layer, propagation by cutting, when start from branch need to choose brown fully grown use hormones that fit for woody branches, need to keep high humidity, moist soil and if put it in close box need to ventilate air at least twice a day, watering by spraying and tale care don’t let it dry.

Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No, but possible to start from cutting or air layer and when the plant get the right condition it is possible and it’s hard to start by cutting

Difficulties or problems when growing:
?

Planting season:
Spring to autumn but in hardiness zone of 9 plant in spring, hardiness zone 10 spring to summer, hardiness zone 11 spring to autumn, hardiness zone 12+ all year, this is what recommended but possible also to extant the planting season.

Pests and diseases:
Aphids, brown spots

Pruning season:
All year

How to prune:
Week, dead branch

Size of the plant:
4-15 m, 12-45 feet

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Medium growing / Slow growing

Water requirement:
Average amount of water – prefer regular amount of water with humidity and moist soil / Big amount of water

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun / Half Shade

Is it possible to grow as houseplant indoor?
No, but possible to grow it indoor on the window with sun

Growing is also possible in a planter, flowerpot or containers:
Yes, start with small pot 20-30% bigger than the roots ball, every time that switch the container to bigger switch some of the soil to new soil until arrive to the desirable container size, after that every few years better to switch part of the soil and cut some roots, no need to take the plant out just from the side of the container, soil can be used potting soil or mixture of peat soil and perlite, water it regularly and care when put bottom for the pot be aware not to let the water stay there more than one day and do not over water it’s destroy the soil and the roots, it’s not like to grow outdoor overwater will destroy the soil, need to add hummus few time a year.

Blooming information

Bloom season?
Autumn / Winter / Spring

General information about the flower:
Small flower in yellow color

Pollination is done by:
Bees

Thinning the bloom:
There is no need in the blossom unless need seeds and as long as the tree young it’s better to cut the bloom stems

Edible leaves

Leaves harvesting season:
All year but in cold winter better not in the winter

How to harvest the leaves?
After tree establish root it doesn’t matter as long as you leave enough leaves on the tree

Information about leaves:
Light to dark green depend on the sun exposure , shiny oval leaves

Uses of Cinnamon leaves:
Beverage, fragrance, cooked, herb

Edible bark

When to harvest bark?
All year, but better in the spring

How to harvest bark?
After tree establish every year it’s possible to cut vertical line in the bark and wait until it disconnect from the tree, another option it’s to wait until the tree will take off the bark

Information about the bark:
Brown bark and it’s used after dry

Uses of the bark:
Beverage, fragrance, cooked, spice, herb

How to grow Cinnamomum verum from seeds

Sowing requirement:
Seeds are yellow with a brown bark, in the wild the seeds pass through the digestive of an animal, to simulate this situation rub the seeds and remove some of the bark, also recommend to sow in slightly acidic soil.

How to plant cinnamon seeds:
Dig hole bigger than the seeds cover lightly and better to cover it with vermiculite for better result

Saving seeds care until sowing:
Dry and dark place, room temperature

Sowing season:
Spring to summer in hardiness zone 9-10a, spring to autumn hardiness zone 10b-11, all year in hardiness zone 12+.

Plant spacing:
Potted in different pot, for plantation 4*5m (13*16 feet)

How deep to sow the seed?
1-2 cm (0.25-0.5inches) from the top

Seeding conditions:
Rich soil, moist, half shade

Watering the seeds:
Average amount of water

Germination time:
20-30 day but can be more than 4 months

Condition of the sprout:
Moist, mulch, high humidity

Do the seeds require burying?
No

Scientific name:

Cinnamomum verum

Alternative names: Ceylon cinnamon tree, True cinnamon tree, Camphorina cinnamomum, Cinnamomum aromaticum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum

How to grow Cinnamomum verum

Categories

Blooming Seasons
  • Autumn flowers
  • Winter flowers
Edible Parts
  • Edible leaves
  • Edible Stem / Wood
Culinary uses
  • Beverage
  • Cooked
  • Herbs
  • Spices
Flower colors
  • Yellow flower
Climate
  • Mediterranean Climate
  • Subtropics Climate
  • Tropics Climate
Harvest Season
  • Autumn Harvest
  • Spring Harvest
  • Summer Harvest
  • Winter harvest
Ornamental parts
  • Ornamental leaves
  • Ornamental plant
Plant growing speed
  • Average growing plants
  • Slow growing plants
Plant life-form
  • Evergreen
  • Perennial plant
  • Tree
Plant Uses
  • Edible plants
  • Fragrance
  • Ornamental plants
Planting Season
  • Autumn Planting
  • Spring Planting
  • Summer planting
Plants sun exposure
  • Full sun Plants
  • Part shade Plants
Watering plants
  • Big amount of water
  • Regularly water
Hardiness zone
  • Hardiness zone 10
  • Hardiness zone 11
  • Hardiness zone 12
  • Hardiness zone 13
  • Hardiness zone 9

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

True cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) (Cinnamomum verum) is a large aromatic tree, so it isn’t a true houseplant – but the grower confirms it can be grown in a pot and kept indoors right by a sunny window while young. In a big container it makes a handsome patio or conservatory plant for a few years before it eventually wants the open ground or a large greenhouse.

Quick Details

  • Container Size: Start small – a pot about 20-30% wider than the root ball – and pot up in stages toward a large tub
  • Indoor Suitability: Not a deep-room houseplant, but it will grow indoors at a bright, sunny window
  • Best Spot: Full sun to light/part shade; the brightest, warmest position you can give it
  • Soil & Drainage: Potting soil, or a peat/coir and perlite mix; must drain freely
  • Watering in Pots: Keep the mix evenly moist but never waterlogged – potted roots rot if water stands

Indoors & On the Windowsill

  • Houseplant limits: As a forest tree it won’t thrive deep inside a room where light is weak.
  • At a sunny window: The grower notes it can be grown indoors against a window that gets real sun – keep it in the brightest spot and turn it now and then so it grows evenly.
  • Overwintering: It is frost-tender, so in cold climates growing it in a pot lets you bring it into a bright, frost-free room or conservatory for the cold season.

On a Balcony or Patio

  • Light & warmth: Give it the sunniest, most sheltered corner; walls and paving reflect warmth it enjoys, but they also dry pots fast – check moisture often in hot weather and shelter the crown from strong wind.
  • Practicalities: A large tub gets heavy, so set it in place (ideally on pot feet) before filling, and allow for drainage runoff.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

  • Pot & drainage: Use a pot with strong drainage holes; skip a permanently full saucer to avoid root rot. Terracotta breathes and dries faster, while glazed or plastic holds moisture longer.
  • Potting mix: A well-aerated, organic mix – potting soil or peat/coir with perlite for drainage.
  • Feeding: Potted plants need feeding more often, as watering leaches nutrients away; the grower adds humus (compost) a few times a year.
  • Repotting: Refresh part of the mix and lightly root-prune every few years to keep it healthy in the same tub.

Grower’s Container Tip

  • Pot up in stages and refresh the soil: Start in a small pot only about 20-30% larger than the root ball. Each time you move to a bigger container, replace some of the old soil with fresh mix, continuing in steps until you reach the final pot size. After that, every few years refresh part of the soil and trim some of the roots – you don’t need to lift the whole plant, just work in from the side of the pot. Use potting soil or a mix of peat and perlite.
  • Water carefully: Water regularly, but if you stand the pot on a saucer never let water sit there more than a day – unlike open ground, in a pot overwatering breaks down the soil and rots the roots. Add humus (compost) a few times a year.

Bloom & Flower Guide

Quick Details

  • Bloom Season: Autumn, winter and spring
  • Time to First Bloom: Several years, once the tree is well established
  • Flower Appearance: Small, pale-yellow flowers in loose clusters
  • Edibility: The flowers are not used – the tree is grown for its bark and leaves, covered elsewhere

Detailed Blooming Overview

True, or Ceylon, cinnamon is the source of the finest cinnamon bark, and it is for the bark and leaves that the tree is grown. Its flowers are small and pale yellow, held in loose clusters, and have a rather musty scent quite different from the spice.

Flower Characteristics

  • Small flowers in a soft yellow.
  • Borne in loose clusters.

Bloom Care & Thinning

  • Thinning the bloom: There is no need to keep the flowers unless you want seed; on a young tree it is better to cut the flowering stems so its energy goes into growth.
  • Pollination: Carried out by bees.