Cinnamon Trees for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by Jo Cosgrove | Ecological Gardener, Horticulturist, and Educator – last update on December 9, 2021

Planting instructions

Cinnamon trees can overcome an occasional freeze down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit but prefer the heat. Eighty degrees Fahrenheit and above with humidity of 50% or more provide the best growing conditions. The trees prefer full sun but still do well in a shaded area. During the cooler months of fall, find a sunny spot with rich, well-drained soil. A loam or sandy soil is best as clay or hardpan soils can eventually kill your cinnamon tree by rotting the roots. Adding rich compost can help provide your cinnamon trees with this vital food source. It also helps to amend your soil with peat moss and perlite to aid in moisture retention and drainage. Choose a sunny location that is at least 10 feet away from any other plants, trees, or obstructions. Dig the hole slightly larger than your tree’s root ball. Place some of your newly amended soil and fertilizer in the hole and set the tree down into it. Backfill the hole and tamp the soil down. Water the tree deeply and place a medium layer of mulch around the edges of the hole. Carefully avoid touching the tree’s trunk with the mulch. Keep the soil moist with regular watering until the tree is established.

Watering and nutrients

Your cinnamon tree will appreciate watering that mimics the jungle’s regular rainfall. The use of an irrigation system can help. Using mulch can also aid in keeping the soil moist and the roots cool. Once established, cinnamon trees are no heavy feeders. Adding a scoop of a timed-release fertilizer to the planting hole can help your tree get a good start. It is unlikely that you will need to feed the tree again.

Pollination

“Cinnamomum zeylanicum” is an open-pollinated variety of cinnamon trees. This means that bees, birds, and other insects will pollinate it for you. The small star-shaped flowers arrive in the spring and turn into dark-colored fruit.

Pruning

Cinnamon trees do not require a lot of pruning. Prune branches to maintain your tree’s symmetrical shape and desired size. Remove damaged branches or those crossing and rubbing others. Prune container-grown trees to manage their height and diameter.

Pests and diseases

Mealybugs are a common enemy of Cinnamon trees, but treatment with neem oil will usually eliminate them. Leafminers can also cause trouble with leaf drop — hiring a certified arborist to apply chemical pesticides will help you get rid of them. Root problems and fungal diseases can gain a foothold when the plant experiences extended low temperatures near 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Other causes of root damage are overwatering and the overuse of plant fertilizer.

Harvesting

Cinnamon trees are ready to harvest for the first time in three years. You can cut off individual branches or take the entire tree off at the trunk. It is common for planted trees to produce new shoots that grow into new trees. Commercial growers do this drastic pruning to create new thickets of trees. The curling inner bark is your target. It is reached by scraping the outer bark away from the yellowish-orange inner layer below, which is the cinnamon. Using a sharp knife, peel the cinnamon away in layers. Allow about a week for drying, then the strips will begin curling into the cinnamon “sticks” you are used to seeing.

Compare Similar Products