Spices

Fertilizer Mixtures

Spices Fertilizer Mixtures

A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the dried bark of the perennial tree of C.zeylanicum of the Lauraceae family. True cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka and was originally grown in the central hill country. The history of cinnamon dates back to about 2800 B.C. where it can be found referred to as ”kwai” in Chinese writings. Cinnamon is even mentioned in the Bible when Moses used it as an ingredient for his anointing oil in ancient Rome. It was burned in Roman funerals perhaps partly as a way to minimize the odor of dead bodies. Emperor Nero is said to have burned a year’s worth of dry supply of cinnamon at the funeral of his wife Poppaea Sabina. Ancient Egyptians used it in embalming mummies because of its pleasant odors and its preservative qualities.

Cinnamon Fertilizer Mixtures Available at Allied Commercial Fertilizers (Pvt)Ltd

N
P
K
Cinnamon Mixture(U)
23
07
15
Cinnamon (SA)
08
08
12

Fertilizer Recommendation According to Plant Density

Plant Spacing
Number of Bushes/ha
Amount of fertilizer(g)/ Bush/Season
1.2 x 0.6 m (4’x2’)
13890
33
1.2 x 0.9 m (4’x3’)
9260
50
1.2 x 1.2 m (4’x4’)
6950
65
  • The mixture should be applied twice a year as the rains begin during the Yala and Maha seasons.
  • In addition, application of Dolomite at the rate of 500 kg /ha/year is recommended, particularly in areas where leaf chlorosis symptoms are observed.
  • A band of 30 cm should be left unapplied from the base of the clump.

Ginger

Ginger is believed to have originated in East Asia with a historic record expanding over 3000 years. It has been widely used in Chinese and in Ayurvedic medicine. There is information that even Emperor Nero and the Roman army used ginger as medicine. It was found that ginger was imported to European countries as a spice by 1547 A.C. In recent years Ginger has been cultivated as a commercial crop in large scale in many countries such as China, India, Australia, Fiji, Hawai, Hongkong, Jamaica, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, West Africa, and Taiwan.

Fertilizer application

To add adequate Ca and Mg, Dolomite is mixed with the soil immediately after plowing at the rate of 2 mt./ha. Saw dust ash is also added to the soil at the rate of 3-4kg/sq, meter of the bed during land preparation period to achieve a high yield. Fertilizer is applied after weeding and should be mixed with the soil after which the beds should be mulched. Fertilizer is applied with rain or should be irrigated after fertilizer application. Glyricidia leaves can be added as an organic fertilizer to reduce the need for chemical fertilizer and to protect soil moisture levels.

Fertilizer recommendation

Time
Organic fertilizer
Urea(kg
TSP (kg)
MOP (kg)
Basal
At the time of planting
20 mt
100
1st app.
After 01 month
65
100
2nd app.
After 03 months
65
100

Pepper

Pepper is the most widely used spice in the world and is known as the “King of the Spices”. Pepper crop is native to South Asia and historical records reveal that pepper originated in South India. Peppercorns were a much-prized trade good often referred to also as “black gold” and used as a form of commodity money. Until after the Middle age, virtually all of the black pepper found in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa traveled there from India’s Malabar region. It was some part of the value of these spices that led to the European efforts to find a sea route to India and consequently to the European Colonial occupation of the country as well as European discovery and colonization of America/s. Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Brazil are the main pepper producers in the world.

Pepper Fertilizer Mixtures Available at Allied Commercial Fertilizers (Pvt)Ltd

N
P
K
MG
Pepper Mixture
14
11
14
02
Years
Beginning of the first monsoonal rains (g)
Beginning of the second monsoonal rains (g)
1st Year (6 months after planting)
250
250
2nd Year
500
500
3rd year and onward
700
100

The synthetic fertilizer dosage can be reduced by 50 % by applying 10 – 15 kg of fresh Gliricidia leaves and tender branches as mulch per vine four times per year.

Cocoa

The Cocoa tree is believed to have originated in the Amazon basin and spread to Central America, particularly to Mexico. It was known and used by the natives in the region, such as Olmec and Mayas, and they considered it the “food of Gods”. Cocoa seeds were used as currency by the Aztecs who also enjoyed a type of bitter chocolate drink. Christopher Columbus discovered cocoa beans in America but only 20 years later, Hernando Cortes discovered the bitter drink used by the Aztecs and sent the beans and recipes back to King Charles V of Spain. The Spanish refined the recipes by adding sugar and heating the ingredients to improve the taste. By 1828 the cocoa press was developed, allowing the extraction of cocoa butter. Later around 1879 the Swiss developed both milk chocolate and solid chocolate. By the 1800’s European colonial rulers introduced cocoa to their colonies and after that, it was developed in Africa and Asia as commercial plantations.

Cocoa Fertilizer Mixture Available at Allied Commercial Fertilizers (Pvt)Ltd.

N
P
K
MG
Cocoa Mixture
14
11
14
02
Years
Beginning of the first monsoonal rains (g)
Beginning of the second monsoonal rains (g)
1st Year (6 months after planting)
125
125
2nd Year
250
250
3rd year and onward
350
350

Coffee

Coffee trees are pruned short to conserve their energy and aid in harvesting, but they can grow to more than 30 feet (9 meters) high. Each tree is covered with green, waxy leaves growing opposite each other in pairs. Coffee cherries grow along the branches. Because it grows in a continuous cycle, it’s not unusual to see flowers, green fruit, and ripe fruit simultaneously on a single tree. It takes nearly a year for a cherry to mature after first flowering, and about 5 years of growth to reach full fruit production. While coffee plants can live up to 100 years, they are generally the most productive between the ages of 7 and 20. Proper care can maintain and even increase their output over the years, depending on the variety.

Coffee Fertilizer Mixture Available at Allied Commercial Fertilizers (Pvt)Ltd.

N
P
K
MG
Coffee Mixture
14
11
14
02

Coffee demands a steady supply of nutrients and this need can be met by the application of inorganic fertilizers in required doses.

Doses for Robusta Varieties – Application Rates per Plant in Grams.

Years
Beginning of the first monsoonal rains (g)
Beginning of the second monsoonal rains (g)
1st Year (6 months after planting)
125
125
2nd Year
250
250
3rd year and onward
350
350

Arabica Varieties – Application Rates per Plant in Grams

Years
Beginning of the first monsoonal rains (g)
Beginning of the second monsoonal rains (g)
1st Year (6 months after planting)
100
100
2nd Year
150
150
3rd year and onward
200
200

Betel

  • Always ensure soil is sufficiently moist after fertilizer application.
  • Integrated use of organic manure and chemical fertilizers is more beneficial than using either source alone.
  • Allied Commercial Betel Fertilizer is also available in 2kg and 5kg home garden ranges as well.

Betel Fertilizer Mixtures Available at Allied Commercial Fertilizers (Pvt)Ltd.

N
P
K
MG
Export Black Betel Mix(U)
21
07
14
04
Allied Super Betel Mixture
15.5
07
12
3.5
Betel Mixture
10
09
09