SPICE GARDEN VISIT

  

Plantation Tours around the park
In Kumily and neighbourhood areas, there are a number of small and large plantations of tea, coffee and spices like cardamom, pepper, vanilla etc. The trip covers spice plantations, tea plantations and through a variety of flowering plants and trees. The duration of the trips could be either one or two hours. The service of an experienced and approved tourist guide who has enough knowledge to give full explanation.

The Spices of Periyar
Over twelve varieties of spices, including ginger and garlic are cultivated in Thekkady and its neighboring villages.

Cardamom: Scientific name: Elletteria cardamom. Best altitude for cultivation: 1500m above sea level. Temperature: 100C - 250C. Rainful required: 1500 mm. Propagation: Seedings and vegetative propagation. Pollinating agent: The honey bee. Harvest season: October to February.
A Cardamom plant normally starts bearing capsules from the third year of planting. The harvested capsules are rubbed on wire mesh and polished before they are graded and stored in polythene-gunny bags to retain the green color and to avoid exposure to moisture.

Clove: Scientific name: Eugenia caryophyllus. Clove trees begin to bear flowers 7 - 8 years after planting. Unopened flower buds are carefully hand-picked when they turn from green to pink. The buds are then allowed to dry for 4 - 5 days till the become crisp and dark brown in colour.

Cinnamon: Scientific name: Cinnamon zeylanicum. Cinnamon plants are ready for harvest about three years after planting. Harvesting is done twice a year - in May and November. The bark of the cut down shoots is split on the day of harvest itself and dried in the sun for 2 - 5 days. The dry quills or bark are packed in bundles for trade. Leaves and tender twigs are used for extraction of oil by distillation.

Nutmeg: scientific name: Myristica fragrans. The Nutmeg tree bears fruit throughout the year, but peak the harvest season is from December to May. The nuts split open when the fruits are fully ripe. After dehusking, the red feathery aril (mace) is removed, flattened out and dried in the sun for 10 - 15 days. The nuts are dried separately for 4 - 8 weeks till the kernels rattle within the shells.

Vanilla: Scientific name; Vanilla fragrance, Rain full required; 1500 - 3000 mm. Propagation: Shoot cutting. Pollination: Artificial. The rostellum of the flower is pushed back with a pointed bamboo splinter and the overhanging anther is pressed against the stigma with the thumb, thus smearing pollen over it. The ideal time for pollination is 0600 to 1300 hrsA tropical orchid that requires a warm climate with frequent rains, Vanilla grows best in uncleared jungle areas where it can get filtered sunlight. A creeper, the plant requires support up to a height of about 135 cm. The plant usually begins to flower by the third year. The bean takes 10 to 12 months to reach full maturity.

Pepper: Scientifid name: Piper nigrum. Temperature: Tolerance -100C to 400C. Optimum - 200C to 300C. Rainfall required: 2500 mm. Propagation: Stem Cutting. Important varieties: Panniyur - 1, Kaimunda, Kuthiravalli, Arakkulam Munda, Balankotta and Kalluvally.The pepper plant grows best in a warm and humid climate. Berries mature and are ready for harvest in about 180 to 200 days. Black pepper is produced by sun-drying the mature pepper berries for 3 - 5 days after they are separated from spikes by threshing; and white pepper by retting mature berries in clean water for 5 - 7 days, removing the outer skin and drying the seed after through washing.

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