Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gardening
  3. How tos

How to grow a cinnamon tree for delightful homemade cinnamon sticks

Here's how to care for your own cinnamon tree

By
Add as a preferred source on Google
Bundles of cinnamon sticks tied together
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are many tasty plants you can grow at home, from easy-to-harvest fruit trees to more involved ones, like growing maple trees for maple syrup. One delicious plant you might not have realized you can grow at home is a cinnamon tree. Cinnamon is made from the bark of a cinnamon tree, and with patience and some hard work, you can have homemade cinnamon sticks.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

1 hour 30 minutes

What You Need

  • Compost

  • Container or greenhouse (if north of zone 10)

  • Fertilizer

  • Pruning shears or saw

  • Insecticidal soap or neem oil

Dried cinnamon sticks with cinnamon powder in front of them on a white background
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Planting a cinnamon tree

Here's how to plant your own cinnamon tree:

Step 1: Plant it in well-draining, sandy, or loamy soil.

Step 2: Amend the soil with compost before planting.

Cinnamon trees use a lot of nutrients, so giving your tree a boost from the beginning can help.

Related

Step 3: Choose a location in full sun or partial shade.

Step 4: Grow your cinnamon tree in a container if you live north of zone 10.

If you live in zones 9 and 8, you can keep your cinnamon tree outdoors during the summer, but if you're north of zone 8, you’ll see better results growing it in a greenhouse.

A cinnamon tree flowering
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Caring for your cinnamon tree

After you plant your cinnamon tree, here's how to care for it:

Step 1: Keep the humidity high around your tree.

Step 2: Water the cinnamon tree regularly.

Step 3: Fertilize it regularly.

Step 4: Remove damaged or diseased branches with pruning shears.

Aside from removing damaged and diseased branches, you can prune your cinnamon tree to keep the size in check. Otherwise, it doesn’t need pruning.

Step 5: Watch for signs of root rot.

As with other water-loving plants, cinnamon trees can develop fungal infections.

Step 6: Keep an eye out for leaf-eating pests.

Aphids, leaf miners, and mites can damage cinnamon trees. Treat them with insecticidal soap or neem oil.

Fresh orange cinnamon sticks
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How and when to harvest the cinnamon

If you want to make your own cinnamon sticks, follow these steps:

Step 1: Begin harvesting when the tree is at least two years old.

Step 2: Cut branches off the tree, or cut the entire tree down to a stump.

If you choose to cut the entire tree, it will regrow as a shrub next year.

Step 3: Remove any thin or twiggy branches.

These can be discarded or used for other purposes, but they aren’t particularly useful for making cinnamon. Instead, focus on the thicker, longer branches.

Step 4: Scrape off the brown outer bark and discard it.

Unfortunately, this bark doesn't taste great, but you can still compost it or use it as mulch.

Step 5: Peel the orange inner bark off the branch, setting it to the side.

This is the bark that becomes cinnamon.

Step 6: Dry the inner bark in the sun for four to five days.

After this, you’re ready to use your cinnamon! Depending on the length of your bark sticks, you may need to break them into smaller pieces for easier use and storage.

With patience and a bit of work, you can have plenty of delicious fresh cinnamon for your baked goods and drinks. Even if you choose not to harvest the bark, cinnamon trees are beautiful. Now that you know how to care for them, you’ll be able to grow as many cinnamon trees as you want!

Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

13 shrubs perfect for wet soil conditions
These shrubs are perfect for wet soil
A winterberry holly shrub in autumn

Have you ever heard of a plant not liking wet feet? It's true; some plants don't like their roots to be soaked for too long. Many plants won't thrive or will even die in overly wet conditions. This can make gardening difficult if your yard is naturally wet. Luckily, there are plants suited for every condition, even wet soil! In this guide we'll explain how wet soil is defined and recommend some plants that like wet soil for you to try growing.

What shrubs do well in wet soil?

Read more
Pruning basics: What it is and how to do it right
How to prune your trees and shrubs
Person pruning a tree

What you need to do to keep a tree or shrub healthy can depend a lot on the type of tree or shrub, but something that is almost always the same is pruning. While there are a few small variations from plant to plant, the basics of pruning are mostly the same no matter what you’re growing. If you’re a beginner, you might have a few questions. What is pruning? How often should you do it, and in what season? Don’t worry, we’ll answer these questions and more in this guide to the basics of pruning.
What is pruning?

Pruning is the process of removing certain branches from a plant. Cutting your plant might sound intimidating, but pruning is actually important for maintaining the health of your trees and shrubs. The primary branches that are removed are those that are dead, dying, damaged, diseased, or at risk of becoming damaged. Branches at high risk are usually those that are growing too close to another branch or a structure of some kind. If the branches rub against each other too much in the wind, the friction can damage the bark. This leaves them vulnerable to pests and fungal infections.

Read more
Vinca minor as ground cover: Here’s what you should know
Is Vinca minor right for your lawn? Here are the pros and cons
Purple periwinkle (Vinca minor) flowers

People are starting to look for alternatives to grass lawns, whether it's because they’re easier to maintain, better for the environment, or just more attractive. From Irish moss lawns to creeping thyme, there are plenty of interesting plants you can grow as a ground cover. One popular grass alternative is Vinca minor, also known as common periwinkle. It offers many benefits, but it isn't a perfect plant for everyone. How do you know if a Vinca minor lawn is right for you and your home? We'll walk you through all the pros and cons of growing Vinca minor as a groundcover so you can make the best choice for yourself.
Pros of Vinca minor as ground cover

Vinca minor provides several benefits as a ground cover. It’s low maintenance and tolerates drought, sun, and shade. This is also a low-growing plant, which means you don’t need to worry about mowing it to keep the height down. It also grows quickly and vigorously, spreading to fill your entire lawn. It will spread to fill in empty patches, helping repair damaged sections and letting you save on seeds.

Read more