Cloves are tiny, red-brown flower buds. They are originally native to Indonesia, but they are also grown in Jamaica, Sumatra, India, Brazil, and other tropical areas.
Health benefits and uses of cloves
Cloves are rich in fiber, health nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. They have many uses. They can be used as a spice to add sweetener and aroma to hot beverages and pot roasts. Moreover, they can be used as a healing ingredient to regulate high levels of blood sugar and enhance the function of the liver.
Cloves have been used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine due to their antiseptic and anti-fermentation properties. Moreover, they can be used as a disinfectant of teeth and oral cavity. Due to their anesthetic and analgesic properties, cloves can help treat fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Additionally, they treat digestive disorders, including bloating, diarrhea, dyspepsia, and abdominal pain.
Clove oil is used for the preparation of soaps, toothpaste, creams, detergents, mouthwashes, perfumes, etc.
In this article, we are going to show you how to grow cloves at your home and enjoy their health benefits.
Here is how to grow cloves in pots at your home
- Before buying seeds make sure that they have been collected recently because dried seeds do not germinate.
- Find a place where the temperature never goes below 59° F.
- Cloves should be grown in humid places. Make sure the place is not over-exposed to sunlight.
- Cloves prefer loamy soil that drains fast. Choose soil that is rich in clay, silt, and sand. Moreover, add compost and moss to it.
- Fill a container with soil and place the clove seeds on the top. You do not have to put them inside the soil. Cover the container with a plastic foil and wait until the cloves sprout.
- Water them regularly and avoid placing the container in sunlight. Approximately, the seeds germinate within six weeks. The seedling grows slow and delicate. Some gardeners keep the plant dry one day before transplanting it.
- When the plant reaches 9 inches in height, you can transfer it to a pot.
- Fill a pot with soil and put the plant into a hole. Water it when the soil gets dry.
- The plant needs five to seven years to grow up and flower. At first, they are white and later they turn pink.
Pest problems with cloves
Cloves do not have problems with insects. Clove trees are susceptible to some disease, particularly when they continue to grow in the wrong conditions. They may have problems with leaf spot, root rot, sprouted wilt, and scale.
