Cardamom

Water

Rain falls about 4 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.

Needs about 1,190 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 1,020 mm it can use in a normal year, and 960 mm in a dry year.

Heavy rain here can waterlog it. Grow it on raised beds or land that drains well.

Temperature

Grows best at 22–30 °C on average, and survives 10–35 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Jun 25 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 25 °C / 17 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 25 °C / 17 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 24 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)
• Oct 22 °C / 12 °C (outside its best range)
• Nov 18 °C / 6 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 15 °C / 3 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 13 °C / 1 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 14 °C / 2 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 17 °C / 5 °C (outside its best range)
• Apr 20 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• May 23 °C / 13 °C (outside its best range)
• Jun 25 °C / 16 °C (outside its best range)

Nights in November can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.

Soil

Soil for Cardamom: 7 out of 10 (okay).

• Soil here is often more alkaline than it likes.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
• Many fields here are short of sulphur, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of phosphorus.

Likes pH 5.5–6.0.

Money

Yield: about 1.9 quintals an acre, the typical figure in your state (its government crop records list none for your district).

A new planting gives its first real harvest after about 3 years. The money here is for plants already bearing.

On rain alone it gets about 85% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 85% of this yield.

Mandi price through the year (December 2025–May 2026, July–October 2026): about ₹2,56,375 a quintal across India's mandis.

Prices swing a lot from year to year, so income can be well above or below this range.

Prices are usually best in October.

Typical costs are about ₹1.7 lakh an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.