Many deep brown lovers would wish to grow their own " food of the gods , " which is the interpretation of the cocoa tree ’s ( Theobroma cacao ) genus name . That is possible in areas no farther than 20 degrees in line of latitude from the equator or in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 11 to 13 . For U.S. gardeners , the tree diagram should live on out of doors in much of Hawaii and part of southern Florida and southern California , as well as tropical U. S. territories such as Puerto Rico . In cold zona , it may be grow under tender and humid conditions as a houseplant .
Knowing the Cocoa Tree
Native to South and Central America and sometimes reaching over 50 foot in the wild , the chocolate tree is in general curtail to half that height or less under culture . Because it develop best in fond shade , it must be kept shorter than the trees ply its canopy . Its glossy parting , which can make up to 2 foot in length , go forth a cerise shadiness and age to leafy vegetable . The tree ’s minuscule pink or white flowers appear in clusters on works tissue " shock " on the tree ’s trunk or lower branch , most often during outflow and summertime . After pollination , those flowers produce into bean - filled , ridged cod , up to 14 inch long , which ripen to yellowness or reddened in fall and wintertime .
Sowing the Cocoa Tree
To start your own Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , acquire seeds that are still in the seedpod or have been kept damp since their removal from it . The 3/4 to 1 1/2 - inch " beans " misplace viability after one to three months or if they are allowed to dry out . They often lead off to stock a individual short tap antecedent each while they are still in the pod . If your seeds are n’t showing roots yet , place them between damp newspaper publisher towel in a warm property — preferably with temperature in the 80s Fahrenheit — until they do . Then pot them up in individual 4 - in tree pots of moist seed - start mix , positioning each ejaculate vertically with the root finish down and the diametric end just beneath the surface of the mix . Cover the bay window with plastic wrapper and set them on a seedling heat mat to keep their temperature in the LXXX until the seed sprout , which should take five to 10 days . After removing the plastic wrap , place the seedling on a partly shaded windowsill or under the end of a grow luminousness .
Stowing the Cocoa Tree
Continue to transplant your cocoa seedlings into larger flock of potting soil as necessary , never allowing their soil to whole dry out , and keep back them at temperature between 65 and 85 degrees . Fertilize them every two weeks from spring through dip with a scentless Pisces the Fishes photographic emulsion such as 2 - 4 - 1 , mixing 1 tablespoon with each gallon of water . To transplant a cocoa tree that is at least 2 feet magniloquent outdoors in the spring , take a location in humus - productive , well - run out dirt with a pH near 6.5 . The land site should be about 10 feet from a taller evergreen plant tree that will provide partial shade and protect the cocoa tree diagram from wind . After digging a hole three times the deepness and diam of the cocoa tree ’s origin ball , render two - thirds of the slack ground to the hole . Remove the tree from its pot and position it atop the mound at the same floor at which it produce in the tummy . After you finish filling in the soil around the roots , water the tree diagram well and cover the ground around it with a 2- to 6 - inch layer of mulch , keep that mulch at least 8 inch away from the proboscis .
Growing the Cocoa Tree
The tree will need 1 to 2 inches of water system per week but do n’t allow its soil to become doughy , as it is vulnerable to root rot . Give it 1/8 pound of 6 - 6 - 6 constitutive fertilizer every two weeks , increasing that to 1 pound of fertilizer every two months after the tree is a year old . It should start to flower when it is 3 or 4 years old , in the main after it has reached about 5 foundation in height and has start to branch out . For the good cocoa bonce product , hand cross-pollinate the blossom in the early morning . Keep in mind that many of the pod of course shrivel without developing , and that no more than two should be left growing from each cushion . When ripe , the beans require extensive processing — including ferment , roasting and grinding — to rick them into deep brown .
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