sensovision

Wonder if someone is growing Cacao tree indoor or outdoor? I've just received few seeds and consider best way to grow it.
And it's very interesting to me if it's possible to get fruits from the tree in future?(I've Punica tree growing in pot which gives at least one fruit per year)

niblicksrus

Last fall I purchased a plant from Hawaii. I live in zone 10a. From what I understand they grow best in shade to semi-shade, like high humidity and warm temperatures. I kept mine indoors at night and on warm days outside in semi-shade. I plan on growing it in a pot next to a south facing patio door. I think the major problem will be to keep the humidity up while indoors. I hope that misting the plant throught the day will be enough?

Rick

lorax

I'm growing it outdoors in its native range. At least 50% shade, 50-75% humidity, and 10 degrees Celcius minimum at night, will produce a happy plant. I've never heard of them fruiting in containers, but I'd be interested to hear what your luck is with it. Mine started fruiting (planted in ground) at about 5' tall. Some crazies out on the coast are growing 'Aroma' cacao in full sun with success in terms of plant health, but in my opinion one gets inferior nibs that way, and the pods are definitely smaller.

Rick, misting once a day is probably just fine; certainly, it rains at least once a day here, so you're simulating it's natural state - wet leaves.

sensovision

looks like I'm most crazy for now trying to grow it here as rain here is rare happening and I'm trying to train all plants to survive these conditions unfortunately sometimes with no success.
lorax, I wonder what minimal temperature you got out there? Does it ever fall between 0 Celsius?

sensovision

Rick, wonder how big your plant is and what size of pot you're using for it?(photo would be great if possible)

lorax

Sensovision, it depends on where in the country you are as to what the minimal temperature is. There are towns here that get snowed on from time to time (Papallacta comes to mind, the minimal minimal there is -5 C) and others where it never goes below 18 C. We have glaciers on some of our volcanoes.

I grow cacao in the Amazon basin, where it doesn't normally get any colder than about 15 C. I grow peaches on the altiplano of Loja, where the minimum is about 5 C.

sensovision

Thanks for info, Lorax, I grow peaches and nectarines too without shielding them but they seems to be grown here for years and got good accommodation to our climate.
So I'd probably start to grow Cacao at home first and if manage to get second plant from seed will try to plant it outside.

niblicksrus

I purchased my Cacao 11/08 and it was 5" tall. Today it measures just under 12". It puts out a nice cooper color in the new leaves that emerge. I currently have it temporarily in a 1 gal. container. Along with the Cacao I also purchased Camellia Sinensis (green tea tree), Cinnamon Zeyiancum tree,and Vanillia planifolia (vanillia bean orchid).

Rick

sensovision

Thanks for reply, Rick, it's sounds like you have nice collection of exotic plants out there! are they all grown inside or you planted something outdoors?

niblicksrus

The Tea and Cinnamon I will plant in containers outside on my patio. The Cacao and Vanillia will be kept inside during the winter.

Rick

bluesky

Hi everyone! I aquired several tropical plants aprox. 6 years ago. I have been growing a cocoa tree here in Penna. Also have vanilla bean orchid, bay leaf tree and Melaluca Alternafolia tea tree that I have grow from seed. They do well here inside during winter, keeping temps at around 55 degrees then outside in summer. They dont grow as well as others where it is warm and humid but it has proved to me that when people would tell me I can't grow them here...I can now show them different. On more cold days and nights outside (summer) I place a large clear plastic container over them after watering and the humidity seems to help it alot. Will keep the cocoa tree in a 25 or 50 gal container hopefully to keep it from getting to large but here in Pa not sure I have to really worry about that.

sensovision

Thanks for info Bluesky, you seems to grow plants like I'm planning to do next year, hopefully spending summer on open air give them time to grow and accumulate enough strength to overwinter indoors.
I admire your example of growing such plants in your zone.
Wonder if any trees have gave you fruits already?(I've already seen some banana photos in your photo gallery)

bluesky

Hi sensovision, I think I started out because people told me I couldnt do it...I'm a very stubborn person and i love all the plants that they say I cant grow. But I hope to enlarge my collection as soon as I can with the means that I have. As far as the fruits, I dont expect any from any of them except now that I know the nana will...it took my threatening it with death to get it to do anything...still dont understand that. Our summers here in Pa (I am way up north) has been getting cooler and cooler and so far have been able to figure out ways to help these plants with different kinds of containers to hold in heat and humidity but now so far we had one week of 80 degrees, then went back to frosts at night and 40-50 degrees in daytime. Very unusual for June. If I ever have a chance to move where it is warm, then I can see my future.....living and sleeping under nana trees with a vanilla bean vine for a pillow and a coco leaf for a blanket! LOL

lorax

Nah, bluesky, the ants would eat you alive like that. It's better to string a hammock between a pair of plantains.....

Caloosamusa

Good Day Sensovision!

I just found the thread, and I've been growing one outdoors for three years now. It has flowered 5 times but I do not have another one for cross polination at this time. I plan on getting several more when we get moved out to our farm site.

It does not like cold and has been nipped twice by freezing temperatures.

Best wishes

TNAndy

I was growing a pair of Cocoa trees until the recent extended freeze in East Tennessee. I had them in my heated sunroom, but it got so cold outside the little heater inside couldn't keep up. It dropped as low as 38 degrees F. in the sunroom, and that's much too cold for Theobroma cacao trees.

They look fine for the first day or two--but the deed is already done. Later the stems shrivel and turn brown--not the same brown as the trunk; it's darker. A few days after the stems turn the leaves all droop and die. Normally dead leaves fall off; these have not.

When they say keep a minimum 60 degree F environment, they mean it. Next time, I'm bringing mine inside. Better too dry than too cold.

My bananas don't seem any the worse for wear. Having been exposed to the same temperature, they are now growing again.

Jack Daw

I wanted to grow Cocoa, but I couldn't get my hands on vital seeds. The problem is that those seeds lose their vitality incredibly fast. There are also types wth more cocoa inside and less cocoa inside. An acquintance of mine from Brazil grows some cultivar of Theobroma, but not cocoa, he says there's at least 5 times more cocoa inside the ripe fruit. Maybe worth a survey?
I also second that humidity, if you expose Theobroma cocoa to dry climate, it will soon perish. The only plant I've ever seen with my eyes died from insufficient air humidity before it fruited.

Good luck!

__________________
Thnx to Marcel, Ante, Dr. Chiranjit Parmar and Francesco for the plants I've received.



Zeitgeist - Corporatocracy 101 (~2hrs)

Zeitgeist - Moving Forward (~2.5hrs)

lorax

I might be able to get you seeds for T. cacao 'Arriba' and 'Criollo' (possibly also 'Trinitario') Jack. It will all depend on how the next trip into the Amazon goes - if I make it to the Kallari collective, I can get Arriba and Criollo for sure.

Jack Daw

That's so kind of you, Beth, but we still have lots of time before snows and frost lose their power over these lands so that the seeds would survive.

__________________
Thnx to Marcel, Ante, Dr. Chiranjit Parmar and Francesco for the plants I've received.



Zeitgeist - Corporatocracy 101 (~2hrs)

Zeitgeist - Moving Forward (~2.5hrs)

sensovision

Thanks, TNAndy now I know what to beware of, guess I should grow Cocoa indoor only and replant it outdoors only in summer. Guess that when grow outdoors they resistant to cooler temperatures just like Lorax mentioned above, but growing plant indoors make them fragile.
Till now I manage to order seeds two times from different places(the rest either very expensive or doesn't ship to my country) but both time failed to germinate them just like Jack. Will keep checking Ebay and other shops, and maybe be lucky some day to get viable seeds