Description

Cocoa Cacao Fruit Plant botanically known as Theobroma cacao from Malvaceae family. Other common names are chocolate tree, cacao tree and it is a small evergreen tree can grow upto 4-8 meter in height. Leaves are alternate and 5–20 cm broad. The flowers are produced in clusters directly on the trunk and older branches(cauliflory). The flowers are small, 1–2 cm diameter, with pink calyx. The fruit of cacao pod is ovoid, 15–30 cm long and 8–10 cm wide, ripening yellow to orange and weighs about 500 gm when ripe. The pod contains 20 to 60 seeds, usually called “beans“, embedded in a white pulp. The seeds are the main ingredient of chocolate. Its seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter and chocolate.

Cocoa Cacao Fruit Plant Growing Tips

It can be planted either in the beginning of South-West monsoon (May-June) or end of monsoon (September).
Cacao need 50 percent of sunlight. It grows very well in the partially shaded condition prevailing in the arecanut and coconut gardens.
Pruning in mature cocoa is necessary (diseased/unnecessary branches to shape the canopy in desired shape.
Cocoa plants are sensitive to drought, irrigation in such cases are essential.
Cocoa requires deep and well drained soils. Majority of area under Cocoa cultivation is on clay loam and sandy loam soil.
It grows well in the pH range of 6.5 to 7.0.
Cocoa requires 100 g N (220 g urea), 40 g P2O5 (200 g rock phosphate) and 140 g K2O (235 g muriate of potash) per year. One third of the fertilizer is applied in May – June and two third during September-October.

TEMPERATURE – Between 15°-35°C with optimum of 25°C.

MAXIMUM HEIGHT – It can reach upto 4-8 meter(if planted in the ground)

BLOOMING YEAR – It gives two main crops in a year i.e.,September-January and April-June.

FRUITING TIME – Cacao starts flowering after 2 years of planting.

Fertilizer – Organic Fertilizer twice in a year.

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