Tropical Cocoa Tree

The cocoa tree, just think how cool would it be if you were able to grow your own chocolate tree in your own garden. Better yet for us chocolate fanatics learn how to make chocolate from it.

The scientific name of plants Theobroma cacao which is also known as the cocoa plant, cacao tree, chocolate tree, and the cocoa tree.

The Chocolate tree originated from Tropical America and thank goodness this trees flavorful delicacy has made its way around the world and held as valuable gold to some.

Way back in the day chocolate beans were used by the Maya Indians of Central America for trade as currency or money.

If you are lucky enough to be able to grow the cocoa plant, or if you can get a hold of a fresh pod with seeds if you want to make hot chocolate it s real easy.

Just roast the seeds in your oven use a coffee grinder or a rolling pin to crush them then just add sugar, milk and heat it up, real simple.

Making chocolate is a little more difficult but let’s leave that to the Swiss and the French whom seem to do this better than anyone else, but that’s just my opinion.

This tree has beautiful long green leaves and can grow to be approximately 10 feet tall.

The pods of this great tree grow from the trunk and you can eat the fleshy part of the pods which are eaten as desert. The red pods have more of the flesh to eat and are tastier.

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Cocoa Plant, Cocoa Plants, Chocolate Tree

The Chocolate Tree:
A Natural History of Cacao

How do plants grow and growing the Cocoa Plant

Another down fall for those of us that are impatient is that it can take up to 5 years before it will bear fruit and it won’t have peek production in approximately 10 years.

These cocoa trees can produce thousands of tiny, waxy pink or white pedaled blossoms that cluster together on the trunk and older branches. These blossoms eventually will mature into fruit but sadly only three to 10 percent of these blossoms will mature into fruit.

This is a plant appropriate for growing plants in a greenhouse because if not in its required environment you can simulate its conditions.

If you live in a semi tropical environment you might be able to grow them in your gardens by faking it out with constant care manipulating its environment with heaters and misters. This is the method I'm going to try.

The cocoa trees require lots if warmth and rainfall to thrive because these trees are usually grown rather close to the equator in South America, Central America, parts of Asia and Africa.

Many forget that most of Africa used to be a tropical rainforest and many awesome plants originated form there.

Being shaded is mandatory and protected from the strong tropical sun and sheltered from the winds.

If you are growing from seedlings start them in a pot until they become established which should take a few months to grow before they are ready to be transplanted into a garden bed.

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