How To Grow Theobroma Cacao Chocolate Tree

At Home from Seeds

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Step by Step Guide to grow your very own Exotic Tropical Theobroma chocolate tree at home.
Many growers have discovered the secret of growing their own chocolate trees at home and so can you.
There is no need to travel to the Amazon Rainforest to see the chocolate tree (also know as the
Theoroma !acao Tree" now you can plant and grow a eautiful Theoroma !acao Tree for your home
or office.
Is it Difficult to Grow a Theobroma Cacao Chocolate Tree At Home?
#o$ it is not very difficult. %ven &ids can do this. 'atch one of the videos elow to see how one oy
planted and grew several Theoroma !acao !hocolate Trees at home as part of his school pro(ect)(*ee
+nstructional ,-ow To .row Theoroma !acao !hocolate Tree At -ome/ 0ideos 1ellow".
.rowing !acao Trees is not difficult ut its very important to follow this guide in order to know how to
plant$ germinate$ care for$ and grow healthy !acao Trees successfully. 'hen the tree will grow$ it will
reward you with small eautiful flowers and 2uite possily with fruits called !acao 3ods. !acao 3ods
are the large yellow$ orange$ or sometimes red fruit that holds the !acao 1eans. The very !acao 1eans
that chocolate is made from. *o now you can create your very own chocolate growing operation$ or (ust
have one or two chocolate trees in your home or office for decoration. The guide elow takes you
through a step y step process of how to plant and grow your very own Theoroma !acao !hocolate
Tree at home. +f you are interested in cultivating and growing !acao 3ods and harvesting !acao 1eans$
follow all the steps in this article as well as all the steps and videos in the supplemental Article that
specifically addresses ,-ow to .row !acao 3ods and !hocolate 1eans at -ome 0ideo/.
Can I Grow Theobroma Cacao Tree if I lie in Cold Climate?
4es$ you can. 4ou can grow the chocolate tree in (ust aout any climate$ even in the cold far north as
long as you follow the planting instructions and provide the plant the conditions it needs to sprout$
grow$ and thrive.
!ou will need the followin" list of thin"s#
5" 6ive !acao 1eans for *prouting
7" -ygrometer Thermometer (-ydrometer" for measuring Temperature and -umidity
8" *mall !lear 3ots or !lear 3lastic !ups to start the seeds in
9" 3lant +ncuator : +f you don;t have one$ + e<plain how to uild one in this article or you can us a
!lear plastic container
=" *eedling -eat Mat. The &ey to *prouting !acao 1eans is 'armth. *ave %nergy y heating only the
+ncuator #ot your entire house.
>" ?igital Thermostat @or -eat Mat (Automatically !ontrols the -eat for you so you don;t have to
wary aout it"
A" Acidic 'ell ?raining 3otting *oil
B " *and
Additional thin"s you may want to consider that will ma$e your sproutin" and "rowin" pro%ect
much easier&
5" 3lant +ncuator *eed *tarter .ermination *tation with -eat 3ad
7" Mini 3ortale .reenhouse for +ndoor or Cutdoor.
How and 'here to (uy Cacao (eans for )lantin"
@irst$ you will need to order the proper !acao seeds$ otherwise they will not sprout. +t is highly
recommended that you otain your seeds with the complete !acao 3od$ rather than dry raw seeds. ?ry
raw cacao seeds will not sprout in most cases ecause they have een dried. Cnce dried$ the seeds will
not sprout. *o if you are serious aout planting and growing your own chocolate tree$ you will need to
order the complete !acao 3od. To order the !acao 3od online see detailed instructions in article ,1uy
!acao 3od Cnline from 3uerto Rico or *outh America 'here to Crder !acao 3od Maricao 3uerto Rico
Montoso .ardens, at the http://sugarfreechocolatefactory.com& #e<t$ we move on to cleaning$ planting$
and sprouting the !acao 1eans.
How to )lant the Theobroma Cacao Tree
Cnce you receive your !acao 3od$ cut it open carefully in order to avoid damaging the cacao seeds
inside. To preserve the 3od$ cut the top off$ the end where it was attached to the tree. The cut off part
will e a lid that you can place ack on the 3od and preserve it as a souvenir. 4ou can also cut it the
long way$ top to ottom$ into 7 halves that can later e put together and dried. Cnce you get the seeds
out$ you will see that they are covered y white soft outer layer. 4ou will need to remove this white
outer layer and e<tract the dark rown !acao seed inside. 1e careful not to damage the seed itself$ use
your fingernails and avid using sharp tools like a knife if possile. 1e sure to wash and clean each seed
very well$ removing all traces of the white sticky mucus and any gooey film that may remain on them.
Cnce you e<tract and wash the seeds soak them in water overnight. The ne<t morning$ apply some
fungicide which will help prevent fungus from growing around the seed. !acao seeds are prone to
fungus while sprouting and fungus can damage or kill the seeds. 4ou can usually get this from your
local plant nursery. 3lant each seed in a small pots$ no large than 9 inches and use a similar pot to cover
it. !overing it will help increase the humidity level. To make it more interesting$ plant them in clear
pots or clear plastic cups and cover with the similar clear cup so that you can keep an eye on the any
mold and the sprouting process without having to open them (opening them while they are sprouting
will let all the humidity out and dry cold air in$ avoid doing so as much as possile". +f you end up
using plastic cups$ make hols in the ottoms of each cup and similar holes in the ones that are used as
covers. 4ou can also use the ,?oule !up Method/ where the cup with hols goes into another cup that
does not have hols. This method helps preserve moisture in the soil. (*ome of the 0ideos elow show
you how to use the ?oule !up Method". Dse well draining$ sterile$ highly acidic potting soil with 3-
of > or as close to it as possile. To improve drainage$ mi< the well draining soil =E/=E with sand (if
you don;t have well draining soil$ add AE percent sand and mi< well". 3lace the soil in the pot$ lay each
seed flat on top of soil$ do not push it into the soil ut (ust place the seed on top and cover it with a thin
layer of remaining soil mi< (aout 5 inch thick". This way$ the seed is very near the surface under a thin
layer of soil. +t will sprout fast without having to fight through several inches of soil. .etting the soil
mi< right is very important for the cacao seeds so consult your local nursery to get the right soil and
sand.
Addin" Coffee Grounds to Soil
Adding coffee grounds to the soil will help improve the mineral content of the soil and will increase the
3- acidity level of the soil. Theoroma !acao Tree thrives in soil that has a 3- level of aout >.
)lace the Cacao (eans into the Incubator
#e<t$ place the *eedling -eat Mat (see aove" and the pots into a green house or a home made
incuator. 4ou can use a large clear plastic o< with a lid as shown in the image aove. 3lace the
heating mat on the very ottom$ use a shallow container to put on top of the heating mat and pour a
little water on the ottom (this will help increase humidity". 3lace the pots inside the o<. +t is
recommended to use a clear plastic incuator or o< and lid so that you can keep an eye on the
sprouting process. +f you do not have access to a clear o<$ use this trick: for the ottom you can use
any plastic container$ place it over the heating mat$ pour some water into the container and place the
pots inside. Then use a clear plastic ag over it to create a small green)house)like environment. Dse 9
sticks 57 inches on each corner to keep the plastic ag up in the air and away from the pots. The clear
plastic ag will help improve humidity and will allow you to see the seeds sprouting inside the clear
pots or clear plastic cups. Also$ if you do not have clear pots or cups$ use regular pots ut cover each
pot with a clear plastic ag$ leaving some room for air (you can use 9 small sticks (8 to 9 inches long"
inside the pot along the edge to keep the plastic ag 8 to 9 inches up and away from the seeds allowing
room for some air". Also$ if you use plastic ag to cover the pots$ make several small holes at the top of
the plastic ag in order to allow some air movement and prevent suffocation of the sprouting seeds.
4ou can also use the Ready)To).o 3lant +ncuator *eed *tarter .ermination *tation with *eedling
-eat Mat (as shown aove". These are specifically designed to make life easier when it comes to
sprouting any type of seeds.
Germinatin" Cacao (eans * Create a +ini Ama,on -ainforest Enironment for the Cacao (eans
to Sprout&
#e<t$ place a -ygrometer / Thermometer (see image aove" into the incuator in order to monitor the
temperature and humidity. 4ou can order this AcuRite EE87= -ome !omfort Monitor$
1lack-ygrometer)Thermometer. +t is ine<pensive$ 0ery accurate$ and has many 3ositive reviews from
users. !lose the lid or cover with plastic ag and place the incuator into dark place like cupoard or a
closet. Turn up the heat$ : at this point it is 0ery +mportant to maintain B= degree @ahrenheit and BEF
humidity. Dsing a *eedling -eat Mat will help you do that and will save you money y heating the
3lant +ncuator not the entire house. +f the temperature drops elow B= degrees$ you may loose all or
most of the seeds. &eep a close eye on the -ygrometer and Thermometer to make sure the temperature
inside the incuator stays B= degrees and humidity is BEF. +f the humidity drops$ add more water to the
ottom of the +ncuator. &eep the lid or plastic ag (ust slightly open to let some o<ygen in$ ut not too
much otherwise all heat and humidity will escape. 4ou can regulate internal heat and humidity y
slightly opening or closing the lid as well as y regulating the heat with the ?igital Thermostat @or
-eat Mat (see aove". &eep the seeds hydrated$ make sure the soil is moist. The soil must never e too
wet or dry. +f you have used well draining soil as descried aove$ water should never accumulate in
the pot. #or should the soil ever ecome dry$ this will e detrimental to the sprouting seeds. !heck the
soil every other day and add water as needed (watering 7 to 8 times a week or as needed". 'ith the
right conditions$ seeds should germinate within one week. After germination water with added diluted
fertilizer to simulate growth. 4ou may use Miracle .row for e<ample ut e sure to dilute the fertilizer
twice the commended mi< (that is G add twice the recommended amount of water to the mi< so the
fertilizer is only half the strength of the recommended mi<".
)ost Germination * 'hat To Do .ext& /rom Cacao (ean Sprout to +ini Theobroma Cacao Tree
After germination when the seedlings reach aout 7 to 8 inches$ you can turn the temperature down to
A= degrees ut maintain the humidity etween AE to A=F and place the incuator near a source of light$
ut #%0%R let direct sunlight hit them. 6et them grow to aut 5E inches. 1y this time you should see
leaves forming on the plant. Cnce the fledgling tree is that tall$ it is a good time to transplant it into a
larger pot. @ollow the same soil$ temperature$ and humidity guidelines as specified aove. 1e sure to
keep them away from direct sunlight. After moving it to larger pot$ monitor it to make sure it healthy
and growing.
+ini Theobroma Cacao Tree
'hen they reach a height of aout 57 inches$ you should have healthy mini !acao Trees that you can
start to acclimate to room conditions. @ollow the detailed instructions elow that guide you through the
acclimatization process. As the tree grows$ transplant it into larger and larger pots allowing plenty of
room for the roots to develop. 1e sure to run fresh water throughout the pot and soil for aout = to 5E
minutes every > months. This will flush out all the accumulated salts and heavy minerals that tend to
naturally accumulate in the soil. These salts and heavy minerals are detrimental to the health of the
chocolate tree and need to e flushed out every > moths or so.
/or 0ideos and Additional Topics such as these#
5" Important Supplemental Information about Growin" Theobroma Cacao Trees at Home
7" How +any Seeds Should I )lant?
8" How to )roide a )erfect Growin" Enironment for the Chocolate Tree below1
9" Additional Instructions on How To Care for the Theobroma Cacao Tree
=" How to Acclimati,e the Theobroma Cacao Chocolate Tree to a Home or 2ffice Enironment
>" How to )rune the Theobroma Cacao Chocolate Tree
A" How to )rotect the the Theobroma Cacao Chocolate Tree from )ests
B" How to )rotect the the Theobroma Cacao Chocolate Tree from Diseases and +old
H" How to (uild a small Incubator for the Theobroma Cacao Trees
5E" How to (uild a Small Green House for the Theobroma Cacao Tree
55" How To Grow Theobroma Cacao Chocolate Tree At Home 0ideos
0isit#
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