IMPORTANT!
Your order will be shipped during the last week of August, starting August 22nd.
Shipping takes extra 1-5 days.
Please do not place your order if you can not wait until then.
We have limited quantity of many plants and You are Welcome to reserve Yours today!Please do not place your order if the temperature (during the day or night) in your area is below 50℉ (10℃) or above 95℉ (35℃).
I will not be held responsible for symptoms of cold/hot weather shocked or killed plants.
Please look at your local weather forecast before placing your order.
You are purchasing One 7-13'' tall (pot height is not included) Super Rare FORASTERO 'JACO' ('JACA') Variety, Small Yellow Pod, ROUND leaves Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa, Chocolate Fruit) Tropical Fruit Tree Starter Seedling Plant in 2.5'' square pot.
The most commonly grown cocoa is Forastero. It is most likely native to the Amazon basin. Today, Forastero is mainly grown in Africa, Ecuador and Brazil and accounts for 80% of the world’s cocoa supply. What makes it so popular is that it is much hardier and less susceptible to diseases. It has a much higher yield than the Criollo variety. Forastero cocoa has purple-coloured beans and is mainly used to give chocolate its full-bodied flavor. Its bitter taste has a short duration and is unsupported by secondary flavors, which is why it is often blended with superior cocoas. There are many Forastero subspecies: Amelonado, Cundeamor and Calabacillo, to name but a few. Amelonado cocoa is the most extensively planted cocoa of all.
Forastero got its name from the Spanish who at first imported Criollo cocoa exclusively from Venezuela. They regarded Criollo as the original variety of cocoa, as opposed to the ‘foreign’ Forastero variety from the Amazonas region.
Height: 15-30 ft. (6-9.1 m)
Hardiness: USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
Sun Exposure: Light Shade
Foliage: Evergreen
Cocoa plants are adapted to and grow best in hot, humid tropical areas with evenly distributed rainfall and year-round temperatures at or above 68°F and no freezing temperatures. However, cocoa plants with their beautiful foliage and striking pods (fruit), can be grown in well protected areas, and they make unique, interesting, challenging, and fun additions to the home landscape. It may be planted under the canopies of tall overhanging trees or next to buildings or structures. However, cocoa planted in deep shade tends to be spindly and non-productive.
Cocoa are small to medium sized trees (15–30 ft; 6–9.1 m) with few branches under tropical environments. The time from flower pollination to a fully developed pod takes 5 to 7 months or more. Flowering only occurs when temperatures are at or above 68°F(20°C). Cocoa is pollinated by crawling and flying insects.
Cocoa require access to soil moisture (water) nearly year round and thus benefit from regular watering during dry periods. Drought stress leads to leaf and flower drop and poor fruit production.
The Cacao Tree fruit is a huge berry called cacao pod, usually egg or melon-shaped, 5 to 12 inches long and 3 to 5 inches wide. The cacao pod contains 30 to 40 seeds. It takes 20 to 25 pods to get 2 pounds of cocoa. Unlike most fruit that grows on the branches, cacao pods grow directly on the trunk of the tree. The cacao tree yields its first crop at 3-4 years old.
Trees grown from seeds are not identical to the parent tree.
Grown organically in Florida.
Pictures are from my garden of the actual plants and actual fruits that I grew.
Shipped via USPS First Class or Priority mail.
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