Growing Cacao

[rasman]

OrchidIslander- Where are you located? What environment are the trees in? The more details you can give the more helpful we might be able to be. Cacao can be tricky in some environs and almost carefree in others.

[Spider Tim]

A volunteer pigeon pea { A bush/small tree {depending upon pruning}, semi perennial, which makes edible beans in the winter, fixes nitrogen and makes great green mulch} grew up next to our struggling little cacao this year. I've been busy so I let it, I finally trimmed it back yesterday and the cacao has doubled in size and has two flowers on it! It was on the verge of dying before mr Pea, so I think the two plants make a good match as far as companion planting! I expect the pigeon pea to live for another year or so and by then the cacao might be ready for sun, so it seems like an ideal situation. In the meantime we should be harvesting beans in a few weeks from the pea. Win win!