Article by Vincent Hughes
With the holidays fast approaching, have you sat down with your friends or family to enjoy a nice, sweet treat together? A slice of chocolate cake or a brownie in celebration of a significant event, perhaps? Or maybe have you had a nice, warming cup of hot chocolate by yourself on a chilly morning to start your day? Many of us enjoy having a little bit of chocolate to sweeten the day, even if it’s something as simple as a chocolate chip cookie or a remnant candy from Halloween. But have you ever thought about where that chocolate came from, or if you could grow and make your own? For most people, the answer to that question will be no. But for those who have thought about it, I’m excited to tell you that yes, you CAN grow and make your own chocolate. And yes, you CAN grow it right here in Solano County!
While chocolate itself has to be processed, you can grow the cacao (cocoa) tree it comes from, known as Theobroma cacao. A fun fact that you may not know is that the generic portion of the botanical name, Theobroma, stems from the combination of two Greek words, which translate to “Food of the Gods.” A member of the Malvaceae family, cacao is related to more common plants such as hibiscus, cotton, and mallow, from which we derive marshmallows. Unlike its relatives, however, cacao thrives best in very specialized, tropical conditions.
Given that cacao is naturally occurring in tropical places, it is a plant that loves humidity. Humidity levels of 80% are considered to be ideal for growing it. Additionally, temperatures of 70° to 90° are considered ideal as well. It is also recommended to protect the tree from temperatures of 60° and lower as well as from large gusts of wind, as it is very fragile to both frost and wind gusts. As with many other tropical species, cacao prefers to have well-draining soil with a pH that is slightly acidic to neutral (5.0 – 7.0), but rich with organic matter. It also prefers to have filtered sunlight, as it can be very susceptible to sunburn.
If you’ve made it this far, I’m sure that you are asking yourself how you can grow your own cacao tree in Solano County if you need such specialized conditions. You would be right to do so, as we see both hotter and colder temperatures than its ideal range and plenty of wind. The answer, however, is to grow it indoors or in a greenhouse environment. And for those of you who have been reading since my prior article on growing vanilla, I have found that cacao seems to do well under similar growing conditions.
My first attempt at growing cacao began last year, during the summer months. I ordered a single chocolate tree to begin my journey in trying to grow chocolate here at home. My first attempt, however, was doomed to fail before it even began. Having ordered at the start of June, my chocolate tree was delayed in shipping before making its way across the country by truck. A journey that was made as the entirety of the country saw record high temperatures. By the time it was delivered to my doorstep, it was already dying from the excess heat and from drying out during the journey. The transition from triple-digit weather in transit to the cooler temperatures of my home as I began to try and acclimate it and revive it, however, pushed the tree over the edge, and it died within three days of arriving. Just as it had been the case in my attempts to grow vanilla, however, this setback did not end my drive to try and grow cacao at home.
That drive led to my second attempt at growing this year. Having learned my lesson from last year, I ordered two chocolate trees at the end of August as I saw a cooling trend approaching in our weather. And this time, my trees came by ship, crossing an ocean to reach me here in Solano. Thankfully, this helped to ensure that the trees came under ideal circumstances as they traveled within their ideal temperature range, and their growing medium stayed moist. After spending five days in their travel pots, acclimating to the temperature and humidity of their new home in my kitchen window, I transplanted them into a small, 5” ceramic pot. During the transplant, I filled the pots with a nutrient-rich potting soil to help nourish them. I also watered them on the same schedule as my vanilla plants to keep the soil moist but not overwatered.
In my time raising the chocolate trees, I have found that it seems to do well under the following conditions:
- Light – Filtered sunlight is best for cacao’s growth. Currently, I am keeping it in an east-facing window, which receives filtered sunlight through the trees outside. The light is further filtered by the vanilla vines I am raising alongside it.
- Temperature – In its current location, I have found that both of my cacao plants have benefitted from an average temperature of 72.3°F. Between day and night, however, they have seen temperatures as low as 61.3°F and as high as 83.5°F.
- Humidity – In its current location, I have found that my cacao plants have benefitted from an average humidity of 55.9%. As is the case with the temperature, the humidity of the location varies from 42.1% on the low side to 78.9% on the high side.
- Water – Cacao grows best under damp, moist conditions. It does not do well when the soil dries out. However, it does need well-draining soil as it does not do well in flooded conditions either. Due to this, I have found that watering twice a week, just enough to keep the soil damp, has led to the best conditions for the plants.
As the trees grow in size, they will have to be potted up into steadily larger pots, as planting them in too large a pot too soon can be damaging for them as well. They’ll also need to be moved to a spot with similar conditions to what they have in their current location. But with time, and careful cultivation, I hope to see them grow into vibrant and productive trees.
While very delicate and sensitive, cacao can be a very rewarding plant to grow and a true test of your abilities as a home gardener. If you wish to try growing it at home, you’ll need to have a safe and protected location for it to begin growing and a safe location for it to thrive in as it grows larger. And as always, good luck and happy growing!