Cocoa
Cocoa, or Chocolate tree (lat. Theobroma cacao) is an evergreen tree of the Theobroma genus of the Malvaceae family. Previously, the genus was classified as a member of the Sterculiaceae family.
The forest zones of the Amazon are considered to be the birthplace of the plant. Currently, cocoa is widely cultivated in subequatorial Africa, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Ecuador, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Colombia and Malaysia. Cocoa is also called a powder made from cocoa beans and a drink.
Characteristics of culture
Cocoa is a large tree up to 12-15 m high with a densely leafy, wide-spread crown and a straight trunk, reaching 25-30 cm in diameter. The branches are numerous, located whorled along the periphery of the crown. The leaves are green, entire, oblong-elliptic or rounded, thin, alternate, short-petiolate, up to 30 cm long.
The flowers are small, up to 1. 5 cm in diameter, red-pink or pink-white, collected in bunch-shaped inflorescences, sitting on short stalks. Flowers are formed in the internodes of large branches and bare trunks. This phenomenon is called cauliflory, it is characteristic of most representatives of tropical forests. Cocoa flowers have a very unpleasant odor that attracts dung moths and flies.
The fruit is berry-shaped, quite large, covered with longitudinal grooves. On average, one fruit contains 30-40 oval brown or reddish seeds surrounded by white or pink pulp. The shell of the fruit is leathery, always wrinkled, very dense, yellow, red or orange. The crop blooms in the second year after planting, and begins to bear fruit only in 4-5 years.
Growing at home
Cocoa is propagated by seeds and cuttings. Seeds are sown immediately after collection, as they quickly lose their viability. Sowing is done with the narrow end up in pots with a diameter of 7-8 cm, filled with a soil mixture consisting of leaf and turf soil, and coarse sand. Planting depth is 2-2. 5 cm. Until germination, pots with crops are kept in a room with a temperature of about 25C. It is important to water them regularly with water at room temperature. As a rule, the first sprouts appear on days 14-20.
You can propagate a chocolate tree by cuttings. Cuttings are taken in early spring from healthy semi-lignified shoots. It should be remembered: cuttings taken from lateral shoots form bush-like cocoa trees during growth, and from vertical shoots — single-trunked trees. The cuttings are planted in containers with fertile substrate mixed with sand in equal proportions. In hot weather, containers with cuttings are shaded, drafts and temperature drops to 10C are avoided.
Care
Feeding is one of the most important procedures for caring for a chocolate tree. Fertilizers are applied monthly from March to September. The plants are fed with organic fertilizers, and during the period of flowering and fruit formation — with mineral complex fertilizers with a predominance of nitrogen. The cocoa tree requires moisture; it must be systematically watered and sprayed, but it should not be over-watered. In order to prevent the development of fungal diseases, plants are periodically treated with special solutions.
Application
Cocoa beans are widely used in the food industry, especially in the confectionery industry. They are used to make cocoa powder, cocoa butter and chocolate. Cocoa beans are used in pharmacology, perfumery and cosmetology. Oil obtained from cocoa beans has an active effect against severe cough. Cocoa butter is effective for asthma and pneumonia. This healing product has antibacterial, antiviral and expectorant properties.
