Season: Depending on the weather and climate conditions, choose the appropriate planting season. The best time to plant cocoa is at the beginning of the rainy season. At that time, the plants can easily recover, take root and grow well.
Selecting seedlings: To harvest, cocoa needs to be planted for about 3-5 years. Therefore, selecting seedlings is of great significance and needs to be carefully considered to avoid wasting time, effort and money without achieving satisfactory results. Seedlings must be healthy and free of pests and diseases.
Soil: Cocoa trees are most suitable for soils with a thick, well-drained, well-structured, moisture-retaining, and nutrient-rich arable layer such as red basalt, sandy soil, yellow ferralitic soil, etc. The soil should be prepared carefully to ensure that the soil is loose. Cocoa can tolerate soil with a pH of 5-8, but is optimal at 5.5-6.7 and can tolerate a salinity of 40/00.
Planting technique: Choose a healthy tree with evenly developed leaves, dark green color, and no deformed stem. The tree is about 4 – 6 months old, 30 – 50 cm tall. Place the tree pot in the middle of the hole, the pot surface is level with the ground, fill the soil around and press lightly with your hand to avoid breaking the pot. Water and keep the base moist immediately after planting.
Only harvest ripe fruit, do not harvest green fruit. After harvesting, process immediately, do not leave for more than 4 days (use a knife or pruning shears to cut the fruit stem when harvesting).
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