Today I planted another cacao tree. Most of the mature cacao trees are in full bloom and many tiny little pods are starting to form. The tree needs about 20 leaves to photosynthesize and fully develop one pod which takes about 5 months after pollination. If there are too many fruits then the cacao tree will abort some of it to allocate more energy to a few of the pods. A healthy full grown cacao tree can hold up to 80 pods, but sometimes over 90 per season.
Originally posted on 2021-07-02, part of the daily planting journal behind Ha’a Chocolate’s food forest on Hawai’i Island.