Help me save my favorite plant

[TomekK]

So I’ve been growing this cacao that I got from logees for many years; it was my first tropical fruit tree I ever got except for the lemon I grew from seed. It always grew slowly and lost basically as many leaves as it grew, but it never came close to dying. I grow the plants indoors for half the year as it gets too cold outside, and the humidity levels are not very ideal for cacao (unfortunately about 45-50 percent). Even so, it has always survived the winter. This year, shortly after I brought it inside (after doing spectacularly outside) it suddenly lost about half of its leaves, the leaves yellowing and falling off all in a matter of days. 9 leaves were left, and they did not really change for a while. That is, until a few weeks ago when the browning of the edges seemed to quickly speed up and a couple leaves started yellowing. I think all of this is a humidity deficiency problem, but correct me if I’m wrong. I put it in a small “growing tent” I constructed, where I can keep the humidity at 70-80 percent, though at the cost of much less air circulation. It is in there for about 3 weeks, but leaves are still falling off. The ones that did fall off I expected to die, as they were already yellowing. I am now left with 4 leaves, all of which are starting to look like they will soon yellow and fall off. There is one growing tip left, but it doesn’t look very promising for quick new growth. There do seem to be many very small growing “nubs” (they are not yet growing tips) where leaves once were, but they have browned at the tips. I don’t know what to do, I am keeping it in my “greenhouse” for now and any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Tomek

[FV Fruit Freak]

Such a hard question to answer...in my experience it could be anything from soil, watering, fertilizing, temp, weather/humidity, etc, etc...with these kind of tropical/subtropical trees, sometimes you can only do so much until Ma Nature taketh away...Good luck bud.

[Daintree]

The leaves look like my cacao leaves when the humidity isn't high enough in the greenhouse, but also, that tree seems really small for being several years old.  Even though they like shade, my guess is not enough light? 

Carolyn

[TomekK]

Thanks for the replies!

I agree that this is probably not enough humidity, unfortunately I only put it in a “greenhouse” or grow tent I quickly constructed a few weeks ago. Before that it was sitting in far too dry an area. The interesting thing is that usually it never comes close to dying, but for some reason this year, after it’s best summer growing season ever, it is in severe danger of dying. I think it is quite small because of two reasons: one, that I got it from logees and it never grew fast anyway (each leaf would add maybe 2 or so millimeters of stem), and two, that it faces the shock of a dry winter every year. We will see if it survives, my best hope is that it developed a new growing tip quickly before it loses the rest of its leaves. I’m hoping my grow tent did not come too late.

Tomek

[Daintree]

You just need to build a greenhouse! 

Carolyn