Author Topic: My cacao  (Read 1619 times)

Sanddollarmoon

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My cacao
« on: August 07, 2013, 01:02:12 PM »
My cacao is very very fast growing, spitting out a six inch leaf every week or so right now, even though in it's first month, it seemed quite happy with it's first two true leaves. This week it seems full of itself, with three baby leaves at once. It is seven inches tall (it's leaves are about the same, having an inch longer leaf each time. It's stem is already woody for the first five inches, and the plant seems rather hardy for such a young plant, standing our 65 degree night temps and 50% humidity. Thing is, it has not grown much more than a centimeter since it was a seedling.
It is strange, perhaps I triggered some kind of bonsai mechanism, or something about the soil. I think I should transplant it to a bigger pot soon, what medium should I use?
« Last Edit: December 28, 2015, 02:41:41 PM by Sanddollarmoon »

thao

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Re: Wow! That cacao is fast! What!? Are you seeing this!?
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2013, 01:42:00 PM »
I don't know anything about the growth habit of cacao or it root system i.e long tap root or spreading roots, etc. But I would give it a couple more weeks of growing, then repot into something larger. But if you want to now, you can too.

Sanddollarmoon

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My cacao
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2013, 01:46:36 PM »
I don't know anything about the growth habit of cacao or it root system i.e long tap root or spreading roots, etc. But I would give it a couple more weeks of growing, then repot into something larger.

Thank you, Thao, I will wait a bit. Anybody else have some good advice for keeping this baby alive? Getting ahead of myself, I wonder if I should graft it with a choice variety, or leave it to it's own devices.
« Last Edit: September 28, 2013, 11:13:47 PM by Sanddollarmoon »

KarenRei

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Re: Wow! That cacao is fast! What!? Are you seeing this!?
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2013, 01:49:35 PM »
Yeah, cacoa is like that, its a real beauty of a plant, too - I love those paper-thin new leaves..  I had one once.  Once.  :Þ  Be careful, they're rather sensitive to:

A) low humidity
B) infrequent water
C) phytosensitivity

Low humidify encourages leaf browning.  Infrequent water can be very bad, mine nearly died on me once while I was gone  and I managed to nurse it back to life, from zero leaves for over a month back to a full flush.  But then I later accidentally phyto-killed it while controling a general spider mite infestation :Þ  So take better care of yours than I did mine!

And no, I don't think you bonsai'ed it.  It still looks quite happily growing, sticking out new leaves.    I agree with thao, a little more time to get a better grip on the soil for a gentler transplant would be IMHO best.
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