It will burn to a crisp if left in full sun, no matter what it is planted in. Those huge leaves are very delicate. The mature ones I have seen, that are in flawless condition, are grown under shadecloth. Mine was under my Grapefruit tree when small, is now under the house roof overhang, soon to be in its own shadehouse. Dappled/screened sunlight is fine. Direct sunlight is not.

My potting mix is CHCs, Peat, old horse manure and Aliflor. With this porus mix, I can water every day, and the root system is in great shape.. This tree grows very quickly in warm weather. You will have to bring it indoors during cold snaps, in Port St. Lucie, or you will lose it. Got a handtruck to move it? They like big pots!

Lisa

Lisa is right... I have mine in a peaty potting soil... straight morning sun will burn them.... someone is either pulling your leg or lives in the tropical zone... as far as I know, the amount of UV that a plant can take has nothing to do with it's soil.

okay, thanks for the feedback. I was thinking since it blooms from its trunk that I would try pinching vertical growth once it gets too tall to be under the front porch roof. what do you think?

this is a weird idea but here it goes, to keep UV rays from its leaves, is there anything I can sray it with to keep it moist. do they make sun screen spray for plants? hehehe

michelle

I find it incredibly difficult to prune/pinch bach a Cacao. The new growth is a lovely pink, and I can't make myself cut it off(G). Mine naturally branched out at about 7' tall. It has already flowered, and I've only had it about 18 months.

It can tolerate sun that is not directly ovehead. My patio faces south, my Cacao gets sideways sun and reflected heat all day.

If you have any big trees in your yard, Cacao will do well in a pot growing under the larger tree.

Lisa

lisa,

since the storms, I have no living trees, no shade. so, as much as I want this tree, I will have to take extra special steps to help it survive. I will have to try to not get sentimental over pinching the new growth. I feel that way about all new growth. I saw it was listed as a shrub/tree...so someone must be keeping it shorter.

thanks for all your help. if you think of anything else, I will be lurking for wisdom.

michelle

Michelle, I know what you mean. I treat this tree as a very special treasure. I baby it, and enjoy doing so. Those first plain little blooms were so exciting!

We have removed countless mature, dead Pines since the storms. Did 5 more today, have another 15 or so to take out. Hot, dirty, discouraging work. No shade, in what used to be a fully forested property. When I bought the majority of my fruit trees, I selected dwarf varieties, since we had little sunny space.. Now I have all sun, and only short trees.

Tomorrow I'm going to see those perfect Cacaos in Loxahatchee. I'll post photos here for you to enjoy..

Now you need a Breadfruit (very cool looking!) to go with your Cacao.

Lisa

The nursery only had 3 Cacaos left. They had just watered, and the greenery around the trees was so thick that I could not get right up to them. But, you can see the healthy, dark green foliage, and flowers on one tree.

The greenhouse/shadehouse is HUGE!

Lisa

lisa, those are beautiful! not a burned edge anywhere. what type of shade fabric do they use overhead....I see that H.D. has started carrying (or maybe I just now noticed) shade fabric. I think I was expensive.

here is the link that states they cant stand "full sunlight". I realize they are not in florida. scroll down to the section called culture. tell me what you think.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/tropical/lecture_18/lec_18.html

I will do a search now for bread fruit tree. I hear you all talking about them but can say I would recognize one if I saw it.

I do want to create a more tropical look to my garden but we do get some pretty cold nights and I just dont have the time or energy to pull anything but a cacao into the garage. I remember your yard looked very tropical and it inspired me to get more bananas but they are still too tiny to shade more than my foot.

what else did you buy in loxahatchee???

thanks for the photos,
michelle

Michelle, I didn't buy one of the big Cacaos. They are $350, much too expensive for my budget. I bought mine as a 3 gallon youngster from Pine Island Nursery, mail-order.

I had breakfast with hubby and a dear friend at Tropical Bamboo Nursery (in Loxahatchee), under their cool Bamboo building. Then I bought 5 new Budda Belly cuties, and my friend got one too, as well as a frilly variegated one. That place is gorgeous!!!

At Excelsa (also a stunning place to visit), I got 2 Ctenanthe Lubbersianas, which look like variegated Heliconias.

I got my breadfruit tree at Excalibur, in Lake Worth. They have large versions there too, to see.

Here was my baby Breadfruit tree. It has doubled in size in a very short time. The foliage is very attractive.

Feed and water your Bananas well, and in just a few months they will be big!

Lisa

lisa,

correction....I meant to say above, that "mature trees CAN withstand full sun light"...

also, I looked at breadfruit trees and they look like papayas. I am sure I assumed thats what they were.

what cultivar did that nursery have? I have the combination of the 2...trinitario. is that called a hybrid? what do you have?

michelle

My understanding is that Cacao needs to be shaded as a young tree, but eventually can tolerate more sun.. At Excalibur Nursery, adults are outside, but they do not look good. The ones grown under a light shade are much more beautiful. My own tree is raggety-looking from the few times I forgot it and left it in the sun too long.

Breadfruit leaves do look a little bit like Papaya, but if you saw the two together, you would immediately be able to tell the difference. I have lots of Papayas. They are pretty and easy to grow, but I never get to enjoy the fruit. The Papaya Fruit Flies ruin them all.

My Cacao was described as being a Red-fruiting variety. I have never seen them described before as the website you linked to does. Very interesting..

Lisa

check out this link to the dole orchard in hawaii. they shade their trees in morning and afternoon but it says the trees seem to like the stress of full sun...now I am confused about this tree!!! is florida so so different from hawaii ???

http://www.hawaiicacao.com/dole_orchard.htm

michelle