Cacao tree facts and stats

Image by @admanbismc

Latin name

Theobroma cacao.

Growing range

About 20 degrees North or South of the Equator. Can grow as far North as Hawaii/India, and as far south as the Northern tip of Australia.

Growing temperature

Ideal temperature is between 18-21°C and 30-32°C. Below 10°C may reduce yield, and below 4-8°C will cause dieback.

Rainfall

Between 1000-4000 mm per year. Ideally between 1500-2500 mm per year.

pH range

Between 5.0-7.5.

Nitrogen to Phosphorus ratio

The N to P ratio should be around 1.5.

Humidity

70-80% (day) and 90-100% (night).

Shade

Young cacao trees thrive in shade, and often grow in the understory of other trees such as banana, coconut, rubber, oil palms, Gliricidia sepium, and Leucaena. After maturity, they can be removed from the shade to increase yield.

Tree height

4-8 meters tall, but up to 20 meters in the wild.

Maturity

It takes about 3 years to reach maturity and start producing cocoa pods, and about 5-6 to start producing a full yield of cocoa pods.

Lifespan

Average age of 25 years, but up to 40 years. Yield declines with older trees.

Flower yield

A mature healthy tree can produce 20 000 - 100 000 flowers a year, with a pollination rate of 1-5%.

Pod size

15-25cm

Pod maturity

Average 140 days (5 months) after pollination.

Seeds per pod

25-50 depending on the variety.

Resources: “Chocolate Science and Technology” Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa