Cocoa Cultural Calendar
From the
Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service
Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Cultural calendar for cocoa production of mature (bearing) trees in the home landscape
| Operation | Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | | General NPK1 | Apply NPK | | Apply NPK | | Apply NPK | | Apply NPK | | Apply NPK | | Apply NPK | | | Nutritional sprays2 | | Apply 4 to 5 foliar nutritional sprays. | | | Iron applications | | Apply iron 2 to 4 times. | | | Watering | Reduce watering frequency. | Water plants frequently during dry periods. | | Insect and disease control | Monitor
for insect and disease pests year round. Contact your local UF/IFAS
Extension office for current control recommendations. | | Pruning | | Selectively prune plants to reduce plant height and increase air and light penetration. | | 1 NPK, nitrogen-phosphate-potash. Many fertilizer mixes also contain magnesium (Mg).
2 Foliar nutritional sprays should include manganese, zinc, and other micronutrients. |
Fertilizer recommendations for mature (4 or more years old) cocoa plants in the home landscape.
| Year | Month | Times per month | NPK per tree per application (lbs)1 | Micronutrient applicatons2 | Iron soil drench applications3 | | 1 | Jan | 1 | 1/8–1/4 | March | April | | March | 1 | 1/4–1/2 | May | June | | May | 1 | 1/4–1/2 | July | August | | July | 1 | 1/2–3/4 | Sept | October | | Sept | 1 | 3/4–1 | | | Nov | 1 | 1 | | 2+ | Every other month | 1 | 1 | Every other month from March to Sept. | Every other month from April to Oct. | 1 NPK, nitrogen-phosphate-potash, dry soil applications.
2
Micronutrient applications should be made to the leaves and contain
magnesium, manganese, zinc, and other microelements (follow label
directions).
3 Chelated iron materials should be used in
high-pH soils (e.g., Miami-Dade County). Mix the iron chelate with
water and pour the mix under the canopy of the plant. In low-pH soils,
iron sulfate may be applied in a dry granular form. |
Nutritional value of 3 oz (100 g) dry powder, unsweetened, cocoa.z
| Constituent | Value | Constituent | Value | | Water | 3.0 g | Iron | 12.9 mg | | Protein | 19.6 g | Magnesium | 499 mg | | Fat | 13.7 g | Phosphorus | 734 mg | | Carbohydrate | 54.3 g | Potassium | 1524 mg | | Fiber | 33.2 g | Theobromine | 2057 mg | | Calcium | 128 mg | Caffeine | 230 mg | | z USDA
National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18 (2005).
https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ (February 2022) |
Back to
Cocoa Page
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Bibliography
Crane, Jonathan H., et al. "Cocoa (Chocolate Bean)
Growing
in the Florida Home
Landscape."
Horticultural
Sciences
Dept., UF/IFAS Extension, HS1057,
Pub. Nov.
2005, Revised Nov. 2016, Reviewed Dec. 2019 and 24 July 2023, AskIFAS,
doi.org/10.32473/edis-hs307-2006, edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs307.
Accessed 7 June 2017, 1 June 2020, 3 jan. 2026.
Published 11 June 2017 LR. Last update 12 Jan. 2026 LR
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