If a cocoa tree is to grow well, it needs more than anything else a soil
of good structure,
permeable and deep.
The cocoa tree has tap-roots.
The tap-root descends straight into the soil.
The branch roots go down very deep.
But many small branch roots also grow near the surface.
If the soil is of good structure and contains much
humus, the roots penetrate well.
You can improve the soil structure by spreading
manure and working it into the soil.
If the soil is deep, the roots can go down to a good
depth.
Never plant cocoa trees in soil with a lot of stones, or in soil where there is some hard layer.
In Africa, cocoa is grown in forest regions.
To make a plantation, you must clear the site.
But the cocoa tree needs shade, especially when it
is young.
The traditional method is to cut down all the trees and to burn everything.
But this is a bad method because:
You destroy all the organic matter in the weeds, the leaves and the branches.
You leave the soil bare to the sun or rain.
The soil becomes less fertile.
The cocoa trees are not protected from the sun when it is too strong.
Sometimes growers put banana trees or taros into the cocoa plantation, to give shade for the young
cocoa trees. If these are planted long enough before
the cocoa trees, they give good protection.
But if they are planted at the same time as the cocoa
trees, they do not protect the young cocoa trees well
enough and they take nourishment out of the soil.
To give shade it Is better to keep a few of the forest trees.
You should cut first all the tall weeds, the creepers
and the small trees.
Make heaps of what you have cut down and arrange
the heaps in rows.
It is better not to burn all the vegetation you cut.
Leave it on the ground.
It protects the soil against erosion and sun.
It rots and makes humus.
If you have to burn the vegetation you have cut, you
must sow a cover crop.
Next, go through the plantation a second time:
Now cut down all the trees which might give some
disease to the cocoa trees.
And cut down also all trees that give too much shade.
But leave those large trees which can give no disease
to the cocoa trees, and which give a little shade.
When the cocoa trees have grown taller, they need
less shade.
You should gradually give them less and less shade.
You should prune the big trees and cut off those
branches that cast too much shade.
When the plantation is well cared for, you can cut
down all the big trees.
When the cocoa trees have grown, it is better to get rid of the unwanted shade trees by using tree-killing chemical products. This way causes less damage than cutting them down.
In Cameroon, for example,
Farmers always remove the following trees:
| Local name | Botanical name |
| Atui | Piptadeniastrum africanum |
| Tôm | Erythrophloeum guineense |
| Ebaé | Pentaclethra macrophylla |
| Eyen | Distemonanthus benthamianus |
| Asam | Uapaca staudtii |
| Abem | Macrolobium or Berlinia |
| Esabem | Macrolobium limba |
| Engôkôm | Myrianthus arboreus |
| Aseng | Musanga cecropioides |
Leave in the plantation:
| Akom | Terminalia superba |
| Atol | Ficus vogeliana |
| Evouvous | Albizzia ferruginea |
| Esak | Albizzia fastigiata |
| Ekouk | Alstonia boonei |
| Eteng | Pycnanthus kombo |
In Ivory Coast
Farmers always remove the following trees:
| Dabema | Piptadeniastrum africanum |
| Samba | Triplochiton scleroxylon |
| Bâla | Childovia sanguinea |
| Aiya, Kotibé | Nesogordonia papaverifera |
| Cola | Cola nitida |
| Ehéman | Corynanthe pachyceras |
| Cakoua | Cola spp. |
| Ntaba | |
| Akeato | |
| Aoussou | |
| Boto, Kotokié | Sterculia tragacantha |
| Fromager | Ceiba pentandra |
| Akogaouan, Oba | Bombax spp. |
| Grand Wounian | Myrianthus preussi |
| Bléblendou | Treculia africana |
| Inékichébi | Rauwolfia vomitoria |
| Glagla | Conopharyngia |
Leave in the plantation:
| Adashia | Trema guineensis |
| Iroko | Chlorophora excelsa |
| Figuiers | Ficus |
| Ouangrain | Allophylus africanus |
| Sipo, Tiama | Entandro phragma |
| Pri, Pousso oué | Funtumia |
| Abalo | Combretodendron africanum |
| Emien | Alstonia boonei |
| Minghi, Bahé | Fagara |
| Oualébé Ndéa | Pycnanthus angolensis |
| Fraké, Framiré | Terminalia |
| Akoua | Antrocaryon micraster |
| Parasolier | Musanga cecropioides |
| Loloti | Lannea welwitschii |
| Tchikué, Tchikuébi | Bridelia |
With traditional methods, planting is most often done
in a haphazard way.
The cocoa trees are not planted in rows.
There is not the same distance between them.
When the trees are too far apart, they do not use all the soil; when they are too close, they grow badly.
Instead, you should always plant in rows.
First mark the rows for the cocoa trees, leaving about
2.5 to 3 metres between rows.
Along each row, mark out with pegs the spots where
the cocoa trees are to go.
Leave about 2.5 to 3 metres between trees.
In this way you can plant about 1 000 to 1 600 seedlings per hectare.
Digging the holes
Before planting cocoa trees, the grower must dig
holes in order to stir the earth and loosen it.
Dig the holes two months before planting the cocoa
trees.
When you are digging the hole, do not mix together
the soil from above and the soil from below:
Make two separate heaps.
Sometimes growers sow cocoa seeds straight away
in the plantation.
This is a bad thing to do.
It is better to put into the plantation
either young cocoa seedlings from your own
nursery beds,
or cocoa seedlings bought from a research centre.
A few hours before lifting the seedlings from the nursery
beds, water the soil.
Then take the seedlings out of the nursery beds with
a spade or a hoe.
Be very careful not to break the roots.
Next sort out the cocoa seedlings.
Throw away diseased plants and plants that have a
twisted tap-root.
You can dip the roots of the seedlings in liquid mud,
so that the cocoa plants take root again easily.
When to plant cocoa trees
Plant cocoa trees at the beginning of the rainy season.
Choose a day when the soil is moist and when the
sky is cloudy.
Plant the young cocoa trees when they are about
6 months old.
How to plant cocoa trees
A few days before planting, fill in the holes you have
dug.
At the bottom of the hole, put the soil you have dug
out from the top, and on top put the soil you have
dug out from below.
You may mix the soil with manure.
When you are ready to plant, make a small hole.
In this small hole place your young cocoa seedling.
If you have sown your seeds in baskets or bags, make
a hole big enough to hold the root ball with the cocoa
seedling.
Be very careful not to twist the tap-root.
Do not cover the crown with earth.
Pack the soil down well around the tap-root.
For the first few days, protect the cocoa seedling
from the sun.
If there are palm trees in your village, use a palm
frond.
