Hi tiffschorn, I have a Stictocardia beraviensis - Hawaiian Sunset Bell vine (rooted cutting in a 4" pot from the mother plant pictured) for trade if you are interested. PLMK if you are interested in a trade, thanks! Rebecca

I have 2 six foot T. cacao trees that I have been growing and over-wintering in my garage. (I purchased them from a nursery in late October and suspected that we were in for a harsh winter here in Venice, FL.) The coldest it got in the garage was 55 degrees this winter while it was 25 degrees outside. They are doing great - they have pretty much fully leafed out in there even though we have had a record cold winter here. The key (I think) is to use a medium which allows for excellent drainage, i.e., mostly bark, perlite, etc. They do like to be watered and fed. I use organic fertilizer, but I have read that they handle chemical fertilizers without any trouble. They do like humidity. I think they would be worth trying indoors provided that you misted them occasionally. Good luck.

A light mix with plenty of organic matter will do fine. In my opinion, perlite is better than vermiculite. Vermiculite, if abused, can lead to a soggy mix that drains poorly and harms most plants.

Lorenzo...85 farenheit is degrees...usually expressed as "85 degrees farenheit". Cacao has been the easiest tropical fruit seed, besides cherimoya, to germinate. If you have access to fresh, meaning ripe, pods, then that is best and you will also be able to eat the wonderfully sweet flesh surrounding the seeds. Many times the seeds have already started to sprout while in the pod itself. Eating the flesh from the seed is about as clean as I ever got one. Get some very acidic soil mix that drains well and then barely cover the seeds. I put 20-30 seeds in one flat container together. Heck of a lot faster and easier than doing one at a time. Keep them moist, warm, and in a semi-dark location and they will germinate within a week. Let them grow out to around 8+ inches or so and true leaves have started to grow, then you can transplant the individual plants into their own container...using the same acidic mix. Keep them out of direct sun. Try and give them as much humidity as you can. Keep them well watered. I've always been fortunate to have very fresh pods to extract the seeds and contributes heavily to pretty much 100% germination. Good luck.