Fresh seeds will easily germinate in warm, moist, well draining soil that's high in organic matter. I'd clean the pulp from the seeds prior to planting. Whatever you do just don't allow the seeds or the potting mix to dry out. You might even find that the seeds have already begun sprouting in the pod.

Karyn is correct. These things will germinate 100%. You can almost stare at them and watch them germinate.

Clean the flesh from around the seeds BY EATING IT!! It is wonderful! Good luck.

Jay I thought I was one of the only ones that enjoyed the pulp. I'm going to Puerto Rico this month and hope to be able to find some.

You should wait until late July when some really really good fruit are available!

I've received excellent pods from TARS during the winter. Besides that there's no reason to go to PR in July. lol

TARS---what research station is that?

I'm wondering how much caffeine the cocoa pulp has--Red Bull growing on trees? I don't get much caffeine, so maybe I should try this stuff in the morning only. I have been told by others that the best way to clean the seeds is in your mouth...

--Rr

Nothing to go for in July? Hmmmm...there's mangosteen, rambutan, pulasan, durian, marang, langsat, other garcinias. You just have to know where to go. Cocoa taste pales in comparison.

Fresh mangosteen could be a reason to travel to a tropical location in the summer : ) That's my favorite fruit and next to impossible to find fresh here. I've never heard of a pulasan. We stay around the Eastern Shore and the N. East in the summer and save the tropical locations for winter vacations. It's a lot less costly to vacation closer to home and flying a family of 5 almost anywhere gets kind of expensive.

I got my pod, and the placenta was relatively dry compared to what I expected. To get the goo off the seeds I resorted to using a sharp blade to nick it off, and was able to do it without nicking the seeds. The seeds were moist and unsprouted and looked pretty good. I gave the seeds a brief soak in a (very!) mild bleach solution, and I hope the potting medium will be OK, although I realized after planting that the basic medium I used is a seedling mix from the dreaded Miracle Gro. I amended it by adding 20% peat moss, and ~5% coffee grounds.

Should I change the medium?

--Rr

Hi Rick. I responded to your email this am but then read this again. If the pulp wasn't completely dry then the seeds might be viable but I don't think I'd have used a bleach solution. I wouldn't have used any soak but when I do need an antibacterial type soak I use diluted hydrogen peroxide. You know how I feel about MG. I'd find a bag of Fafard somewhere. If you have to use the MG I'd add something to help with drainage, maybe CBC's and perlite or something.

For germination, I think you should be okay. When it comes time to transplant, just make sure your soil mix is an acidic mix. Good luck.