Cacoa Tree Gets A Health Screening

Changing out the soil and checking out root ball for good health.
It's hard to find manufactured soil that is not in Miracle Grow's monopoly
of most brick n mortar stores. Alas, in our relatively Florida small town I was
able to find a Canadian brand soil without the manmade chemical based, sand
laden stuff that passes as soil these days. People, if you can't lift a bag of packaged
soil with one hand, don't waste your hard earned dollars. On top of all our manmade
plastics that pollute the Earth, lets not add plastic base moisture retention additives
that are passing as soil amendments.

Stepping off my soapbox.

My composted soil that I'm brewing is far a way
from a finished product. So I will have to make due
with this store bought product shown at left that
appears to be a decent product, but not without
adding some supplements of my own to help with
the health and well being
of my captured Cacao tree.

What better placed to start is the health of this specimen's root ball.
Removing the plant from it's two year confinement, roots look
well developed and without crowding. Was no easy task. Root ball soil
looks a bit compressed and natural for a two year old root base. No indication
of rot or spoilage as you might examine and smell leftovers kept in your
refrigerator. Any loose soil than can be removed from the old root ball and
without disturbing the roots, in order to minimize any unnecessary shock.

Adding some Orchid mix and Charcoal bits for some coarse aeration.
Rock dust for some diverse minerals. This tree will think it died and gone
to the green house in the sky. Not pictured is another additive, the stinkiest organic
fertilizer that I recently found and had some great results as an organic fertilizer.
too lazy and to fetch for a photo op, let alone it being quite odorous.

You noticed that I'm doing this gardening task in my kitchen.

What better place to provided good health and nourishment not only for my plants
as I would for myself.

Same pot after being scrub and a fresh supply of soil. What spent soil I was able to
salvage from this original root ball will go as top dressing in my potted vegetable
garden outdoors. That gratefully salvaged top dressing will be richer than anything
it has seen since it got a fresh pot of compost.

Once in place in it's home away from home and a good drenching of some stored
rain water. With hope that there will be no more temperatures below sixty. Although
with due diligence in the monitoring of temperatures. I look forward to another year of
good health and growth.

This plants health screening coincided with my own health screening this year. Trust
me when I say that I take just as good as my health as I do this plant.

So, here's to good health!

Good health is nothing that is a given, but something that has to be actively pursued
and achieved.