Rich chocolate-brown husks that genuinely smell of chocolate for weeks after spreading, cocoa hulls decorate flower beds and garden boxes while slowly feeding the soil below. Water them once and they knit into a wind-proof, weed-inhibiting blanket — just keep them away from cats and dogs, for whom the theobromine they contain is poisonous.
Catching the eye and offering incredible agronomic properties, it is the perfect mulch for any garden plant and also on your decks and balcony.
Widely used by professional landscapers, cocoa hull is considered to be high-quality mulch.
Advantages of cocoa hulls
Remarkably ornamental, it decorates flower beds and garden boxes.
Fertilizer slowly releases to the soil.
Weed inhibitor.
Wind-proof after it has been watered once.
Root protection against frost.
Cocoa hulls highlight the beauty of your plants thanks to their rich chocolatey color.
It even smells like chocolate for over a month after spreading!
Its agronomic value and its low 5.7 pH level make it the best among the fertilizer mulches.
Using cocoa hulls
Before spreading your cocoa hulls, everything must be planted.
Spread a layer more or less 2 inches thick (4 to 5 cm) and water so that the husks stick together and merge to make a water-retaining, air-circulating and fertilizer-releasing protective layer.
A few days later, thin white velvety strands appear and signal that the mulch is doing its thing.
The cocoa mulch is slowly molding away, releasing its nutrients.
6 to 8 months later, mix the mulch up with the soil to fertilize it even more, and repeat the mulching every year.
Cocoa hulls and cats and dogs
Take note that cocoa hulls are extremely toxic for animals such as cats and dogs. Just like chocolate, they contain theobromine.
This substance can be poisonous for animals if ingested. Consulting a veterinarian is urgent if this happens.
Smart tip about cocoa hulls
You can also mix cocoa hulls into the earth or soil mix. This will help air circulate in the ground and will reinforce fertilization!
Written by Gaspard Lorthiois | Loves helping out, especially when it comes to growing things. Worked in herbal medicine, runs a farm, and dabbles in tech. Master's degree and engineer.
