Do you like coffee? Does the aroma of freshly brewed rustic coffee entice your olfactory senses? Welcome to the club! We’ll teach you how to have your very own coffee plant.
The art of brewing and preparing coffee need not be limited to fancy cafes or restaurants. You can sip your coffee fresh, straight from the brim of your mug every time! That is, once you decide to grow a coffee plant in your house.
Before you start digging into the nitty-gritty of it all, it must be kept in mind that just one coffee plant would prove to be insufficient to brew a pot of coffee. One should either grow multiple plants or just nurture a single one for the sake of roasting a bit of coffee to incorporate it into different recipes.
Table of Contents
Benefits Of A Coffee Plant
Brewing coffee isn’t the only benefit associated with a coffee plant. The plant itself is absolutely gorgeous. It has shiny green leaves mingled with the most beautiful abundance of blossoms. The latter however get replaced by berries.
It is a great plant to grow indoors and will give a nice earthy effect to your house. This brings us on to the next benefit; oxygen abundance. Breathing wisps of fresh air every now and then feeds the lungs with a healthy supply of oxygen.
Also , making some ground coffee compost will help impart nitrogen to your garden’s soil and amplify its fertility.
Quick Facts About The Coffee Plant
Common name | The coffee plant or Arabian coffee |
Botanical/Scientific name | Coffee Arabica |
Family name | Rubiaceae, Madder |
Plant Type | Evergreen perennial |
Harvesting time | 6 months |
Sun exposure required outdoors | Partially shady |
Watering frequency | 1-2x per week |
Blooming season | Spring |
Soil consistency | rich, loamy, moist, and acidic pH |
Fertilizer consistency | Nitrogen-rich |
Pests | Nematodes and mealybugs |
Diseases | rusting, bacterial blight, and coffee cherry disease |
Hazards | Plant parts are unsafe and toxic for animal or human consumption. Only the coffee beans are edible for humans. |
Different Coffee Species
Despite having around a whopping 124 different species of coffee, humans source this delicacy only out of the three mentioned species.
Coffee Arabica
The most popular and premium quality coffee. It is also the one that survives the best indoors. Coffee Arabica trees can grow up to 20 feet tall but when kept indoors, their height may be limited to 6 feet.
They possess self-pollinating properties.
Coffee Canephora/Robusta
As the term ‘robust’ suggests, this plant is far more resilient and sturdy, but its beans lack flavor and taste much bitter than its counterparts. It is also a relatively cheaper variety of coffee.
Coffee Canephora thrives best in warmer temperatures and is hence native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It can grow up to 40 feet tall and unlike Coffee Arabica it does not possess self-pollinating properties.
Coffee Liberica
This species is native to central and western Africa. Its caffeine content is more than Coffee Arabica but less than that of Coffee Canephora.
Section A: Growing A Coffee Plant
Step 1: When To Plant
The tenure between April and August is the best for the growth of a coffee plant. Planting it earlier than this period will give them an ample amount of time to adjust to the environment.
Step 2: Where To Plant
If you plan on growing this plant indoors, make sure to give it enough space. This plant grows 5-6 feet tall and needs to be kept at least 3 feet away from other plants. Sunrooms or areas near the windows could be the perfect spot. In the winters, they’d need to be placed outside in a shady area.
For outdoor gardening, the temperature is the concerning factor. Since this plant survives best in warmer climates, it is best to opt for the great outdoors if you live in the tropic zones 9-11. No need to find a pot, simply plant the seeds into the ground soil. Make sure to place the plant out of direct sunlight.
Step 3: How To Plant
The coffee plant requires well-draining, loamy, and rich soil. Once you purchase the pack of seedlings, separate them, and make sure to insert them into pre-moistened soil. You may place them in pots or straight into the ground soil.
It is very important to maintain the integrity of the soil. Fertilizing it 4 times per year is a good approach for the survival of the coffee plant.
It must also be taken into consideration that this plant requires re-potting. With every gradual increase in size, you will have to opt for a larger container or pot. It is also advised to use a sieve pot that would allow adequate drainage of excess water.
A typical coffee plant takes 4-5 years to bloom.
Section B: Taking Care Of A Coffee Plant
Temperature & Sunlight Exposure
Make sure to keep your coffee plant out of direct sunlight or you’ll witness their leaves burn! A temperature of about 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit proves to be ideal for its growth.
For this particular reason, it is easier to grow these plants indoors near South-facing windows.
Water
In the summers, you might want to be regular at watering the plant at least twice a week. This frequency is to be reduced during the winters.
Keep an eye out on its state to avoid dehydration. That being said, over-watering the coffee plant would subject it to unnecessary stress. Use pots or containers with holes to maintain optimum water levels.
Humidity
The coffee plant thrives in high humidity conditions. For dry areas, the most convenient way to address this is via a humidifier.
You can also put the plants in trays filled with pebbles. Using Terrarium or misting the plants regularly are other ways to cause elation of humidity.
Soil
Loamy soil is the requirement and to achieve the ideal loamy consistency you may need to equip the soil with Perlite or sand.
To boost moisture, add some Mulch and to incorporate acidic pH use Sulfur or peat moss.
Fertilization
There are numerous ways to fertilize the soil. Since it needs to maintain high nitrogen levels, Citrus and Rose make excellent fertilizers. For sustainable gardening, you may even use ground coffee compost.
Section C: Pruning
What Is Pruning?
Pruning refers to the elimination of excess parts of the coffee tree (or any plant) and is a branch of horticulture.
These parts are eliminated due to several reasons such as:
- When a tree exhibits no signs of growth
- When the plant becomes visually unappealing to the eye
- When the excess parts prove to be detrimental for the plant health
When To Conduct Pruning?
Growth in the best indicator for pruning. Usually, pruning once a year suffices but biannual pruning may also be required if the plant grows rapidly.
It is best to prune the coffee plant just before or beginning of spring.
Section D: Propagation
What Is Propagation?
Propagation in agriculture refers to the process of breeding new plants.
How To Propagate Coffee Plants?
- Collect some fresh coffee seeds
- Soak the seeds in water for 24 hours
- Place them in moistened sand
- Once the seeds have germinated, place them in loamy and well-drained soil
- Seedlings will come into sight soon
Section E: Harvesting
Since we are focusing on growing our own produce of coffee beans, the harvest won’t be abundant and can not be compared to commercial scale harvesting.
The process is fairly simple; you simply pick the cherry-like berries by hand and cut them open to reveal the coffee bean. Make sure to wash them well before use.
Section F: Storage
There are two ways to approach the storage of coffee beans: either start roasting them right after harvesting or dry them prior to roasting.
Roasting the seeds is a complex and tedious task, but is also preferable as it imparts the coffee beans rich flavor and aroma.
Dry the seeds for a couple of days after giving them a good wash. Once they become dry to touch, remove the outer parchment layer and roast them in a pan. The more you roast the seeds, the darker their color will become.
If you intend using these freshly roasted beans right away, opt for an airtight container for storage.
For long-term storage, you may freeze them. Freezing prolongs their self-life for another 4-5 months.
Challenges Faced During Growing The Coffee Plant
- Leaf spotting/Coffee leaf rust: due to fungal infection
- Browning of leaves: as a result of excessive sun exposure
- Pesticides: associated with Coffee Arabica species due to its low caffeine content
- Coffee Berry Disease: fungal infection of the tree bark that ultimately contaminates the cherries
- Bacterial Blight: arises as a result of inappropriate environment conditions such as extreme cold or excessive watering
The FAQ Section
The plant is not only toxic to cats but other animals as well. Only the coffee beans are deemed fit for human consumption.
The Ethiopian Plateau.
2 feet per year.
100 years.
30-50 years.
5 years.