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The coffee tree: growing and caring. Video
At home, you can grow almost any plant, even a very exotic one. For example, a coffee tree. This plant is not only beautiful, but also unusual, because it gives a harvest.
Where to buy a coffee tree?
The coffee tree is grown for purely decorative purposes, because the large, bright green “leathery” leaves of this tree and the inflorescences of many white flowers, collected in a bunch, look very beautiful. However, with proper care from an adult tree (over 6 years old) at home, you can get a good harvest of coffee beans! Of course, not at a time, but as they mature.
How to plant and care for a coffee tree
For a coffee tree to grow well, it needs light, loose and fertile soil. Take a large deep container (this is a prerequisite, since the powerful root system of the tree goes down), put a layer of fine gravel, expanded clay or coarse sand about 1 centimeter thick on the bottom for drainage. Then fill the container with a mixture of 3 parts deciduous humus, 2 parts greenhouse soil, 1 part peat and 1 part washed river sand. It is recommended to add a few small pieces of charcoal.
Do not use humus of oak or chestnut leaves, as it contains a lot of tannins that negatively affect the root system of plants.
The coffee tree can be grown from either seed or rooted cuttings. In the first case, the grown tree will bloom only in the third year. In the second case, flowering can begin immediately after the cutting is taken. Seeds and cuttings of the most popular Arabica variety are usually used. It is better to buy a plant from trusted suppliers.
Keep the future coffee tree in a bright place, but without direct exposure to sunlight. Many inexperienced amateurs mistakenly expose the plant to the sun: they say, it is southern, thermophilic and, in general, its ancestral home – Ethiopia! However, this is a serious mistake that can cause the coffee tree to grow slowly. And often it dries up! Indeed, in wildlife, a young tree is shaded by taller plants in the neighborhood, but it is impossible to create such conditions in an apartment.
The coffee tree must be provided with fresh air. But drafts should be avoided, as they are detrimental to this plant. The plant does not like moisture, therefore, in regions with high humidity, it is difficult to take root, it does not always bear fruit.
The most optimal temperature for its development is from 22 to 25 degrees Celsius in summer and over 15 degrees Celsius in winter. In the cold season, it is necessary to protect the roots of the plant from low temperatures. To do this, without changing the location of the container with wood, place it on a thick wooden plate or other material with low thermal conductivity.
In extreme cold, it does not hurt to additionally wrap the container with some thick cloth, sheet foam rubber, etc.
In summer, especially hot, the plant needs frequent and abundant watering, otherwise the plant will dry out. For it, use soft and settled water without chlorine. In winter, water the coffee tree no more than once a week. During the period of active growth, spray the plants with water at room temperature from a spray bottle. But during flowering, you do not need to spray it.
Once a month, it is recommended to feed the plant with a complex fertilizer – for example, intended for Rosaceae.
How to get a good coffee harvest? Growing features
As the tree grows, it is transplanted from time to time into a more spacious and deeper container. A transplant is carried out every two years, it is better to do this in the spring. The composition of the soil is the same as previously described. In some sources, it is recommended to first put a slightly convex shard (convex upwards) on the bottom of the container, and then pour a layer of drainage and earthen mixture on it.
From the second year onwards, side shoots appear on the coffee tree. They grow in all directions almost evenly. If the room where the container with the tree stands is spacious enough, it is better not to shorten the long branches. After all, the longer the lateral shoot, the more ovaries will form on it.
The coffee tree: growing and caring
The flowers of the coffee tree are white or slightly creamy and appear in the axils of the leaves. More precisely, first a bright green mustache appears in the sinuses, then buds form. After about a month, small flowers bloom, collected in bunches of 8-16 pieces. But they do not live long, after a maximum of 48 hours the petals fall off.
The fruits of coffee ripen from 6 to 8 months. In most cases, they resemble dark red cherries in their appearance. Inside each fruit there are 1 to 3 grayish-green grains, with little or no aroma. This is what coffee beans look like before roasting. But after roasting, they acquire a rich dark brown appearance and a strong characteristic and aromatic smell.
With proper and constant care from an adult home tree, you can get up to 1 kilogram of coffee fruit per year. In terms of the weight of the grains, this ranges from 100 to 150 grams. The most fruitful trees are between 6 and 30 years old.
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