Coffee Plant: Plants, Location & Flowering

Are you also dreaming of your own coffee from your own four walls? This is not easy with your own coffee plant, but it is possible.

Coffee actually grows in the tropics, but the plant can also thrive here. With the right site conditions and proper care, it is even possible to harvest coffee cherries and extract the beans. Here we show what a suitable location looks like and what you should consider when planting.

Coffee plant: flower, origin and properties

The coffee plant (coffee) is not only something for coffee lovers, because it can convince with its flowers and leaves alone. Today it is widespread in almost all tropical and subtropical regions of the world and belongs to the blushing family (Rubiaceae). There, coffee is grown on plantations because it is an economically highly important crop. In nature, the coffee plant grows into trees up to 8 meters high. If you want to keep coffee as a houseplant, you have to be content with a maximum size of 2 meters.

Coffee has quite large, oval, pointed leaves with a shiny surface and a wavy edge. The coffee plant blossoms in April and May. These are found in clusters in the leaf axils. They are white and smell pleasantly of jasmine. However, it takes two to four years for a coffee plant to flower for the first time, depending on whether the plant was grown from a cutting or seed. After successful pollination, the fruits form at this point, which are recognizable as green, later red coffee cherries. It takes a whole year for the coffee berries to turn red to dark purple, i.e. until they are ripe. Under good climatic conditions, the fruits in the growing regions can be ripe after just nine months.

From this point on, the coffee plant can be harvested. Inside the berries are two seeds, the coffee beans. They are initially light brown or white and only become dark brown through later roasting. Roasting is a common processing step in order to then grind the coffee seeds and brew them into the well-known beverage. Due to the caffeine it contains, coffee wakes us up, often brightens the mood and has therefore become a popular luxury food. With the right one Care of the coffee plant and with a bit of luck you can also harvest your own coffee plant.

Tip: With permanent and constant light, the coffee plant even bears flowers and fruits all year round. In our latitudes, however, this would only be possible with enormous energy expenditure for intensive lighting.

Coffee plant species and varieties

Of the approximately 124 different ones coffee-Species are above all the species Coffee arabica and Coffee canephora, also called "Robusta", economically significant. They are also often offered as houseplants.

• Coffee arabica: This species is known as highland coffee, so it grows naturally in higher regions above 1000 meters altitude. The species is self-pollinating, making it ideal for trying your hand at growing your own coffee beans.
• Coffee arabica 'Nana': You can often find the dwarf coffee bush in stores, as it remains quite small at around 150 cm and grows compactly.
• Coffee canephora: More like the name Coffee robusta the species is known Coffee canephora. It is a lowland coffee that tolerates slightly warmer temperatures and higher humidity. However, this species should not stand at temperatures above 30 °C either.
• Coffee liberica: This species can also be kept as a houseplant, but is rarely offered. The leaves are slightly lighter than the other two species and it tends to have a slightly wilder and messier appearance.

plant coffee

While enjoying a delicious cup of coffee you have probably asked yourself: Can you actually grow coffee plants yourself? That's fine. And the pose isn't even particularly difficult. You can grow a coffee plant from seeds or cuttings, or you can purchase a ready-made small plant in stores.

The right location for the coffee plant

Coffee actually grows in the high altitudes of the tropics and requires the same conditions here as well. For this reason, the coffee plant is kept in a pot and may only be placed outside in the summer, where it prefers a shady spot. In winter, the coffee plant needs a location in the home that is bright, warm and humid. It doesn't do well in direct sunlight, so an east or west window with a few hours of sunshine in the morning or evening is better. The temperature should be around 20 to 25 °C all year round and should not fluctuate if possible. Even in winter, the temperature must not fall below 15 °C. High humidity is also important for a healthy coffee plant. You can achieve this, for example, by regularly spraying the leaves or by placing the pot of the coffee plant in a shallow bowl with water and expanded clay.

It is also possible, Coffee plants in the glass to hold, whereby this can either be bought ready-made or created yourself. You need for such one bottle garden a tight-fitting jar, such as a mason jar, into which a layer of expanded clay is placed for drainage. This is followed by a layer of substrate and then the coffee plant. The rest of the soil is covered with living moss. Now everything is well moistened, but not soaked. Seal the jar and place in a bright spot out of direct sunlight.

for one Kokedama coffee plant, i.e. a coffee tree in a moss ball, one part peat is mixed with one part clay and everything is moistened well so that the mixture can be shaped but is not mushy. Then take a small coffee plant from its old substrate and dip the root ball in water. The root ball is now covered with the peat-loam mixture and everything is carefully pressed down. Now you will need a large, dry sheet of moss, which you will drape around the globe and tie with twine until secure. Such a kokedama is a real eye-catcher and can be hung up with the help of the thread. For irrigation, the moss ball is then simply sprayed with water from the outside.

Another posture option is the Hydroponic coffee plant represent. The plant stands in expanded clay and is supplied with nutrient solution via a planter. the hydroponics is very simple and ensures good humidity on the plant, but it is also more likely to be classified as environmentally harmful. Because in hydroponics, mineral fertilizers are usually used, sustainable, primarily organic fertilizers such as ours Plantura organic fertilizer cannot be used. Therefore, we generally do not recommend hydroponics.

Tip: All alternative methods also help to automatically increase the humidity around the coffee plant.

What soil does the coffee plant need?

If you want to keep the coffee plant in soil, you need above all a permeable substrate. The soil should be slightly acidic, rich in nutrients, with little peat and lots of humus. Our peat-free, for example, meets these requirements Plantura organic potting soil, which has a high proportion of organic matter and can store water well without becoming waterlogged. For even better drainage, mix the soil with 30% expanded clay or sand.

Tip: For constant soil moisture, the soil should be covered with a layer of mulch. This means that less water can evaporate from the ground. For example, slightly acidic pine bark like ours is suitable Plantura organic pine bark, which comes from low-emission cultivation and is therefore more environmentally friendly than conventional bark mulch.

Coffee plant as a houseplant

If the coffee plant is kept as a houseplant, the main thing to pay attention to is the water drainage, but at the same time a regular water supply. Waterlogging is not tolerated by coffee and can lead to root rot. Choose a deep pot so that the roots have enough space. A drainage layer of stones or expanded clay at the bottom of the pot prevents the coffee plant from standing in water. The substrate mixture, in which the coffee is planted, is then placed on top of the drainage layer. In order to cover the enormous water requirements of the coffee plant, it should be watered daily so that the substrate is always moist but never saturated with water.

In order to be able to harvest fruit from the houseplant, you also have to help pollinate the flowers a little. Coffee arabica is self-pollinating, but a little support can't hurt. To do this, simply grab a fine brush and carefully rotate each flower with it.

Last but not least, a sufficiently high level of humidity must of course be ensured, which is usually achieved automatically in bright bathrooms. Living rooms, on the other hand, are often too dry for the coffee plant.

Can you keep the coffee tree outside?

In summer the coffee tree can be placed outside. It needs a sheltered place in the semi-shade, preferably under a larger plant, and should also be sprayed with water here from time to time. However, if it gets colder than 15 °C at night, it is better to bring the coffee plant back into the house.

propagation

There are two ways to propagate your coffee plant. If you already have a plant, cuttings are ideal. Propagation via seeds can be done from your own seeds or from purchased seeds. However, the seeds must be fresh, as their germination capacity decreases quickly and disappears completely after about two months. Of course, even roasted coffee beans are no longer germinable.

Propagation via seeds

In order for the coffee beans to become a plant, the seeds must first be soaked in water for about 24 hours. This should have a temperature of around 25 to 30 °C. A thermos flask can be used for this, for example. For sowing, a planter is filled with potting soil, for example with ours Plantura Organic Herb & Seed Soil. Our organic soil consists of natural ingredients and does not require any peat at all. The low nutrient content is specially tailored to the seedlings, which cannot use large amounts of nutrients at all and develop stronger roots when there is less supply.

The coffee seeds are put about 1 cm deep into the ground and the substrate is slightly moistened. Put a plastic bag over it and keep the jar warm at at least 23 °C. It takes about four weeks to germinate. During this time, the soil should always be kept slightly moist and the plastic bag should be aired daily to prevent mold from forming. The pot is then placed in a light location so that the seedlings can continue to grow and can finally be repotted.

Propagation via cuttings

Coffee plant cuttings are cut in the spring when the growth phase begins. The cutting should be cut from the top of the center shoot to keep it growing straight up. It is important that the shoot section is not yet lignified, has no buds or fruit and already has two to three leaves. All remaining leaves are removed from the 8 to 20 cm long shoot.

Place each cutting individually in a pot of potting soil and keep the soil constantly moist. A bright and warm place with temperatures of 24 to 28 °C should be chosen. A plastic bag pulled over it increases the humidity and thus the chances of success of the propagation - but it should be aired regularly. Roots should have formed after two to three months.

Overwinter coffee plant

Since coffee plants are not hardy, they must not be left outside in winter. A bright and warm place at around 20 °C is best for overwintering the coffee plant. Since the air is dry in winter, care should also be taken to ensure that there is sufficient humidity. The best way to do this is to place water bowls on the heater near the coffee plant. Alternatively, it can be regularly sprayed with water. In winter it is watered a little less and not fertilized, since the coffee plant hardly grows at this time.

Is the coffee plant poisonous?

The coffee plant is not poisonous to humans and, with a bit of luck, can even be used to make your own coffee. However, it is different with pets. For safety, cat owners should place the coffee plant in a place that the cat cannot reach. Because if the coffee cherries are consumed in large quantities, the caffeine they contain can lead to vomiting or diarrhea in pets. The leaves, on the other hand, contain only very small amounts of the active ingredient and are harmless.

Tip: In nature, the coffee plant uses the caffeine. It inhibits the germination of other plants in the area and discourages predators from eating the leaves and fruits.

Now it just depends on the right one Care of the coffee plant at. We show you how to water, fertilize and cut the coffee plant appropriately and give helpful tips.