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| Family | Rubiaceae. |
| Genus & Species | Coffea arabica |
| Common Name | Coffee |
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| Size/Shape | Up to 6 feet. Tree or shrub. An upright shrub. Grows to 3-5’ in container. |
| Leaves | Handsome shiny foliage. Leaves opposite. Glossy dark green. |
| Flowers | White flowers followed by red pulpy berries. Flowers in axillary clusters, opening simultaneously. Fruits mature 7-9 months after flowering. |
| Blooming Season | Spring and summer. It takes 4 years from seed before berries are produced. Three to four years after planting coffea arabica produces flowers. The flowers appear immediately following the first rains. |
| Fragrance | Fragrant. Highly fragrant. The sweet fragrance resembles the sweet smell of jasmine flowers. Sweetly fragrant. |
| Use | Beverage. The caffeine has insectical properties. Spent coffee grounds are a good fertilizer in gardens because of their high nitrogen content. Coffee grounds also contain potassium, phosphorus, and many other trace elements that aid plant development. Many gardeners report that roses love coffee grounds and when furnished with the same become big and colorful. When added to a compost pile, spent coffee grounds compost very rapidly. Here is some info on roasting your own coffee beans: http://tinyurl.com/kqwt2 |
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| Propagation | Give the roots room to grow. Coffee needs lots of depth for the taproot. Seeds need bottom heat (25-30°C). Germination in 60 days. Germinate at start of rainy season. Raise seedlings in shade for 6-12 months, then harden off to sun. From germination to a sprout takes 60 days. And there's a high chance your seed will simply rot in the meantime. It is best to strip the seeds, covered with sticky fruity muscilage, out of the fruit skin and plant them individually. This way, the root doesn't have to fight its way out of the skin, and growth is speeded. Plant the seed 1.5" deep in a deep pot. Keep moist but don't oversaturate. Plant indoors before the last frost. Cuttings. Cuttings of firm shoots during early summer. |
| Soil | Use a rich, acid soil. Peat moss in the potting mix will help provide acid conditions. Tolerates a wide range of pH. Optimal pH has been suggested as 4.5-7.0. The type of soil is not too important but good drainage is a must. Mildly acidic. |
| Water | Moderately moist. A short, relatively dry season may facilitate flowering. The flowers appear immediately following the first rains. Germinate at start of rainy season. Rainfall should be plentiful. The soil should be kept on the moist side, but never soggy. Likes high humidity. |
| Food | Shading may reduce yields, especially when the trees are fertilized. Coffee plants will produce fruit without any fertilizing whatsoever, but for best results and maximum yield, they should be fed every 2 weeks from March to October, and then monthly from November through February. Use a soluble, all purpose (10-10-10)fertilizer. |
| Pruning | The plants will grow to about 10 feet if given ample root room, but can be pruned if this is too big for the allotted space. Pruning may involve simple pinching to produce a bushier plant, or you may go as far as cutting it way back.... Right down to where only two branches near the bottom are left on it. |
| Light | Grow in medium light, or filtered or indirect sunlight. Bright window. Full or partial sun. Raise seedlings in shade for 6-12 months, then harden off to sun. Shade may be useful when plants are young, but later shading may reduce yields, especially when the trees are fertilized. Unlike Coffea canephora (robusta), Coffea arabica prefers to be grown in light shade. The flowers that open on sunny days produce the greatest numbers of berries. Shade-grown coffee is produced in regions where natural shade (canopy trees) is used to shelter coffee plants during parts of the growing season. These shade cycles are said to be better for the coffee. Shade or full sun. |
| Climate | Warm. Easy to grow indoors. Ideal temperatures are between 60 and 85 degrees. Zone 10 and higher. Minimum temperature 55°. Can tolerate low temperatures, but not frost, and it does best when the temperature hovers around 20°C. |
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| Source to Buy | Richters seeds (as Coffee). Logees plant. Banana Tree seeds. Rainforest Seed Co. |
| http://tinyurl.com/bxrtk | |
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