Coffee is the favorite drink of a huge number of people. Despite its rather long history of use, mass character in it has come quite recently. Coffee is obtained from the dried and roasted fruits of the coffee tree, which grows mainly in the equatorial and tropical latitudes of our planet. However, with due effort, you can grow a coffee tree at home.
Content:
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general description
Coffee trees belong to the Rubiaceae family. Traditionally, they are divided into several types according to the type of grains obtained. For the consumer, it all comes down to taste. Most coffee comes from a plant called Arabian coffee (or arabica), the second most popular type of coffee is Congolese (or Robusta). The taste of the latter has a fairly pronounced sourness.
Coffee tree in nature. Variety Ethiopian Harar, Arabica
Usually Arabica is a short growing plant, and Robusta is a tall growing plant.. But under different growing conditions, it is quite possible that the growth of Arabica will not be inferior to the growth of Robusta (for example, Arabica grown in the Hawaiian Islands).
Congo coffee. Variety Karamu, Robusta
The fruits of the coffee tree, or coffee beans, are exactly the same for all representatives of coffee trees and differ only in size and flavor. The core of coffee beans, in fact, the pit of the fruit, is the very substance from which the well-known drink is obtained. Depending on the type of coffee tree, from each of them you can get from 0.2 to 10 kg of coffee beans per season.
Opened coffee fruit with two grains inside
Some of them can be adapted for growing at home in our area. The main problem in cultivation is not to create temperature or light conditions for the coffee tree; coffee feels great at temperatures from +20°C to +24°C and can be grown in the shade.
The problem is creating the necessary atmospheric pressure for growing coffee, because in natural conditions it grows at altitudes from 900 to 2500 meters above sea level; and this is neither more nor less than a few hundred millimeters of mercury column difference. However, this is critical only for the industrial cultivation of coffee. We are not chasing a bountiful coffee harvest in a temperate continental climate, are we?
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Coffee loves acidic soils, which suits the conditions of its homeland. The pH level for coffee should be between 4.5 and 5.5. At the same time, some flower growers recommend using soils for coffee trees at home. azaleas, hydrangeas or rhododendrons. However, you should pay attention to the level of acidity.
If it is slightly higher than recommended (for example, soil pH for azaleas is 4.0), it can be used for growing a coffee tree, but if the soil is strongly acidic (pH = 3.5), then it is better not to do this.
Fruiting coffee tree (arabica) grown at home
Sometimes inexperienced flower growers acquire soil for a coffee tree suitable for citrus cultivation. It is only partially suitable for the coffee tree, since its composition is acceptable, but it is rather neutral than slightly acidic. You also need to know that about six months to a year after the start of active vegetation, the soil under the coffee tree changes its composition and ceases to be acidic, shifting to neutral acidity.
In both of the cases considered, in order to ensure a normal level of acidity for coffee, it is recommended to "acidify" the soil once a month. This is best done with lemon juice at a concentration of 3-4 drops per 1 liter of water. If there is no lemon at hand, you can use citric acid (2-3 grains per 1 liter of water).
The roots of the coffee tree are quite long, penetrating deep into the soil. To provide them with a sufficient supply of nutrients and air, well-drained and loose formulations must be used. The fallen soil must be loosened and humus or peat added to it (depending on acidity).
You can prepare the soil yourself. For this you will need:
- sod land - 1 part
- leaf ground - 1 part
- humus - 1 part
- coarse river sand - 1 part
- peat - 2 parts
Sometimes it is recommended to add 0.5 parts of sphagnum moss to this composition for greater friability.
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Planting coffee seeds
Coffee can be grown from seeds or cuttings. Cuttings, of course, are more preferable, since it is quite possible to make it bloom and bear fruit in the first year, however, they are not always found.
coffee seeds
Coffee seeds have a relatively good germination, but only in the first days, sometimes weeks after being plucked from the branches. Over time, germination deteriorates significantly. Therefore, if you buy grains for planting, their number should be large enough.
Preparation of seeds for planting is carried out as follows: the grain is cleaned from the outer shell and soaked in a 0.2% solution of potassium permanganate. After that, it is dried and planted in a small individual pot.
Young shoots of arabica
In the future, when the shoot grows enough, it is transplanted into a stationary pot. The composition of the soil in pots should be the same as for growing an adult tree.
Landing is carried out according to the standard scheme: a third of a small pot is drainage (eggshell, small pebbles, gravel), then soil is laid in which a hole is made 1 cm deep. The grain is placed in this hole with the flat side down and covered with a layer of soil. This position of the grain will allow it to break through to the surface with less problems.
Sprouted coffee beans
After planting, it is recommended to create greenhouse conditions for the grains (humidity about 90-95%, temperature about + 25 ° C). You can achieve such conditions either in a mini-greenhouse, or by placing pots with grains in the sun and covering them with plastic wrap or glass. Once a day, it is necessary to ventilate the soil surface, removing the film or glass for 5-10 minutes.
Planted grains are watered abundantly, however, watering must be carried out using a pallet. Pouring water from above onto the ground is prohibited. Watering is carried out 1 time in 2-3 days; the criterion for the need for watering is dry soil on top of the pot. The soil should not be allowed to dry out.
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If everything was done correctly, the first shoots will appear within the next 4-6 weeks. As soon as the plant reaches a height of 2-3 cm, it must already be accustomed to room temperature. First you need to increase the ventilation time by 2-3 times.
Every day, the ventilation time must be increased in order to reduce the time the plant stays in the greenhouse to zero within a month. In principle, by that time (2-2.5 months after planting) a small coffee tree with 3-5 fully developed leaves will already be formed, which needs to be transplanted into its own individual pot.
The diameter of the first coffee tree pot should be at least 15 cm with a height of about 20-22 cm. Just like a pot seedlings, it should be one-third filled with drainage, which is already expanded clay or small gravel. The soil level should not reach the height of the walls of the pot by 1.5-2 cm.
Coffee tree 3-4 months old in individual pots
It is best to choose clay or ceramics as the material of the pot, since additional air supply to the roots will not hurt, however, since the root system is very close to the surface when grown at home, this does not play a special role.
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plant care
Conditions of detention
The living conditions of the coffee tree are quite simple: in summer the temperature should be between +22°С and +25°С, and in winter not less than +15°С. Lowering the temperature for the plant is detrimental.
Coffee before transplant
However, it is also not worth exceeding temperatures above + 25 ° С: in its natural habitat, coffee grows in the shade or partial shade of higher plants, therefore, despite the equatorial climate, it constantly stays at average temperatures. An increase in temperature also has a detrimental effect on the condition of the tree, as it leads to the evaporation of moisture from the leaves and their yellowing, followed by death.
Coffee trees in partial shade
On the other hand, you should not put the plant on the east or west windows either. - after all, in our climate the amount of sunlight is less than at the equator. Therefore, the ideal option would be to use penumbra or a diffuser (for example, in the form of curtains) on the southern windows. As a rule, artificial light for coffee during the active growing season is not applied.
Coffee cannot be rearranged or moved. The only exception is when the tree is transplanted. It should be remembered that even a slight rotation of the tree around its axis can lead to the cessation of flowering and leaf fall.
The flowering of a coffee tree grown from beans usually occurs in 3-4 years of cultivation. By this time, the plants will already be quite tall, and will have already been transplanted at least twice. Sometimes it is recommended that flowering plants be provided with direct sunlight for 1-2 hours a day.
Naturally, the pot with the plant remains in place, all the obstacles between the tree and the Sun are simply removed.
Watering
Coffee loves moisture. Watering in both winter and summer should be sufficient. The criterion for the need for irrigation is the formation of a crust on the top layer of soil. Usually, in the summer, 1 watering every 2-3 days is enough. In winter, watering is reduced to 1 time in 5-6 days. Do not over water the soil - like most plants, coffee does not like stagnant water in the roots.
Once a week it is recommended to spray the leaves of the coffee tree with a spray bottle.
This should be done in the morning or in the evening. Moisture from the leaves should not be removed after the procedure. Both watering and spraying are done with settled or boiled water at room temperature. This is necessary to avoid getting any alkali on the plant and into the soil; after all, it should be remembered that the coffee plant is “sour”.
top dressing
An ideal top dressing for a coffee tree is a mineral liquid fertilizer for citrus fruits, sold in any flower shop. As a preventive measure, such fertilizers are applied every 15 days during the most active growth of green mass (from April to September). During flowering, this dose is recommended to be doubled.
The coffee tree must be fed regularly to ensure its full vegetation and flowering.
You also need to remember that all cultures that prefer acidic soils sooner or later “eat away” almost all of the iron from the substrate in which they live. Therefore, it is necessary for plants to compensate for the lack of this element; for this, once a year (for young plants - every six months), it is necessary to add iron preparations to the soil in the required dosage.
Subsequent transplants
The plant quickly selects all the necessary substances from the substrate, it has a high growth rate of the root system, so it needs an annual transplant. After 3-4 years, transplantation can be done every 2 or 3 years, annually only changing the top layer of the substrate.
Usually, the transplant is made into a pot with a diameter of 2-4 cm, and a height of 1-3 cm more than the previous one.
It is recommended that the first two transplants be used with soil for azaleas (or any other similar plants), and subsequent transplants should be done in soil made independently with the addition of additional baking powder (sphagnum moss).
Flowering and fruiting
Usually, before the first flowering, the coffee tree is pruned a little. This procedure has two purposes: form the appearance of the plant and stimulate it to bloom. Usually, flowering occurs when the height of the plant is between 50 and 60 cm.
4 year old coffee tree
There are two methods of circumcision, each of which has its own goals. Either the growth cone is removed to provide more branching of the tree, or, conversely, the lowest branches are removed so that the plant accelerates its growth.
Traditionally, the first method is more often used when the plant growth exceeds 60 cm. The best time for the procedure is the beginning of April, 1-2 weeks before the active vegetation cycle.
Approximately 1-2 weeks after cutting the plant, green tendrils appear in the axils of the leaves. These are the beginnings of future buds. Often their number is very large, from a few pieces to two dozen. The formation of buds takes about a month, after which they bloom for 1-2 days.
coffee tree flowers
Fruit ripening takes about six months. The beans remain green until about February of the following year, then turn white, and after that they acquire the color of ripe fruits. It can be brown, red or yellow.
Drying of grains is carried out at a temperature of about +70 - +80 ° С. After that, they should “lay out” at room temperature for about 1-2 weeks on paper; the grains are stacked in one layer.
Ready-to-drink coffee beans. Colombian Arabica
The further procedure for preparing the grains is to fry them in a pan until they become brown. After that, they can be used to make a drink.
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Cuttings must be done in the period from late February to early March. On average, it takes about a month for a cutting to root.
The advantages of cuttings over growing coffee from seeds are as follows:
- rooting occurs in almost 100% of cases
- unlike seed propagation, the plant inherits all the characteristics of the mother
- flowering and fruiting may occur in the same year (but, nevertheless, more often occurs the next)
- the fruits of the first harvest are larger and there are more of them
- Cuttings are made from the branches of the middle of the crown of an already fruitful tree. The cutting is cut at a distance of about 3 cm from the first pair of leaves. At a distance of 3-5 mm from the cut, several additional incisions are made on the handle, which are necessary for better root formation.
- The stalk is placed for several hours in a solution of retroauxin (a quarter of a tablet per 1-1.5 liters of water); with a similar solution, the cuttings stimulate the formation of roots.
- After that, the cuttings are planted in the substrate (the same as that of the mother plant) to such a depth that the first leaves of the cutting touch the level of the substrate.
- Next, the pot with the handle is closed with a plastic bag, in which several holes with a diameter of 2-3 mm are made to provide air access.
- Once a day, the cutting is aired and watered by spraying the leaves with water at room temperature.
- In this case, the plant should be in partial shade with a temperature in the range of + 22 ° - + 25 ° С.
Cuttings with a formed root system
At the end of the procedure for the formation of the root system, it is necessary to transplant the cutting into its stationary pot. The transplantation procedure is similar to that described earlier. After transplantation, it is necessary to make the usual top dressing, which ensures the growth of the green part of the plant.
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Coffee - the plant is quite hardy and, with proper care, its immune system copes well with diseases and pests, however, cases are different, so you should not hope that everything will work out.
Well developed house trees
The main problem for the coffee tree - this is excessive dryness of both the substrate and the air. Maintaining these parameters must be monitored first.
In any case, you need to be prepared for any whims, since it is not always possible to repeat the conditions corresponding to the natural conditions for a coffee tree.
Coffee diseases include the following:
brown rust
Caused by a fungus of the genus Himelia. Outwardly, the leaves are covered with large brown spots, which turn brown in the middle, spreading to the entire leaf. They are often difficult to spot because the underside of the leaf is affected.
To prevent leaf rust, the leaves should be inspected daily from all sides and, if the first symptoms appear, spray the plant with fungicides. At the same time, the fungus is able to persist in the soil for a long time; it also needs to be treated with an antifungal agent. Sometimes the affected leaves have to be removed completely.
Coffee leaf with brown rust
If the disease comes again, it is necessary not only to process the plant, but also to transplant it into another container.
spotting
Caused by a fungus of the genus Omphalia
Forms yellowness on the leaves, has a high spread rate and is more dangerous than leaf rust. In addition to leaves, it damages both the stem and fruits. It helps to completely trim the affected areas and treat the remaining tree with a Bordeaux mixture.
Gommoz
A disease caused by bacteria, resulting in damage to the leaves, which has a brown color. The leaves not only change color, but also become wrinkled and dry out quickly. After the leaves, the rest of the plant is affected.
root rot
Despite the name, the symptoms are also determined by the foliage. It becomes grey.
The plant needs to be transplanted as soon as possible, after examining the root system and removing damaged areas
The remaining healthy root system is treated with a 0.2% potassium permanganate solution before transplanting.
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Currently, several dozen different varieties of the coffee tree are cultivated. In fact, they are hybrids of several types of coffee trees obtained both naturally and artificially. They differ in size, taste and aroma of beans.
If the grower has a preference for the type of coffee variety consumed, you can choose and grow a tree of the same variety.
Actually, the main division of coffee varieties is made precisely according to the varieties of these trees. Consider varieties of coffee trees that are highly likely to exist relatively comfortably at home:
Variety Typica
Actually, it all started with him. Typica is the main variety of Arabica, the first wild coffee tree in Africa to be cultivated by man. Despite its relatively low yield, it is very popular with coffee growers because it has one of the most unpretentious growing conditions.
Branches of the Typica variety
The plant can be grown not only in the sun, but also in the shade. Therefore, the technique of growing it is called "shadow growth". It was Typica, thanks to its unpretentiousness, that perfectly adapted to the conditions of Brazil, El Salvador, Yemen and even Vietnam.
The dimensions of the fruits of Typica reach 13-14 mm, the dimensions of the beans are 5-7 mm. On one branch of a bush (or tree), located under a more horizontal than vertical plane, there can be up to 200 grains. The height of the plant rarely exceeds 3.5 m, the yield is about 1 kg of finished coffee beans. Actually, Arabica coffee trees rarely reach such a height; usually, these are relatively low trees (often even bushes), about 50-90 cm in height.
At home, all this has to be divided into two: the actual maximum height of Typica coffee trees is about 2 m (well, the average is from 30 to 50 cm), the yield is 300-500 g of finished beans.
Ripe fruits of the Typica variety
It is recommended for beginner growers to grow Typica as their first experience, since there are the least problems with it and it is likely to achieve not only good vegetation, but also flowering of the plant and its fruiting.
Variety Maragogype
This is one of the varieties of Arabica, which has a particularly large grain. Sometimes it is called like this: "Elephant variety". The fruits of Maragogype can reach 30 mm, and its grains - 15-20 mm. This is not reflected in the height of the plant, it remains the same as in classical Arabica (trees or bushes up to 1 m in height). Coffee of this variety has a pronounced chocolate flavor.
Branches of Maragogype
A feature of this variety is its non-African origin. It was obtained as a natural mutation of Typica grown in Brazil. By some mysterious coincidence, the conditions in the area of the city of Maragogype turned out to be better for Arabica than those present in its homeland.
The variety has perfectly taken root in other countries of South America, in addition, due to some peculiarities of the climate of the area in which it is grown, the taste of its grains has characteristic differences:
- Nicaragua – pronounced aroma and slight sourness
- Mexico and Colombia - peanut flavor
- Guatemala – weak chocolate taste, maximum similarity to the classic Typica
In theory, Maragogype has even more adaptability than classic Arabica. It may be worth trying to start growing a coffee tree with it.
Bourbon
It is a variety of Arabica, bred in South America, but again brought to Africa. It has somewhat larger grains compared to the same Typica (by 1-1.5 mm). In addition, its taste is sweeter and more balanced.
Bourbon fruits are more colorful than Arabica: bright red or bright yellow. There are practically no visual differences in the form of the trees themselves. Bourbon is interesting in that, firstly, it has a greater survival rate than many varieties of Arabica, and secondly, it gives about a third more yield than Typica. However, he is sun-loving, therefore, the growing conditions require appropriate.
Ripe yellow Bourbon berries
Within this variety, there are about 3-4 varieties that differ in taste (sometimes very radical) and grain size. However, the agricultural technology of all representatives of Bourbon is absolutely the same. The plant has relatively good adaptability and can also be recommended as a first grown coffee tree.
Variety Congo
A representative of the varieties of coffee trees from which Robusta is obtained. The Congolese coffee tree is indeed a tree whose normal growth starts at two meters and can reach up to ten. The fruits are quite large (from 8 to 15 mm), up to tens of kilograms can be collected from one tree.
Congo coffee tree (Robusta)
Trees from which Robusta is obtained are more hardy than those bearing Arabica. They do an excellent job with drought and disease, resistant to most pests. However, due to the sourness present in it, the taste of Robusta is not suitable for everyone. This explains why it is often difficult to obtain cuttings or growable Robusta seeds.
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