Arabica Coffee Tree Nursery Plants

Description

• Coffee trees have thick glossy pointed leaves. The foliage is a rich dark green, with a waxy cuticle that helps it conserve moisture in hot climates. The tree has several main tap roots but the majority of the root system is at the surface of the soil. After three to four years, the plant produces small fragrant flowers at the base of the leaves. The fruits that form here are small green berries that ripen to a bright crimson color and then black.

Growing a Coffee Tree

• Coffee plants can be grown from a fresh bean if you can get hold of one. You must clean the flesh away from the seed within and soak it for an hour. Plant the seed 1.5 inches deep in a slightly acidic soil mixture with some peat moss mixed in. Hold the planted seed in a warm location and keep it moist. It can take 60 days or more to see a sprout. You can skip all this by purchasing a nursery tree, which generally will be two to three years old already.

Care

• Coffee plants always should be moist but never soggy. They are native to regions with mountain rainfall but hot humid temperatures. Bright sunlight is a must if you wish to get flowers and berries. Potted plants must be fertilized in early spring with a soluble 10-10-10 fertilizer. In climates with warm summers the plant should be brought outdoors to receive sunlight and air flow. The Arabica plant is self pollinating but the action of breezes will help.

Harvesting

• Fruits will ripen in fall. The ones you want to harvest are red with a slight give to the fruit. Every berry will ripen at a different time and green beans do not ripen off the plant. Harvest the berries as you see them ripen. Once cleaned of the sticky pulp, each berry will have two beans. They must be roasted before they are ready to grind for coffee. Roast them in a high heat oven until they begin to crack. Mix them as you roast them so all the beans become toasted. Watch the color of the beans as they roast and pull them when they are a shade lighter than you like your coffee.