Don’t know how to take care of a coffee plant? Want to make your own coffee beans but can’t figure out how? Well, this article is going to be a helper in solving all these doubts.
We all kickstart our day with a hot cup of coffee. It is like an unspoken rule of everyone’s morning routine.
But did you ever think about how that coffee originates? How do those coffee beans turn into the coffee we drink from our mugs?
Well, this article will answer all these questions. And most importantly, we will learn how to care for a coffee plant.
1. About Coffee Plants
A coffee plant starts with a small seed like any other plant. It requires a lot of patience and proper care to grow any plant. The same thing applies to coffee plants.
The coffee plant belongs to the large plant family called Rubiaceae. It includes more than 100 species of such plants.Â
However, among these, there are two types: Coffea arabica and Coffea Canephora. Usually, they are called Arabica and Robusta. These are the two most important plants for making coffee.
Arabica has a mild flavour and a nice smell. This is usually the coffee most people like to have. However, Robusta coffee is strong and has more caffeine.Â
2. Sowing Process
Start with the sowing procedure of a coffee plant by choosing the right seeds. Seeds are like small tablets that later become aromatic coffee plants given they are properly cared for.
So, take fresh seeds of coffee plants and sow them. Do not that freshness is an important factor.
Tip – Before planting the seeds soak the seeds in water for about a day. This soaking helps them sprout properly and start their journey of becoming a plant.Â
People can also start with a young coffee plant if they don’t want to start from scratch. In the nurseries, baby coffee plants are available, also known as seedlings.
It is similar to adopting a small plant at an early age. Giving it care so that it becomes a proper and big plant.Â
3. Ideal Climate And LocationÂ
Coffee plants thrive and grow conveniently in warm weather. When it’s not too hot or cold, the weather is the perfect condition for them to grow. The ideal temperature is somewhere between 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Â
To grow these plants well, consistency is very important. It is very important for the weather not to be extremely hot or cold.
But if a person lives in a cold region, there are also some ways to grow them.Â
- Keep your coffee plant near the window during the day, where it receives the most sunlight.
- If there is not much sunlight, then special lights are available for plants. It gives similar energy to the sun to help the plant to grow. These are called grow lights.Â
4. Soil To Grow Coffee Plant
Just like we humans need a comfortable bed to sleep in, plants also need the same with soil. The soil must be a bit citric to grow coffee plants, like a lemon, but not too much.
It should have some air pockets so water can easily travel. This type of soil helps plants to breathe better. It also ensures that water does not stay in one place.
You must also nourish the soil with the right compost.
- Pick a plant pot that has a hole in the bottom. It helps in proper water drainage.
- If you plan on planting seeds, put them in the soil about your finger deep.
- If you are planting baby plants, put them at the same level as in the container in the nursery.
- It should not be too up, not too deep. Along with this, it requires extra care and love to help in growing such plants.
5. Sunshine RequirementÂ
Just like humans, plants also need their daily dose of sunlight. Coffee plants require filtered sunlight and not direct sunlight. This refers to the sunlight coming through a sheer curtain or a light shade.Â
Exposing them to direct sunlight can harm their leaves and create problems in their growth.
6. Watering Your Coffee Plant
The roots of coffee plants transport the water from the damp soil for its functioning. Thus, it is very important to give an adequate amount of water to your coffee plant.
If you are confused about whether your plant needs water or not at any given time, just follow this trick – put your finger in the plant pot just till its length. If the soil doesn’t feel moisturized, then pour water.Â
Avoid overwatering your plant as well. Otherwise, the water will stay at the button if the pot doesn’t have drainage. It can destroy the plant as well.
On very hot and humid days, you can also spray water on the leaves of your coffee plant. This helps keep it refreshed in that hot weather and prevents it from drying.Â
7. Day To Day Care Tips
- Trimming your plant just like we remove our dead skin is very important. If you find a few yellow or brown leaves, then separate them. They are no longer healthy and thus can be removed.Â
- As your coffee plant becomes bigger, it can’t stand alone and might need some support. For this, you can get some sticks and gently keep them beside the plant to give it support. It will help the plant so that it does not fall and get damaged.Â
- If you see some plant insects like bugs on the leaves, then get some safe organic plant oil spray to keep the insects away. Along with this, give your plant some fresh, clean air as well.Â
- Keep an eye on your plant’s size. Make sure to shift it to a bigger pot every time it gets bigger. Along with this, give it some fresh and fertile soil. This will make sure that the coffee plant will grow healthily.
8. Blooming
After taking care of your coffee plant daily, it shows its gratitude in the form of white flowers. The hard work one puts in providing proper water, light, and fertilizers to the plant finally pays off.
Consistently taking care of coffee plants results in the development of white flowers on the branches.Â
These white flowers are small in size and often grow in groups. They look like a team of flowers.
But these flowers bloom for a very short span of time. They come and vanish quickly.
These flowers also deliver an important message. That message is that your coffee plant is ready to make coffee beans.
8.1. Development Of Bean
After the flower completely blooms, they turn into small green cherries. The branch of the coffee plant at this time is full of such cherries.Â
After some time, these green cherries change their colour. They shift from green to red colour cherries. These red cherries mean that they are ready to be harvested.
Red cherries are the ones we make coffee beans from. When the red cherries are ripe, gently pluck them and start harvesting.
8.2. Harvesting The Coffee Beans
It is very important to choose the cherries to pick. Choose cherries that look completely ripe. The ripe ones look completely red and slightly soft to the touch.
Do not pluck the cherries that are still green or slightly red. They might not taste good.
You can pluck the cherries by hand, or if there are many, then gently shake the branches. It will cause the cherries to fall and then store them.Â
8.3. ProcessingÂ
The next step after harvesting the ripe cherries is the processing. Some of the ways to do this are:
- First is the dry method. For this, spread the coffee beans in the open, under the sun. When the cherries become dry, they become more fragile. This makes the peeling of their outer layer easy. This method is normally used in places with hot weather.
- Another one is the wet method. For this, the cherries’ outer skin is peeled using special machines. After this, the cherries are soaked in water for some time. It helps in removing the sticky outer layer around the beans. Finally, beans are dried in the sun. This type of method is usually done in areas with proper water availability.
- Another method is the combination of both dry and wet methods. For this, the outer layer of the cherries is removed. But the fruity layer is not peeled from the beans. This gives a distinct flavour to the beans. The beans are then dried.
Finally, beans are dried and polished to give them a shiny appearance. It is then ready for roasting. Then, they are delivered to the place where the magic happens. The roasted beans are finally turned into the coffee beans that we make coffee from.
Conclusion
If you plan to grow a coffee plant, ensure that you have much patience because good things take time to happen, the same with the coffee plant. Planting a seed and then watching it evolve through various stages is really satisfying.
Proper lighting, water, minerals, etc., are essential to help your coffee plant grow healthily. So, if you were confused about caring for a coffee plant, hopefully, this article on “how to take care of a coffee plant” has solved your problem.
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