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Growing coffee at home

To grow a coffee tree at home we will need: unroasted coffee beans or coffee tree cuttings.

Let's consider the seed method of propagating coffee, Main question where to get coffee beans for growing at home, you can buy green, unroasted coffee beans in the store and try to grow a plant from coffee seeds, the probability of growth is very small. You can ask friends who already have a fruit-bearing plant, a couple of fruits of the coffee tree, ripe brown-red coffee fruits, peel the coffee from the peel and pulp, which tastes sweet and has a tonic effect, the grain usually consists of two halves, each half is a full-fledged seed coffee tree that germinates very quickly. You can buy coffee seeds at a flower shop, but rather than buying seeds, it is better to buy a ready-made sprouted plant that is 3-4 months old. Now let's look at all the ways to grow coffee in more detail.

Coffee fruits from green to ripe and overripe

The genus Coffee, or Coffee tree (Coffea), includes about 50 species of evergreen or deciduous shrubs growing wild in tropical Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands. small trees. How ornamental plant a coffee tree first cultivated in botanical gardens and greenhouses.

Coffee tree seeds generally lose their viability very quickly, and the fresher the seeds, the more likely they are to sprout. If you get your hands on dried green coffee beans, pour water into a plate and put the coffee beans there for a day; after 24 hours, a root embryo should hatch on the grains; plant the coffee beans that have begun to germinate in a separate pot. Of the hundreds of seeds that you remove from a plant, even after a couple of months only a few will sprout. Those who would like to have coffee at home should pay attention to this.

Two weeks before sowing the seeds, prepare a loose, water- and breathable substrate: steam the turf soil, mix it with sand and sifted peat in a ratio (1:2:2).

The peeled coffee seeds are placed in a pot filled with substrate, flat side down, 3 cm apart. Having pressed the seeds into the soil to a depth of 1 cm, water the substrate with a pink solution of potassium permanganate and cover the crops with glass.

Do not forget to ventilate the pots, wipe and turn over the glass; When seedlings appear, the ventilation time is gradually increased.

The first coffee sprouts will appear in two months, be patient.

Coffee at 4 months has an already formed primary leaf that will fall off over time.

Coffee is a very unpretentious and grateful plant. In the first year of life, the growth rate is modest - the average growth is 15-20 cm. But over time, the plant begins to branch independently, without additional pruning.

At 9 months of age, the coffee tree begins its primary crown formation; the crown forms independently.

We must try to interfere as little as possible with independent life plants. Pruning is required only as a last resort - when the bush becomes too large for the room that you are willing to provide it with.

Coffee trees developing from seedlings do not need to form a crown: at first they grow with one trunk, and in the second year skeletal branches grow from the awakened lateral axillary buds of the trunk. Too long side shoots of coffee are pruned to ensure the splendor of the crown and abundant flowering. Fruiting of coffee trees grown from seeds begins after 5-6 years; coffee branches grow quite interestingly, much the same as a Christmas tree. They extend at right angles to the trunk. Therefore, the crown turns out to be spreading. It is because of this crown that difficulties often arise, because the plant must be placed closer to the light, it is very light-loving

In the first years of life, replanting is required annually, into a pot that is at least 5 cm larger in diameter. Otherwise, instead of blooming for the first time in 4 years, your coffee will not bloom at all. Any soil can be used – suitable for potted plants or shrubs, rich nutrients, structured and not very loose.

It's not necessary to spray the coffee, but it won't hurt. The coffee tree should be wiped from dust with a damp sponge and the coffee should be given a warm shower. Temperature usual for indoor plants. Wintering at 16-18°C is recommended. But adult plants tolerate lower temperatures well, down to 10-12°C, but always in a very bright place and with rare watering.

Coffee is a very attractive shrub with a symmetrical crown and shiny dark green leaves. The light brown bark peels away from the trunk with age. So the surrounding ground is literally strewn with thin shavings.

In summer, coffee can be taken outside, placing it in the shade of a tree, if you place it under direct Sun rays the coffee will quickly die; in the summer, the coffee tree loves shade outside.

The coffee tree is 9 years old.

Young coffee tree seedlings need to be replanted every year. When the tree begins to bear fruit, it is no longer necessary to replant so often, on average, once every three to four years. This should be done in the spring. Before repotting the plant, ensure drainage in the new container. Inspect the roots of the plant, remove rotten and diseased ones. Almost any soil composition is suitable, most importantly, with weak acidity. For example, this: turf soil - 40%, leaf soil - 30%, river sand– 20%, high-moor peat – 10%. This soil is well suited for Arabica seedlings. Fertilizers can and should be used. Both regular manure and special mineralized compounds can be used as fertilizers. Horn shavings or bone meal (200 g per 10 kg of soil) are an ideal source of highly digestible phosphorus.

Coffee tree outdoors

The flowering of the coffee tree lasts from 2 to 10 days; the aroma of the flowers is not as strong as that of citrus fruits.

Coffee beans have long been known as a means of invigorating. They contain caffeine - about 2%, organic acids, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, amino acids, minerals. In creating the taste and aroma of the drink main role chlorogenic acid and ester-like compounds formed during roasting of grains play a role, and the physiological effect is determined by the alkaloid - caffeine.

You need to wait until the berries are completely ripe. They will become cherry color and soft to the touch. Then, we do the same as on coffee plantations: we collect the seeds, wash them, separate them from the pulp and films and dry them. Further options are possible: someone will try to distribute them or sow them themselves. It is a gardener's natural instinct to multiply what he has. Or you can roast it and get the grains, which make a full-fledged drink.

Be sure to try the coffee from our own harvest. From ripe berries select the grains and soak them in water for 12 hours (this will clear them of mucus). Dry the grains for 7-10 days. Then keep in the oven for 2-3 hours at 70-80 °C. Without these procedures, coffee beans will not acquire the desired taste. Fry the seeds, cooled after drying, stirring constantly, in a frying pan until light brownish. Cool again and fry again until dark. Brown. Only after these procedures can the coffee be ground and prepared as a drink.

Real high-quality coffee is currently difficult to find in regular stores, and even if you do find it, it is very expensive. In such cases, one solution suggests itself: to grow coffee yourself. And although this activity requires an investment of effort and a long wait, half a kilogram of selected grains collected from one tree at home will be the best reward for lovers of this aromatic and invigorating drink.

Growing a coffee tree at home

Lovers of indoor plants give their preference to Arabica when choosing coffee beans. And this decision is completely justified:

1. Arabica is a common variety that has a pleasant taste that has found crowds of fans around the world.
2. Unlike Robusta, the Arabica tree is shorter.
3. If you look for an outlandish variety, there is a high probability of buying something completely different from what you were looking for.

In view of the nuances described above, Arabica remains the number 1 coffee for growing at home. We wrote about how Arabica differs from Robusta.

Where to get coffee seeds for planting

You can buy coffee seeds for planting in many gardening stores, but despite the abundance of varieties offered, it is recommended to choose the Rabusta or Arabica varieties. These species take root best at home.

The main rule to follow when choosing grains is to find out their age: only grains no older than two years will germinate and turn into a full-fledged tree.

Soil preparation

The soil for planting coffee needs to be prepared two weeks before planting. First of all, the soil must be heated in the oven for several minutes - this will give the soil properties close to the characteristics of the soil in which coffee grows. natural conditions.

It is better to buy special soil in the same gardening departments and stores, and the acidity in the soil should be low. Exact indicators are not given, but you can determine whether the acidity level is satisfactory on your own. To do this, you need to pour a small amount of vinegar into the soil, and if it starts to bubble when it comes into contact with the soil, it means you can plant coffee in it. Otherwise, the acidity can be reduced by mixing the soil with chalk or ash.

How to germinate coffee beans

Coffee beans have a hard, green outer shell. This protective layer protects the insides from external influences, but also prevents the grain from germinating, so such a cover must be destroyed - this is called “scarification”.

Sprouted Arabica beans

You can destroy such a shell by soaking it in a solution of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid, but firstly, not everyone has such means at hand, and secondly, if you do not calculate the concentration, you can damage the insides themselves, and in this case the seed will not germinate, so the mechanical method is more preferable.

It involves destroying the protective cover with a knife or sandpaper, which needs to vigorously rub the grain on the rounded side.

After this, the grain is kept in a solution that stimulates growth (Kornevin is best). You can prepare the solution yourself by diluting aloe juice with water in a ratio of 1:20.

How to plant a coffee tree at home

First you need to decide on a landing site. It will be permanent place coffee tree, as regularly moving the pot can negatively affect growth and negatively affect harvest volumes. In this regard, it is necessary to think in advance about the location of the pot and choose it so that a sufficient amount of light falls on it, but the container does not interfere with walking and the coffee bean feels comfortable.

First coffee sprouts

Soil is poured into the pot, and prepared coffee seeds are planted in it with the flat part down, while the grains must be carefully pressed into the soil to a depth of one centimeter. At home, it is better to plant several seeds at once, since not all of them will sprout, and the distance between them should be at least four centimeters.

Then the coffee seeds are watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (but not too much), and the pot is covered clear glass to create a greenhouse effect. The glass must be removed from the pot every day for half an hour so that the soil is saturated with oxygen, and when the first shoots appear from the ground, the ventilation time can be increased to two to three hours.

The Arabica plant is watered daily with settled water at room temperature. Under such conditions, within a few weeks the sprouts will become stronger and elongated, and leaves will appear on them. If there are at least two pairs of them, this is a signal that it is time to transplant each coffee tree into a separate container.

Coffee tree growth stages

In natural conditions average height reaches 5-6 meters in height, but at home this figure does not exceed four meters, and even then in rare cases. A height of one and a half meters is considered normal, and for the Arabica variety, which is specially bred for cultivation in such conditions, this is a normal average.

Coffee flowering periods occur in spring and summer. At these times of the year, fruits appear that are similar in shape, color and size to small cherry berries. Over time, the fruits begin to increase slightly in size and become increasingly saturated with color, and from a pale pink hue they gradually turn into brighter colors. But the grains themselves, which are boiled to make the drink, are inside these fruits, and they need to be cut off towards the end of the year, when the “berries” turn bright red.

Temperature and lighting

The difficulty of growing lies in the difference between the conditions in wildlife and at home. Coffee grows in regions with a temperate climate, where there are no sharp average annual temperature changes, so in summer the temperature in the room where the pot with the tree is located should not exceed +25 degrees, and in winter it is unacceptable to drop below +15 degrees.

The tree also needs to be provided with good and stable natural lighting - in this case the tree will grow faster, bloom profusely and produce big harvest. But also overdo it sunlight This is also not possible, and until the tree reaches two years of age, it is better to hide it from direct sunlight (especially in hot weather).

It is also necessary to shade coffee trees a little during fruit set. But this must be done by enclosing it with a curtain or partition: you should not move the pot, since changing the angle of the incident light can negatively affect flowering activity, and the tree can suddenly shed its leaves.

Coffee tree care

The main emphasis when caring for wood should be on air humidity: the humidity level in the room should be above average, and for this you can use technical means in the form of humidifiers, or simply lay out wet rags every day on the floor of the room next to the coffee beans. It is also necessary to spray the Arabica leaves with a spray bottle once every one or two days.

Watering

Summer watering of Arabica at home

When watering, you must adhere to the same principles as when growing other indoor plants. In summer, watering is done as the soil dries out (and this will happen often), and in winter, watering is reduced to a minimum. For irrigation, use only settled water heated to a temperature several degrees higher than room temperature.

From spring to autumn, once a week, stronger indoor plants can even be watered with coffee from the shower, but this procedure can be performed a maximum of 1-2 times a week. Every month, once during the next watering, you need to add a couple of drops to the water. citric acid or apple cider vinegar for supporting required level soil acidity.

Coffee grows in hot countries and, it would seem, the tree should easily tolerate heat and lack of moisture, but domestic varieties, in the absence of regular watering, begin to quickly fade, and even if the tree blooms, it will not bear fruit if you constantly skip watering or give the tree insufficient amounts water.

Top dressing

When telling how to care for a coffee tree, we must not forget about fertilizers. They must be applied once every two weeks during the flowering period: for this use any mineral supplements in liquid form in the dosage strictly prescribed in the instructions. The ideal fertilizers for coffee are those that are used to feed plants of the azalea family. Additionally, you can use an infusion of mullein or chicken droppings.

It is necessary to ensure that there is sufficient potassium in the soil: if there is not enough of it, a brownish border will begin to appear on the leaves, but this can be quickly corrected by adding dissolved potassium sulfate to the soil (20 grams of this product is diluted in ten liters of water).

Transfer

At the beginning of each spring, it is necessary to transplant Arabica into larger pots. This procedure is repeated annually until the tree is five years old. After this, transplants can be done every three years. Pots should not only be large in diameter, but also high enough so that the developed root system the coffee tree felt no embarrassment.

All moments of the transplant are shown in the video below:

Trimming

In cases where the coffee tree grows larger than expected and begins to rest against the ceiling, it can be pruned, but it is better not to interfere with the crown formation processes unless necessary. Pruning at home may also be necessary once the Arabica tree reaches ten years of age, when some branches begin to weaken and constantly shed leaves. Such branches can be safely cut off.

Watch the video for the cutting process:

We wrote in an article about why coffee tree leaves turn yellow, dry out, or turn black.

1. Try to protect the coffee tree from other indoor plants. This will prevent it from common diseases of domestic flowers.
2. When receiving your first harvest, do not try to roast and grind all the grains. Limit the portion to 2–3 brews, and prepare the remaining grains for planting.
3. Plant as many coffee seeds as possible. This will allow you to reduce risks in case not all coffee trees sprout, which happens often.
4. Arabica does not like frequent changes, so try not to disturb the tree without good reason.
5. Do not confuse the lignification process with tree diseases, but this can happen. This is due to the specificity of the process. First appear on the green trunk brown spots, after which the entire trunk turns brown. After some time, the color changes to lighter.

Watch the video below for the entire growing process:

With proper care, coffee does not experience problems with flowering and fruiting, and given its unpretentiousness and relatively high resistance to disease, it is especially recommended to take preventive measures against pests and diseases in most cases it is not necessary.

The main thing is to provide access to the sun and water on a schedule, and then you can count on good harvest coffee that will taste twice as good knowing that the coffee beans were grown with your own hands.

Almost everyone loves strong, invigorating coffee. But, to our deepest regret, coffee is not grown in our country - so we have only two opportunities to drink real, fresh coffee: either go to the country where coffee is produced (countries in Africa and Asia), or... grow a coffee tree at home ! Yes, yes, don’t be surprised - it’s possible, and it won’t be difficult. And besides, it looks very nice and looks like lemon Tree- the same leathery, large and smooth leaves of a dark green color, and the height rarely exceeds 1.5 meters. In the axils of the leaves there are flowers that resemble jasmine (though a little larger) and smell pleasant. Then these flowers ripen into fruits the size of cherries, but not round, but slightly elongated: first green, then red, and finally black and blue. Moreover, on one branch there can be both flowers and green fruits, and red ones, both red and black and blue. The fact is that coffee fruits may not ripen at the same time. After ripening, they can be picked, roasted, ground - and enjoy the aroma of fresh, natural coffee “from own garden». How can you give yourself and your family such exotic pleasure?

A few facts from the history of coffee

Now Arabian coffee (Arabica group) is rightfully recognized as the best coffee. And this is not without reason - the fact is that, according to legend, the drink coffee appeared in the 12th-13th centuries in Arabia, thanks to an Arab mullah. One day he saw that goats, after eating the leaves and berries of the coffee tree, became active, excited and agile. Mulla decided to try giving an infusion of coffee beans to his students - so that they would have more strength and energy for prayer. The infusion worked - and after that other people began to drink coffee in order to give themselves energy. TO XVII century coffee became widespread in Asia, Europe and America. It became an obligatory component of various ceremonies, a sign of hospitality (for example, among the Bedouins, when four sips of coffee were poured into a guest’s cup, which meant: “Drink and leave”). Coffee houses began to be built in the East and soon they became more popular than mosques! After this, coffee shops were banned in some places, but this did not turn people away from coffee: in Europe, coffee first appeared in Italy, then spread to England and other countries. Here they also tried to limit the number of coffee shops, for example, English king Charles II called coffee houses "rebel schools" and ordered the closure of about 3,000 of them, but public opinion forced him to abandon his idea.

Nowadays, coffee is mainly grown in Latin America, and it is widely represented by the Java and Mocha varieties. The best coffee The Robusta variety grown in Central Africa is recognized, which is frost-resistant and has a sharp taste. This type of coffee is usually used to make instant coffee. Liberian coffee varieties are grown mainly in Africa and are not imported abroad, so it is extremely difficult to find it in stores.

Arabian coffee is usually grown in the apartment; in rare cases, Liberian or Brazilian coffee is grown.

Coffee trees propagate in two ways: cuttings and seeds. Those who grow coffee at home disagree on which method of propagation is best - so you can leave this choice to yourself. You just have to know that regular coffee seeds bought in a store are not suitable for planting a coffee tree: the seeds lose their viability very quickly when stored. In addition, a coffee tree grown from a seed will bear fruit no earlier than 3-4 years after planting. If you decide to plant your coffee tree using cuttings, it will begin to bear fruit earlier, although it will take longer to grow.

Where can I get cuttings or suitable seeds? The fact is that cuttings need to be taken from a branch from the middle part of the crown of a coffee tree that is already bearing fruit. And the seeds must be taken from newly ripened fruits, from which the pulp has been removed - and it is better to plant the seeds immediately, without leaving them “for later.” Therefore, you should only take cuttings or seeds from friends who already have their own coffee tree - because in a regular store for summer residents you are unlikely to find the materials you need.

If you decide to plant a coffee tree using a cutting, you must comply with a number of conditions:

If you plant several cuttings next to each other, their leaves should not cover each other;

The cutting must be cut diagonally with two pairs of leaves, and the lower section of the branch remaining under the leaves must be scratched with a needle so that the cutting takes root faster;

To stimulate growth and rooting, before planting, you need to dissolve a quarter of a heteroauxin tablet in 0.5 liters of water and place the end of the cutting in this solution for 4 hours, then apply powder to the lower cut of the cutting. charcoal;

It is better to plant the cuttings in a mixture of sifted peat and perlite with the addition of a weak solution of potassium permanganate; you can also use ordinary soil containing high peat and organic (manure) and inorganic (mineral) fertilizers;

After planting the cutting, it should be watered with the same weak solution of potassium permanganate;

After planting the seedling, it is advisable to build a mini-greenhouse, since coffee trees love warmth, after which you must not forget to regularly ventilate it and spray the cuttings themselves - the first bud in this case will awaken in a month and a half;

The temperature at the roots should be maintained at 25-27 degrees;

The cutting should be replanted no earlier than it forms a new pair of leaves;

If buds appear on the rooted cuttings, there is no need to remove them - they will not hinder the development of the coffee tree itself.

If you decide to sow coffee tree seeds, do not forget about the following important things:

For planting, you need to take well-ripened fruits with two seeds - then you will have a better chance that the coffee tree will actually grow;

Before planting, pulp-free coffee seeds must be washed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;

The soil in which you will plant the seeds must be prepared two weeks before planting: steam the turf soil and mix it with sand and sifted high-moor peat (proportion 1:2:2);

After cleaning and washing with potassium permanganate, the seeds are laid flat side down on the prepared soil at a distance of about 3 cm from each other and pressed into the ground about 1 cm;

After this, the seeds are watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and covered with a sheet of glass;

The pot with the crops must be placed in a warm place with a constant temperature of about 20 degrees and watered in moderate quantities - then seedlings will appear in 1-1.5 months;

Crops must be ventilated daily, wiped and the glass turned over, and after the emergence of seedlings, ventilation should increase even more;

Seedlings can be replanted after 2-3 pairs of leaves appear on them;

Seedlings need to be transplanted one at a time into different pots. small size, after which it is necessary to put them in the shade, and when the seedlings take root, place them in a bright place with a constant influx fresh air;

The seedling becomes a tree gradually - first, brown spots appear on the green bark, then they increase in size and merge with each other, after which they lighten and the bark acquires its typical color;

The formation of a crown as such does not occur in coffee trees grown from seeds: at first they grow as a single table, and in the second year new branches grow from new buds, and it is advisable to trim off too long side shoots so that the crown is more lush.

As for replanting coffee trees, young trees that are not yet bearing fruit must be replanted annually, and those that are already bearing fruit should be replanted once every 3-4 years. Moreover, it is better to do this in the spring.

Before transplanting, it is necessary to lay drainage at the bottom of the new pot, carefully remove rotten roots from the seedlings - and prepare the soil. In general, an already rooted coffee tree is not demanding in the composition of the soil; the only condition is a slightly acidic pH reaction (about 5-5.5). The following soil is ideal for replanting Arabian coffee trees: 40% - turf soil, 30% - leaf soil; 20% - river sand; 10% - high-moor peat.

Coffee tree care

The coffee tree is a rather unpretentious plant. All it needs is light, warmth and moderate watering. In summer and autumn - that is, in the cool season - it is recommended for the coffee tree temperature conditions in the region of 16-22 degrees, frequent and abundant watering in summer and moderate watering in winter, since if watered too much, the roots may simply rot. Lighting is very important point for the good growth of your coffee tree, so try to place the coffee pot in a lighted and sunny areas apartments. True, one detail needs to be taken into account - too much sun is not very good, especially for young seedlings, as this leads to yellowing and wrinkling of tender leaves.

In order for your coffee tree to grow and develop, it must be in a bright, well-ventilated area with average temperature 20-25 degrees (lowest limit is 16 degrees in winter). But despite the fact that the temperature of the sucker is too low for the coffee tree, it should also not be located near heating devices- since they dry out the air, which can have a detrimental effect on your tree, because it really loves a humid atmosphere!

As for feeding, coffee trees are very fond of nitrogen and potassium salts (3g potassium salt and 5g ammonium nitrate per 1 liter of water). It is best to fertilize in late spring and throughout the summer - during a period of particularly rapid growth. In addition, you can add organic fertilizers to this fertilizer.

The dormant period as such in the coffee tree is practically not expressed - but, nevertheless, it occurs in winter and is manifested in the need for moderate watering and keeping the tree in a bright place at a low (16-20 degrees) temperature.

Some features of growing coffee trees at home

The condition of a coffee tree's leaves can tell you a lot about its needs. For example, if there is not enough moisture in the air, the leaves will probably begin to dry out. If the acidity of the soil in which the coffee tree grows is low, the leaves will lose their color. If a coffee tree feels an excess of sun, it, just like a person, receives " sunburn": the leaves turn yellow and brown spots appear on them. If you slightly overdo it with watering the tree, the leaves may begin to rot and fall off. If the water you water this plant with is very hard, brown spots will appear on the leaves and they may curl. You can soften the water using simple water softening tablets, which you can buy in the household chemicals or in a store for summer residents. There is another remedy - simply soak a small bag of peat in 3 liters of water.

The main pests for the coffee tree are scale insects, spider mite and sooty fungus, which appears on the leaves of the plant if it gets into too much low temperature(10-12 degrees). Sooty fungus can cause the death of a coffee tree.

To make coffee from beans grown at home, you need to collect them, remove the pulp and dry them. outdoors. After that, put them in a regular frying pan, fry until brown, grind in a coffee grinder - and you can brew coffee (at the rate of 1 tablespoon of coffee per glass of boiling water)! You can simply pour boiling water over the ground coffee and let it brew for about an hour.

By the way, coffee trees grown at home bear fruit very little - you can hardly get more than 500g of beans. But, in the end, even this amount of coffee grown with your own hands can be very valuable and will give you an unforgettable taste and aroma. And it will be a very nice tree good decoration Your apartment.

Coffee is the favorite drink of many on the planet. It has an invigorating effect on the human body, improves performance and fills with energy. But few people know that coffee can be grown on your balcony. Lovers of this drink do not think of seeing a plant called a coffee tree in their home. How to grow coffee? This is not difficult to do. First of all, you need to get the seeds, but you should remember that the seeds must be fresh, since dried seeds will not germinate. But that's not all - before planting the seeds, you need to clean out all the pulp and wash them in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Setting the stage

The soil should be prepared and the seeds should be spread at a distance of 3-4 cm. As for the soil, it should consist of deciduous soil and sand in equal parts. you just need to put it on the ground and not sprinkle it, because the grains can rot in the ground. After that, for the seeds necessary care. To do this, you need to water them and, of course, cover them with glass or polyethylene so that the soil always remains moist. But, also, do not forget to ventilate periodically - about twice a week, although make sure that the temperature does not drop below 20 degrees. If properly cared for, the seeds should sprout within 2 months. As for replanting, this is only possible after several pairs of leaves appear.

Where is the best place to put the tree?

You need to place the coffee tree in a well-lit place, just avoid direct sunlight. If the rays hit the leaves, spots may appear on the leaves, which means that the plant has been burned. If such spots have already appeared, then the plant must be saved - placed in a less lit place or covered from the sun. If the spots do not go away, the cause may be a draft in which the plant is standing.

Watering

Regular watering and misting is essential for coffee, as this plant cannot thrive in a dry environment. Otherwise, the leaves may dry out. If the coffee has already dried out a little, you can restore it by using water baths. But it happens that this does not help, since the reason may be in the root system, maybe you flooded your plant. Then you should leave the soil to dry without watering. Quite normal process it counts if they dry lower leaves tree - this occurs as the plant grows.

Possible diseases

There are cases when coffee leaves turn black - this can cause iron deficiency. Then you should feed the plant with some kind of iron-containing fertilizer or simply stick a few nails into the pot.

There were times when coffee trees were considered exotic, but now you can grow such a tree at home. Of course, every coffee lover would like to have such a plant, especially since now this is no longer a problem. The coffee tree not only smells and blooms beautifully, but also bears fruit. Not every variety of coffee can be grown at home, as some have very tall trees, which is inconvenient in indoor conditions and requires special space.

It is best to grow a coffee tree by planting cuttings, but you can also propagate from beans, only, as already mentioned, fresh beans. If you plant cuttings, it will be very easy to grow a coffee tree, but not many people know that if you do everything correctly, it will also not be difficult to grow from beans.

As for the variety, it is better at home and if the grains are fully ripe. Almost a hundred percent guarantee will be given by seeds that are plucked directly from the tree, and not bought in a store. Store-bought grains are unlikely to germinate. If grains are picked from a tree, it must be immediately planted in the ground, as it quickly loses its ability to grow. The soil also needs to be selected very carefully - it should be slightly acidic, loose and free of any debris.

Coffee beans also need to be prepared for planting. To do this, it should be peeled from the outer shell and placed in a solution of potassium permanganate for about one hour. After this time, the grain must be removed with tweezers. It is necessary to plant the grain in a small pot, since after growth, the plant can be replanted. Drainage should be poured into the bottom of the pot, and then the prepared soil. Plant coffee beans to a depth of 1 cm. Everyone knows that one side of the bean is flat and the other is round, so you also need to plant coffee accordingly - so that the flat side is at the bottom and the round side is on the surface. This will make it easier for coffee sprouts to break through to the surface. After the grain is planted, it should be watered abundantly and greenhouse conditions should be created. To do this, cover the pot with glass and place it in a bright place. The temperature in the pot should be no lower than 19 degrees and no higher than 24.

Watering the grain is required once every three days and only in the pan. The soil should remain constantly moist, so you need to check if there is enough moisture in the pot. If it is not enough, then you should water more. When the plant begins to grow, you should not loosen the soil at this stage.

Active growth

If everything is done correctly, then within a few months you will be able to see the first shoots. Then you can begin to accustom the plant to room temperature. You can start with periodic ventilation. To do this, simply remove the glass for a while, just not for long, and then cover it again. After some time, the coating can be completely removed. If you manage to grow a coffee tree, then this is not a complete victory, since caring for it also plays a big role.

The finished coffee tree should stand in a place where the lighting will be diffused, and the air temperature in summer is about 23-25 ​​degrees, and in winter 15-17 degrees. It is also important not to allow the soil to dry out, because the plant may dry out and, in the future, die altogether. In hot summer months, the coffee tree requires more moisture, so it should be watered every day, and to avoid overwatering, you can place a container of water near the plant. The water that needs to be watered on the tree must be settled. In winter it is necessary to water once a week. The coffee tree loves water, so it is advisable to spray it with settled water daily.

This plant has one more feature - it does not like drafts and does not like standing near other indoor plants. When the tree grows, it should be pinched in the spring to encourage flowering.

To ensure that the coffee tree bears fruit, you must properly and constantly care for it. To do this, you need to remove or weed the weeds in a timely manner, as well as treat them with fungicides and insecticides. These drugs are needed to protect plants from pests and diseases. As for the fruits, then, when proper care, they appear no earlier than two years later.

If you take good care of it and know how to grow coffee, the plant will not only delight you with its presence, but will bear fruits that are natural coffee.

Many people believe that coffee trees cannot tolerate proximity to other plants, but this is not entirely true, because such intolerance is very rare. If the goal is to obtain fruit, then the tree must be placed in a very bright place, since coffee loves light. In the hot tropics, coffee trees do not get much sun, they are more in the shade, but in our climatic conditions home plant should be placed on a south windowsill. If you put a coffee tree in another, not so bright room, then it will not grow well, and certainly will not bear fruit. The coffee tree loves diffuse light, and also does not like to change position. If you rotate a tree, the leaves will grow evenly, but the tree will not bear fruit.

Top dressing

As for feeding, the coffee tree needs to be fed every 7-10 days during active growth. But, the drug should be alternated - every other time a water infusion of mullein and mineral fertilizer with microelements. In the spring you can water with most of the nitrogen, but in the fall the plant requires more potassium. When the fruits begin to form, it is better to add phosphorus to the soil. The source of phosphorus is bone meal, which is well absorbed.

The coffee tree requires pollination, but at first glance this is impossible in the house. Although you can use a cotton swab and dip it into each flower one by one and move on to another flower.

Transfer

Young coffee plants should be replanted every year, but older trees can be replanted after two to three years.

Coffee replanting made easy necessary process. This must be done in the spring every two years. But you shouldn't take too much big pot immediately, it is better to increase the pot by 2-3 centimeters each time. The pot can be narrow, but high, since the coffee tree has a very developed root system. It is important to interfere with the independent life of the plant as little as possible and not to trim it unnecessarily. You can trim leaves or branches only if the tree no longer fits in the room where it grows.

The plant reproduces better by seeds and it is easier to grow a full-fledged coffee tree. Propagation by cuttings is used less frequently. After planting the grain, the tree will bear fruit only in the third year, and may not bear fruit at all if it has not retained the properties of the mother plant.

The coffee tree is not durable, as from constant fruiting the branches become bare and lose their strength. To rejuvenate such a tree, you can cut the crown 8-10 centimeters from the ground and form a new one from these shoots.

Growing using cuttings

If you grow a coffee tree from cuttings, it can bear fruit already in the first year, that is, immediately after rooting, the tree can bloom. These cuttings retain all the properties of the mother trees, so the fruits are large and there are many of them. But a tree grows from a cutting much more slowly than from a grain.

Cuttings are used from shoots of last year's growth, only from the middle part of the crown. They are cut obliquely with two pairs of leaves. To stimulate root formation, the bottom of the cutting is scratched with a needle. Before planting, the cuttings are treated with a heteroauxin solution and then left in this solution for 4 hours. After this time, the cuttings are removed and powdered bottom part charcoal powder. Cuttings should be planted vertically in a mixture of sifted peat and perlite. The petioles, where the lower part of the leaves are, are buried halfway in the ground. You just need to make sure that neighboring petioles do not touch each other. After the petioles are planted, the ground must be watered with a solution of potassium permanganate and covered with polyethylene or glass so that the petioles grow in greenhouse conditions. The pot with the coffee stalk should be placed on the windowsill in the southern part of the room, but not in direct sunlight. The substrate temperature should be maintained at 25-27 degrees. Such a greenhouse must be periodically ventilated by opening the glass for a few minutes. The first buds should appear in about 40 days.

You can replant cuttings only when new pairs of leaves appear. If several cuttings were planted in one pot before, then after new leaves appear they are transplanted into individual pots. A mixture is used as soil turf land, sand and peat. Drainage is laid out at the bottom, and then soil. The cuttings need to be planted, watered and placed in a bright place.

If the cuttings have taken root and buds have appeared on them, then they should not be removed, because they will not interfere with the development of the tree, but will only bear the first full fruits.

Coffee trees will begin to bear fruit only after year-round care, and this includes weeding, fertilizing and pest control.

Growing coffee trees is not that difficult. It is necessary to have either a sufficiently large window sill or a veranda that is well insulated. This plant requires a lot of space as the coffee tree can grow up to two meters. Of course, you can shape it compactly, but this is quite difficult.

Ethiopia is widely recognized as the birthplace of the coffee tree. It was from here that this drink spread, first to Arab countries, and only then to Europe and other continents. The main producers of coffee in our time are the countries South America(the largest of them is Brazil), India and Sri Lanka.

Recently, many fans exotic plants learned to grow this product with room conditions, this is what will be discussed in this article.

Features of planting a coffee tree

The coffee tree can be propagated by cuttings or seeds. Many people who grow coffee trees at home still argue about which method is best. Therefore, you can leave the choice in this matter to yourself.

It is necessary to remember that seeds purchased in a store are not suitable for planting, since if stored for a long time they can quickly lose their viability. A coffee tree that is grown from seed begins to bear fruit after about 3-4 years. It is best to take seeds from ripened fruits from which the pulp has already been removed.

If you decide to plant a coffee tree using cuttings, it will begin to bear fruit earlier, but will take longer to grow. To do this, you need to take a branch of a fruiting coffee tree, preferably from the middle of the crown.

Planting using cuttings

In order to properly plant a tree using a cutting, the following conditions must be met.
The leaves of the cuttings should not block each other.
The cutting must be cut obliquely with two pairs of leaves, and the lower part of the branch must be scratched with a needle so that the cutting takes root more quickly.

To stimulate and accelerate growth, dissolve heteroauxin (a quarter of a tablet in 0.5 liters of water) before planting and place the cutting in this solution for 3-4 hours, then apply charcoal powder to the lower cut.
It is best to plant the cuttings in a mixture of perlite and peat, adding a weak solution of potassium permanganate to it. It can also be planted in ordinary soil containing organic and inorganic fertilizers.
After planting, the cuttings must be watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

It is advisable, after planting, to build a mini-greenhouse for the seedling, since the coffee tree loves warmth. After this, you should regularly spray the cuttings and ventilate them.
It is necessary to maintain the root temperature at 24-26 degrees.
The cutting should be replanted only after it has a new pair of leaves.

Growing by seeds

If you decide to plant a coffee tree using seeds, then the technology will be slightly different.
To plant a coffee tree, you need fresh seeds from just ripened fruits - this contributes to the rapid growth of the plant. Before the procedure, it is necessary to clear the seeds from the pulp and rinse them in a solution of potassium permanganate. The soil for sowing should be prepared several weeks in advance.

The washed and peeled seeds are placed flat side down on the soil, at a distance of 4 cm from each other, and then pressed 1 cm into the ground. After planting, it is necessary to water the seeds with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and cover them with a sheet of glass.

The pot with sowing must be placed in a warm place with a regular temperature of 20 degrees. It is necessary to regularly ventilate the crops, as well as turn over and wipe the glass.

The seedling can be replanted only when several pairs of leaves appear. They need to be transplanted one at a time, into separate medium-sized pots. Then you need to place them in the shade, and after they take root, you need to put them in a bright place with a continuous flow of fresh air, making sure to avoid drafts.

The most suitable variety for growing indoors is the Arabian variety (arabika)
. The soil for planting must be air-light and permeable to water: greenhouse soil (2 parts), leaf soil(3 parts), high-moor peat and washed river sand (1 part each).
. To prevent the soil from turning sour, place several pieces of charcoal (1 cm in volume) in the pot.
. For planting, take a pot with high edges, with the obligatory use of drainage.
. The coffee tree does not like direct sunlight.
. The ideal temperature for keeping the plant at home in summer is 22-25° C, in winter not lower than 15° C. To keep the roots of the plant warm in cold weather, place a wooden stand under the pot.
. Water the coffee tree with settled soft water. In summer it is much abundant, in winter - once a week. During the growth period, be sure to spray the plant with water at room temperature (except for flowering).
. Fertilizer is applied once a month. For this purpose, solutions for the rose family are used. You can sprinkle the soil with dry mullein.
. Coffee fruits ripen within 6-8 months. The ripe fruit resembles a red cherry, with a diameter of 1-2 cm. At home, you can harvest up to 1 kilogram from one mature tree.

And finally, a useful video