Last week I bought a Coffea arabica. It turns out there are 16 stems in the pot, so 16 potential trees .... not bad for â?¬1,95! There are two coffee beans in each 'cherry' so obviously 8 were planted. I intend to take the strongest sem out of the pot and grow it on on its own and perhaps make a bonsai 'forest' with the remainder. My question is this .... has anyone grown one of these before and can you offer any advice ... are they quick/slow growing? what are their likes/dislikes? I will be growing these outdoors and I appreciate they are houseplants there. Many thanks in advance.
Although I have no direct experience, I found some info on it. Of the 70 species of coffea, the variety "arabica" and "robusta" are the most widely spread. The "arabica" is though more delicate and prone to parasites and illnesses and more sensitive to excessive heat and humidity. Ideal altitude to grow it would be between 900 and 1200 metres and temperature between 15 and 25 degrees. The soil has to be humid and preferably rich in minerals (not lime though), particularely of volcanic origin. Plants appreciate lots of light but not so much direct sun (especially behind glasses, it can burn the leaves) and definitely not wind. In ideal conditions they can reach 10 metres of height, but in a pot they will only reach max little over one metre. The size of the pot (to be changed in "dormant" periods) will allow the plant to develop accordingly. The growht of the plants is 30-40 cm after 4-5 months. They bear flowers for the first time after 3 years and they deliver a reasonable amount of fruits after 5/6 years. The stage of ripeness of the fruit varies on the same plant.
Thank you very much, mira, that is the information I need, especially for the one I intend to grow independent of the others. Hope you are keeping well and I will speak to you again soon. xx
