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There coffee plant, the Coffea arabica, becomes one evergreen indoor ornamental plant appreciated for the beauty of its foliage formed by large and shiny leaves.
Characteristics of the coffee plant or Coffea arabica
There Coffea arabica commonly known as coffee plant it is a plant of the Rubiaceae family native to Ethiopia and is widespread in all tropical African, Asian and Latin American countries. For some years some hybrid varieties have also been cultivated in the humid-temperate areas of Europe and Italy, especially for ornamental purposes.
Coffea is an evergreen plant with a robust root system consisting of a fairly developed primary root and numerous secondary or adventitious roots.
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The aerial part, with a shrubby habit, is formed by slender stems even more than 1 meter and a half high and by a large leafy crown.
The leaves they are more or less pointed oval, about 15 cm long, shiny with a nice dark green color and with serrated edges similar to those of Ficus Benjamina.
THE flowers, numerous and gathered in very dense groups or racemes, such as those of the Siliquastro or Judas tree, blossom directly on the stems and on the woody branches.
The flowers are starry and composed of long white ligulate petals similar to orange blossoms (orange flowers), they are aromatic and pleasantly scented.
THE fruits, which appear immediately after flowering, are green glossy ovoid berries or drupes, similar to olives, which as they ripen they turn from yellow to orange until they take on a bright red or dark brick color.
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The berries they wrap inside two seeds, grains of coffee of light green color, reniform and divided into two lobes by a with an evident longitudinal septum.
THE grains or coffee seeds after harvesting they are dried and then processed and toasted processed for production.
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Flowering
The coffee plant in its places of origin blooms in summer while in our latitudes and especially if grown at home it rarely produces flowers and consequently seeds.
Cultivation of the coffee plant
Exposure
Coffea arabica grown indoors loves bright places. To prevent the leaves from burning it is preferable not to expose it to direct sunlight. The ideal cultivation environment must not be below 18 ° C. It fears cold drafts and sudden changes in temperature.
Ground
It is an exotic plant that prefers loose, soft soil, rich in organic substance, well drained and with subacid pH values.
Watering
The coffee plant needs regular water supplies but should only be watered when the soil is completely dry to avoid the risk of root rot. During the summer, to ensure the right degree of humidity, it is advisable to nebulize the leaves with non-calcareous water at room temperature.
Fertilization
The fertilizations must be adjusted in relation to the age of the plant: it is a plant that must be fertilized according to age: for the young Coffea, monthly fertilizations will be sufficient in the spring-summer period while for the already grown coffee plant it is necessary to intervene with fertilizations weekly and for the same period. In both cases it is advisable to halve the doses compared to what is stated on the fertilizer package.
To ensure a harmonious and balanced growth of the coffee plant, the fertilizer must contain in addition to the main macro elements such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) also a minimum quantity of micro elements such as iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), boron (B) and molybdenum (Mo). If a slow-release fertilizer is used between one fertilization and the other, at least 40 days must pass.
Repotting
The plant is repotted in late spring only when the roots come out of the drainage holes of the watering. The new pot must be slightly larger than the previous one as the plant develops new foliage only if its roots are constrained and crammed. When repotting, replace the old soil with a new one, soft and fertile mixed with garden fiber
Pruning
There Coffea it does not require real pruning, but to favor the ventilation of the innermost parts of the plant from time to time it is good to thin it out using well-sharpened and disinfected shears.
Coffee harvest
The fruits are harvested manually when they have reached maturity around 9 months.
Multiplication of the coffee plant
Multiplication can be done by seed or by cutting.
Sowing
Sowing is carried out in spring, preferably in March, in a protected and warm seedbed with a temperature of not less than 25-30 C. To obtain good results, the sowing soil must be rich in organic substance and mixed with a little peat. The seeds must be buried at a depth of between 1-1.5 cm distributed evenly in parallel rows. The sowing substrate must be kept constantly humid until the moment of germination with water sprays, preferably rainwater. To create an ideal humid environment for the germination of seeds, the seedbed should be covered with a transparent plastic sheet that can be removed when the sprouts begin to sprout.
When the new coffea seedlings are lush enough to be handled, they can be transplanted into the final pot and reared like the adult plant.
The multiplication by seed, due to the mixture of the characters, obviously does not ensure plants with the same characteristics as that mother thing which does not happen with the multiplication by cutting.
Multiplication by cuttings
The agamic propagation of the coffee plant by cutting is practiced in early summer.
They are taken, with tools that are always well sharpened and disinfected, from the healthiest and most vigorous branches of the cuttings about 10-15 cm long bearing at least one apical bud.
The cuttings are pruned leaving only 2 apical leaves; the severed ends are treated with a rooting hormone to favor the rooting of the roots; arrange the cuttings in a mixture composed of peat and sand in equal parts, taking care to gently compact the soil with your hands.
Also in this case, the container must be covered with a transparent plastic sheet and then placed in the shade and at a temperature around 18 ° C.
For all the time necessary for the rooting of the cuttings, the soil must be kept humid with nebulizations of water at room temperature. To avoid the onset of fungal diseases caused by condensation it is recommended to uncover the cuttings in the hottest hours of the day.
When new leaves appear (sign of rooting), the container is definitively discovered and placed in a brighter area to favor the strengthening of the new plants.
When the seedlings are large enough and have emitted new shoots, they are transplanted to their permanent home and treated with the same care as the mother plant.
Pests and diseases of the coffee plant
The coffee plant is subject to infestations of mealy and shield cochineal that smear stems and leaves with whitish deposits that in a short time cause death by asphyxiation. It fears the spider mite if the cultivation environment is too dry.
It fears root rot due to water stagnation.
Cures and treatments
Periodically wipe the leaves of the coffee plant with a damp cloth to prevent dust from suffocating them. Maintain the right degree of environmental humidity with frequent nebulizations to the canopy.
In summer, place the plant outdoors, choosing a bright area but sheltered from solar radiation.
To prevent parasitic or fungal infestations use a broad spectrum systemic product. Any animal parasites visible to the naked eye can be removed manually using a cotton swab dipped in alcohol or by spraying the foliage with a Marseille soap solution and, if you choose to operate with this technique, the plant should be washed by showering with water. at room temperature. Biological remedies such as nettle or pyrethrum pesticide are also effective.
Variety of Coffea
Among the many species of coffee plants cultivated for the production of the most famous drink in the world in addition to the Coffea arabica characterized by a lower content of caffeine we remember:
Coffea canephora
Known as Robust coffee it is a variety native to West Africa and is commercially the most appreciated of the genus for its resistance to heat, diseases, abundant rains and for the highest productivity. The seeds of this plant have a caffeine content of about double that of the Arabica species.
Coffea Liberia
A sturdy plant with long, lanceolate leaves that produces very large seeds that take more than 1 year to mature. This variety is, as the name indicates, native to Liberia and is also cultivated in the Ivory Coast because it is more resistant to attack by parasites. To grow tall and vigorous, the plant requires high temperatures and abundant rainfall.
Coffea excelsa
Discovered for the first time in Africa in 1903, it is a variety of coffee plant with intermediate characteristics between the Coffea robusta and the liberica but much more resistant to drought and …
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