You can grow an easy-care coffee plant yourself. All you need is seeds or a cutting and a lot of patience. Because your coffee plant has to be around five years old before it shows its first flowers.
How can I grow a coffee plant myself?
To grow a coffee plant yourself, you need either fresh seeds or top cuttings. When it comes to seeds, they should be unroasted and as fresh as possible. Cultivation takes place in a warm, humid environment at around 25 °C. Germination takes about four weeks.
Where do I get seeds for a coffee plant?
Of course you can't sow your roasted coffee beans; for this you need green coffee, fresh, ripe coffee cherries (that's what the fruits of the coffee plant are called) or seeds from specialist retailers. You may be able to get green coffee from a small private roastery or online. Buy an old coffee bag and you might find some raw beans in it.
Growing coffee is definitely not that easy. The seeds should be as fresh as possible; if stored for a long time, their ability to germinate will suffer. Soak the seeds in warm water for a few hours before placing them individually in pots with potting soil. In a warm, humid environment, for example a greenhouse, they germinate after about four weeks.
How do I grow a coffee plant from cuttings?
To grow a coffee plant yourself, you need so-called head cuttings. These are the tips of the shoots with some leaves on them, not middle parts. It is best to cut these cuttings in spring. You can also use parts of the pruning for propagation.
For successful root formation, the cuttings need a uniform temperature of around 25 °C. If your apartment is not warm enough for cultivation, then place the pots with the cuttings in a mini greenhouse (€239.00 at Amazon). Alternatively, pull a transparent film over the pots. Both the soil and the air should remain evenly moist.
Airing the cuttings regularly prevents mold from forming. Once the first roots have formed, slowly accustom the plants to room temperature. The further maintenance does not differ from the maintenance of adult plants.
The most important things in brief:
- roasted coffee beans unsuitable for sowing
- use raw unroasted coffee beans
- fresh seeds germinate more successfully
- Germination time: approx. 4 weeks
- Cutting head cuttings
- Growing temperature approx. 25 °C
Tip
For a slightly faster result, you should grow coffee plants from cuttings. If you have a lot of patience and time, then try sowing.
