There is hardly a person who would not want to start his day with a cup of aromatic coffee. And the aroma of ground grains, which fills the whole apartment with a wonderful smell? What about flowers? Coffee tree pleases the eye with delicate white or cream inflorescences. People who happen to see coffee flowers are unlikely to be able to compare this spectacle with anything. And few people think about the possibility of growing a coffee tree at home. But some varieties are quite comfortable in the apartment. This house flower - coffee tree - will add piquancy to your home. Growing a house requires a lot of effort. It is difficult to call this plant unpretentious.
Soil preparation
The birthplace of coffee tree is Ethiopia. Therefore, the conditions must be appropriate. It belongs to the madder family. Excessive moisture and too dry soil are detrimental to this plant. The soil should consist of 2 parts of greenhouse land, 3 parts of leaf, 1 part of river sand and 1 part of peat. You need to know that coffee tree does not tolerate neutral soil. It must have an acid reaction. Before landing at the bottom of the pot, which should be narrow but long, drainage should be put in place.
Landing
The coffee tree propagates in two ways: by cuttings or seeds. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. However, it is necessary to proceed, first of all, from the availability of planting material.
Seeds
This method is more common. The disadvantages of this type of reproduction include the fact that the seeds very quickly lose their germination capacity. Therefore, it is very unlikely that the planting material bought at the store will turn into a coffee tree. And even if a sprout appears, there is no chance that the tree will bloom and bear fruit. But the seeds that are collected directly from the plant and planted in the soil, give good germination. But there is also the danger that they will lose the abilities of the mother tree, and coffee flowers will not please you.
In order to make it easier for the sprout to break up, the seed, previously peeled and soaked in potassium permanganate, must be placed with the flat part down. You need to plant a coffee tree to a depth of 1 centimeter, and the soil should be moist, but not wet. After planting, the pot must be covered with glass or plastic wrap. Since Ethiopia is the birthplace of the plant, conditions for its successful germination must be similar to the tropics. It should be remembered that the coffee tree does not tolerate high humidity. The flower needs to be aired several times a week. To do this, just remove the glass or film. This procedure should not last long. If everything was done correctly, then after a few months you will see the first shoots of your tree. In the second year, the flower will give shoots, which in no case should be cut. After all, the number of ovaries that can form on it depends on the length of the shoot. But the flowers and grains that make delicious coffee will give the plant for 3 years. Therefore, you need to be patient. It would be logical to assume that the plant will give flowers of coffee color. However, it is not. It blooms with charming white fruiting.
Cuttings
The advantage of this method of reproduction is that you get a plant identical to the mother. It will give flowers and, accordingly, the crop much earlier than a coffee tree grown from seeds. However, this does not mean that planting the stem and caring for it is less time consuming. Moreover, not all cuttings are rooted.
Cuttings need to be taken from last year's shoot growth. It is best to use planting material from the middle of the crown. The slice must be done obliquely. On each stalk there should be 2 pairs of leaves. To make roots appear faster, you can scratch the bottom of the stem with a needle and treat it with a solution of the heteroauxin preparation before planting. If desired, you can leave it in this solution for 3-4 hours. Immediately before planting, the bottom of the handle must be powdered with charcoal and planted strictly vertically into the soil prepared in advance. If you plant several cuttings, then you need to leave a distance between them. When all the workpieces are in the ground, the soil should be poured with a solution of potassium permanganate. Further, all actions are similar to planting from seeds. You need to create the effect of a greenhouse using glass or film, ventilate the plant and accustom it slowly to room temperature. If everything was done correctly, then after 40 days you will see the first kidneys.
If there is a need for a transplant, then you need to do this only after the appearance of a new pair of leaves. Since the plant does not like to be disturbed, a transplant should be performed only in case of emergency. It’s quite simple to grow a coffee flower with your own hands from a stalk. The main thing is to follow all the rules. Already in the first year you can see beautiful flowers and get the first harvest.
Seat selection
In order for the coffee tree to grow quickly and bear fruit, he needs to choose the right place. It loves diffused light, fresh air and space. This flowerpot needs to be put on a western or eastern window. If the plant gets too much space, it will get burned. Then yellow spots will appear on the glossy green leaves. If this happens, the coffee tree should be immediately closed from direct sunlight. If the plant does not have enough light, its growth rate will be somewhat slowed down. In the future, this may affect the flowering of the miracle tree.
Care
The plant does not tolerate any neighborhood. Therefore, it is advisable to choose a separate place for it. The height of the coffee tree depends on the variety, but on average reaches 1.5 meters. The average growth for the year is 10 centimeters and falls in the spring and summer months. In order to get a beautiful and healthy plant, you need to create conditions as close as possible to natural ones. The average temperature in the summer should range from +25 0 to +30 0 . And in winter, the temperature regime should be slightly lower. The optimal average air temperature during hibernation is +16 0 . In such conditions, coffee flowers rest from growth and prepare for the next growing season.
Do not forget that the coffee tree is a
hygrophilous plant. However, watering should be carried out only in the pan. This is due to the fact that with excessive moisture, the root system can rot. During the period of active growth, the pot needs more watering. But in winter, you need to water the plant less, while not allowing the soil to dry out. If the ground is too dry or too wet, the coffee tree will drop its leaves. Also the flowerpot needs systematic spraying. Water for these purposes must be defended. Deadly for coffee tree are drafts.
With proper care, the tree will bloom with charming white flowers. But, unfortunately, they will bloom only 2 days. Then you will need to wait for the fruit to ripen. This process takes from 6 to 8 months. Do not forget about weeding weeds, which should be done systematically. The maximum yield can be obtained from a tree, whose age varies from 6 to 30 years. And the weight of the grains that such a plant will give can reach 500 grams. The color of the coffee beans is red. They become brown after roasting.
Summing up all the above, we can conclude that for optimal growth, the plant needs a bright room, which is constantly ventilated, diffused light, compliance with the drinking and temperature conditions.
Transfer
The plant does not like to be disturbed once again. Therefore, it is necessary to transplant a coffee tree 1 time in 2 years. The difference between the old and the new pot should be somewhere around 5 centimeters. It should have a long and fairly narrow shape.
It is advisable to transplant in the spring. Soil should be the same as for landing. After transplanting, it is advisable to mulch the soil with dry mullein.
Top dressing
We must not forget about top dressing. Without it, the coffee tree will hurt and fade. During the growth period, it must be fed at least 1 time in 10 days. To do this, you can use mineral fertilizers with trace elements or water mullein infusion. And the best thing is to alternate these two types of feeding. In the autumn, the coffee tree has a need for potassium, and in the spring for nitrogen. This must be taken into account during feeding. But during the period of formation of the fruits, it is advisable to nourish the plant with bone meal.
Fertilizer
The plant also needs fertilizers. For this purpose, a dry mullein, with which you can mulch the soil, is suitable. Also, any fertilizer intended for plants of the pink family is suitable. You need to fertilize the coffee tree 1 time per month. With enough nutrition, it will produce delicious coffee flowers.
Pests
The coffee tree is vulnerable enough. The flower instantly reacts to adverse conditions and is susceptible to attack by pests. The most common among them are spider mites and scale insects. As soon as you notice pests on the leaves, you need to immediately treat them with special preparations. Weaker chemicals can be used. However, it is likely that they will not cope with pests at one time, and the procedure will have to be repeated after 10 days. And you can use stronger drugs. These include, for example, a solution of the drug "Keltan." It is necessary to spray not only the leaves, but also the trunk.
A miracle tree with glossy green leaves is an unusual and beautiful plant. The reward for your hard work will be delicate white flowers (and not, as many people think, coffee-colored flowers). Coffee tree will delight not only during the flowering period, but also during the harvest. Signs of improper care of the plant are the brown edges of the leaves, their falling or the appearance of yellow spots. This occurs due to excessive or insufficient watering, mismatch of temperature, drafts or direct sunlight. This apartment will decorate any apartment - a coffee tree. Photo of him does not exaggerate the natural beauty.