Growing coffee question - any green thumbs out there?

[virginhill]

Apologies if there was a better place to post this! We have two little (dying) coffee plants that we lovingly brought back with us from kona. It's been three weeks and the leaves are all brown (except for one leaf). They have not really changed in two weeks. Have we killed them for good? Is there any chance of bringing them back? Or should we throw them to the compost gods?

We are also trying to grow beans - so any tips for that would be really appreciated too!

Thanks!

 

[Admin]

Apologies if there was a better place to post this! We have two little (dying) coffee plants that we lovingly brought back with us from kona. It's been three weeks and the leaves are all brown (except for one leaf). They have not really changed in two weeks. Have we killed them for good? Is there any chance of bringing them back? Or should we throw them to the compost gods?

We are also trying to grow beans - so any tips for that would be really appreciated too!

Thanks!

Coffee Plants really are hard to grow depending on your weather, and they love altitude as well. So it may be very difficult, especially given your cold climate.

 

[virginhill]

Yeah, we're really not in the right climate or elevation. Coffee doesnt seem to like snow!! Was hoping to simulate but it's not happening...

 

[bullard]

Coffee trees love humidity spray them down good daily. I have a round tray full of rocks and water that i keep my plant in helps with the humidity. Just make sure the plant is above the water thats what the rocks are for. A good all around fertilizer will help too. Hope this helps

 

[alphawave7]

Also, can you describe what the plant looked like when it first went into stress? If it went limp and the soil was dry, some of the roots were lost to drought. One's immediate response is to soak it down to saturation, which is also bad because it drowns the roots, which now have less capacity from the drough-death, to handle the saturation. Saturated soil reduces oxygen and promotes disease (root rot) which can finish off the plant. If, however, it never really went limp, but you began to lose individual leaves, usually mature from the bottom up, this may be a case of simple overwatering. Either way, getting the plant to its normal 'natural' addapted environment will reduce stresses you need to combat. IIRC, coffee loves warmth, humidity, moderate light, and well-drained soils..no 'wet feet'.

 

[virginhill]

Thank you bullard for the advice - a spray bottle is what we've been using the mist the soil but not the plant itself (filled with seaweed fertiliser). Agree with the rocks - just makes sense to try to replicate where they grow in Kona.

alphawave7 - thank you also for the advice. the leaves did go limp just before they went brown but it looked like there was still moisture in the bags we brought them home in. we completely DOUSED them in water, exactly as you said, to try to revive them. in fact - after someone was feeling helpful i found the soil was soaked.

i think we can kiss the plants goodbye and put our efforts into the beans.

Thanks again for the advice!

 

[alphawave7]

Oh well. Gardeners learn to never take it personally, and learn to persevere!

 

[virginhill]

Oh. My. Gosh. I just checked the plants and one of them (the one that I thought looked the worst) has 2 tiny little new green leaves!!! Fingers crossed - maybe these things are heartier than I thought!!!

Probably doesn't deserve all the exclamation marks but I seriously can't believe it!

 

[alphawave7]

Since it's nearly leafless, there'll be minimal transpiration, mostly evaporation of the soil surface, which will depend on your humidity and temperature levels. Minimal watering would be my tact...feel the soil moisture beneath the surface before watering again.

 

[alsterling]

Our family, on my wife's side, is from the state of Minas, Brasil, the source for some excellent coffees. Alphawave got right to it when he asked about the water condition of the soil. That's critical to the health of the plant. To supplement whatever you may pick up from this forum, I'd recommend checking out the link I've added below, which includes mention of Sweet Maria's, a coffee supplier to the home roasters. You may know of them. They're in Oakland, California, and their business is based on shipping green and roasted beans, single origin and blends, providing alot of other "coffee stuff", and also helping to educate. You're alot bolder than I... I've never had the internal fortitude to try emulating a 3k foot elevation, high humidity, warm enviroment at home. Well, come to think of it........ the shower??? We do live at the top of a hill.) Click here to read the article on "going where other coffee-mortals fear to tread"........ Growing Coffee Beans at Home

 

[virginhill]

Well, I don't know about bold - just curious if it could be done really in the cold and dry temperatures of Quebec! Following your soil/moisture advice and we're still looking good. We've got a heat lamp on them now too so we'll see if that helps. Thanks everyone for the advice so far!

 

[Robin Plough]

Hi, read your post, and your coffee plant problem.

1) do not over water them, they only need to be kept damp
2) presumably you have them indoors: they like lots of fresh air. Possibly you have some chemicals ( air freshener, etc ) in your air at home, that they do not like??
3) keep them between 60F and 80F, ideally at 70F plus/minus 5F
4) under stress ( travelling from Hawaii ) coffee will shed all its leaves, and go into "hibernation" for a while; as long as the stem remains flexible, it may be alive: when fully dead, the stem will become brittle, and snap: then is the time to, sadly, pass them over to the compost gods.

I hope that you have been reading my articles about growing Blue Mountain coffee: a soon-coming episode is about growing the coffee from seeds: if you could contact me, directly ( using the e-mail address at the end of the articles ) I will send you the draft of the article, which may be of help.

As you know, coffee only grows in the tropics: and to grow it as far north as Quebec, could be a real problem. Temperature is very important, they die if it drops below 60F for more than a short time ( heated green house?? ) but I have no way of knowing how the annual variation in the day-light hours, affects them ( "sunlight", artificial lamps?? )

Fully dried "green bean" coffee, very rarely germinates; if you can get some, fresh, partly dried, beans should germinate; but be prepared to wait a long time, my coffee seeds take between 2 and 4 months to germinate, and that is in "ideal" conditions!!

Best wishes

Robin Plough.

 

[CoffeeLover2011]

just the topic, because i love plants and was thinking of getting one of these! tho i didnt think they would last

 

[CJevens]

I too am thinking of attempting to grow a coffee tree indoor and keep it outside during the summer months.

Coffee is a very hearty plant. I would think that given the right simulated environment, it would grow, although possibly not flourish.

 

[brianparkin]

We've been growing coffee here in Queensland for about 30 years and they just seem to thrive in this sub tropical climate of ours. Touch wood, we've never had any dramas at all. These plants seem to want to grow anywhere that we've dropped a bean - even on a concrete pathway!