Coffee is not only a popular drink, the coffee plant is also finding its way into our homes more and more frequently and bringing fresh green into the apartment.
The coffee plant needs good care so that the plant grows luxuriantly, produces lots of green leaves and maybe even coffee cherries. This includes various measures that should not be neglected. Equally important is a suitable location for your coffee plant. Here you will learn how to properly care for plants like the Coffea arabica.
Care for the coffee plant: Water properly
Coffee plants prefer low-lime water, preferably in the form of rainwater. The soil should be constantly moist, so never dry out, but also not waterlogged. Check with your finger whether the soil is superficially dry and whether you need to water the coffee plant. In summer, the need for water is higher than in winter due to more light and warmth.
Tip: In addition to watering, the coffee plant should be sprayed regularly with lime-free water, as it loves high humidity.
Fertilize coffee plant
To ensure that the coffee plant grows he althily and forms beautiful leaves, flowers and fruits, a complete fertiliser, i.e. a fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, is recommended. If you also use a slow-release fertilizer, the nutrients will last for a long time and you won't have to keep adding fertilizer. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer, for example, is well suited, as it supplies the coffee plant with all the nutrients for at least three months. Simply work our biological fertilizer into the substrate, where the nutrients are gradually released. If you use a slow-release fertilizer, you should fertilize the coffee plant in early spring so that it has enough nutrients available during the growing season. With large plants and older soil, you can fertilize again three months after the first fertilization. To do this, carefully work the fertilizer into the soil or simply put it under the soilmulch layer. The plant is then watered vigorously.
If you prefer to use a liquid fertilizer, you should add fertilizer to larger coffee plants about every two weeks during the growing season.
Can you fertilize coffee plants with coffee grounds? You can also fertilize coffee plants with coffee grounds twice a year, i.e. once in winter and once in spring. This should be dry and properly incorporated into the soil. One to two teaspoons of coffee grounds are absolutely sufficient. It slightly acidifies the substrate and still contains some nutrients that the plant can absorb. However, it cannot replace a complete fertilizer.
Pruning back: When and how often?
Although not necessary, you can prune the coffee plant to give it a branched and bushy appearance. The coffee tree is pruned in the spring before fertilization begins. Completely remove old, dead and bare branches. Leaves growing directly from the bottom of the stem can also be removed. The he althy shoots should be cut off above a leaf node. If you want to limit height growth, you can also cut off the main shoot. The coffee plant will then branch out and grow more in width.
A pruning can be done about every one to two years. In the course of this, so-called water shots should also be removed if necessary. These are young shoots that grow straight out of the old wood. For example, they often sprout from the side of the trunk. The cut shoots can be used to propagate the coffee plant.
Repot coffee plant
There are several reasons why you should repot your coffee plant regularly. Is the pot too small and the roots are already growing out of the soil or the drainage hole? Is the substrate no longer watering well, but is it crusted on the surface? Or has the coffee tree almost stopped growing despite fertilization? Then it's time to repot. This is usually the case every two to three years. Use the spring for repotting, as the coffee plant can then start the growing season with fresh soil and nutrients.
- Choose a somethinglarger and above all deep pot with drainage hole, which offers enough space for the roots.
- Create a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot, for example made of stones or expanded clay.
- This is followed by a layer of substrate. The coffee plant needs a slightly acidic and humus-rich soil. Our Plantura organic potting soil for example, is ideal because it contains a lot of organic matter and is in the right range with its pH value of 6.5. The permeability of the soil can be further increased by mixing in 20% crushed expanded clay.
- Remove the coffee plant from its old pot, remove the substrate from the root ball and cut off any obvious rotten or dried roots.
- Then place the coffee plant in the new pot and fill in the gaps with soil. Finally, the water is poured on.
Common Diseases
Like almost all indoor plants, the coffee plant can occasionally be attacked by diseases and pests. In most cases, incorrect location or inappropriate maintenance measures are the causes of leaf discolouration.
Brown leaves on the coffee plant
If only the tips of the leaves are brown, this is a sign of too dry air - in this case the coffee plant should be placed in a damper room or sprayed with water more frequently.
The whole leaves turn yellow first and then brown, waterlogging and the associated root rot is the most likely cause - this can be remedied by quickly repotting in fresh soil including a drainage layer and more economical watering.
Over-fertilization with mineral fertilizers can also cause yellow chlorosis. Acute over-fertilization is remedied by vigorous watering, during which the substrate is flushed through several times - or also by rapid repotting.
Rarely, the anthracnose disease caused by fungi is responsible for brown spots on the leaves.
Yellow Leaves
A coffee plant with yellow leaves usually suffers from a lack of nutrients. Iron deficiency is common: the leaf veins remain green with iron deficiency, while the rest of the leaf takes on a light yellow colour. This discoloration is also called intercostal chlorosis. Iron deficiency usually occurs when water is too hard. Then it should be repotted and watered with rainwater from now on. A lack of magnesium, nitrogen or sulfur can also cause yellow leaves. In this case should use a complete fertilizerbe fertilized - better still, the plant is repotted. Even when waterlogged, the leaves first turn yellow before turning brown.
Pests
It can happen that the coffee plant is attacked by plant pests such as scale insects, mealybugs or spider mites. You can see the pests with the naked eye and collect them from the plant. Weakened plants are often attacked in the winter months when the air is too dry. So place bowls of water on the heater to improve the air for the plants, or use the spray bottle regularly.
Unfortunately, sorrow gnats also love the always moist soil of the coffee plant. Here, for example, our Plantura mosquito-free neem can help. The natural active ingredient is obtained from the seeds of the neem tree and reliably combats fungus gnats in a biological way.
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