Cultivation and planting of coffee plant

Coffee production requires a great deal of human effort, from the coffee crop to the last drop. Beginning with the prudent planting of the trees to the painstaking picking of the berries; from the washing, drying, and sizing to the sorting, grading and selecting, the delicate beans rarely leave the touch of human hands.

To value a cup of coffee is to respect the labor of love required – the caring human effort that was put into producing it. The most favorable seedbeds for the cultivation of coffee are soils that are volcanic in origin and rich in nitrogen.

The optimum climate condition are those prevailing in the tropics, where temperate remain between 59 degree and 77 degree F. Wind, frost, leaf disease, and even exercise heat will destroy the shrubs.

Plenty of rain, in combination with alternating dry periods, will produce the best crops. Carefully selected seeds are sown into suitable, prepared seedbeds.

Slender shoots sprout up in eight weeks. After one year, the young plants are transplant to permanent coffee plantation sites. Young plants do not bear fruit (berries) for the first two years; however they still require great care in hoeing, weeding, pruning and frequent watering t0 ensure proper growth.

The plant begin their productive life span of 15 to 20 years after their first flowering that results in coffee berries and thus beans, with an annual yield of 1 to 2 pounds (500 to 900 g) of coffee per plant each year.

When the coffee plant’s delicate white flowers blossom, the orange and jasmine fragrance is an intoxicating as the flowers are beautiful; however, the blossom are short lived, lasting only two to three days. Clusters of green berries then appear, turning yellow, red, and then a deep crimson color. When the berries are almost black, they are ready to be harvested.

Cultivation and planting of coffee plant