Coffee Plant The coffee tree probably originated in Ethiopia, gaining its familiar name from the province of Kaffa; it most likely spread from there to Arabia, then Sri Lanka, and finally South America. The Arabs cultivated it as early as the fifteenth century, and by the eighteenth century it was being raised for culinary purposes in the greenhouses of Louis XV of France. These royal trees were the ancestors of many South American trees of today. The coffee tree makes a striking specimen plant. It is also very easy to grow. Fully capable of developing into a large tree but easily kept to manageable size by judicious pruning, the tree has large, evergreen glossy leaves and bears dense clusters of green cherrylike fruit, which change through various shades of green and golden brown until, when they are fully ripe, they turn bright red. An indoor tree may be decked out in blossoms, green fruit, and fruit in all stages or ripeness at any given time. It is for such beauty that the coffee tree is best grown, for most trees yield only about a pound of coffee a year - enough for a bracing cup now an then, but hardly enough to cause Folger's any worry. Seeds and Soil: Named varieties are not offered by the seed companies, which offer their seed simply as Arabian coffee. A package of seed contains about a dozen coffee "beans," and you will need them all since germination is poor. Soil for raising coffee must be somewhat acid, with a pH of about 4.5 to 6.0. It should also be well drained. A good mixture for the potted tree is two parts loam, one part peat moss, and one part sand. Young pants will need only a 5- or 7-inch pot. At the end of its first year, the plant should have about a 12-inch pot, and as it goes into its third year of life, move the plant into at least a 5-gallon container. Planting: Before planting seeds, carefully peel off their outer husks. Make a mixture that is 85% water an d15% Clorox or other liquid chlorine bleach, and soak the seeds for twenty minutes. Spread soil about 1-1/2 inches deep in a shallow container. Sow the seeds well apart, covering them only to about the thickness of the seed. Place the container in a warm location but out of direct light. The best temperature for germination is 75°. Keep the soil moist, never allowing it to dry out until germination occurs; then reduce the water slightly but not enough to cause the plants to wilt. After transplanting them into individual pots, water the plants well. Water: As a native of shady tropical forests, the coffee tree likes plenty of moisture in soil and air. It should be watered plentifully during spring and early summer, but sparingly during winter, when it will need a rest. The aim should be to keep it moist at all times except when it is resting. The soil should always be well drained, and at no time should it get excessively wet and boggy. A layer of peat moss over the soil will help it hold moisture, thus reducing the frequent watering that may cause excess moisture to build up in spots. Nutrition: The coffee tree is a relatively light feeder, deriving much of the food it needs from any healthy soil. However, a monthly or bimonthly feeding of water-soluble plant food, with a formula 5-10-5 or so is suggested. Give no nutrition during the winter months, when the plant should rest. Temperature: The ideal temperature for growing coffee lies between 65 and 70 degrees, making it an excellent plant for growing indoors. It will tolerate some variation in either direction, including very light frost. It is easily harmed by very high temperatures, however, and is not really a good plant for the summer greenhouse. Light: The coffee tree does not need extremely bright light. On plantations it is ordinarily grown in the shade of larger trees. Setting the tree in a bright window, where it can receive from 500 to 1000 foot-candles of light for several hours daily, or putting it beneath 1000 foot-candles of fluorescent light, will be adequate, though floodlights may have to be added if the tree grows extremely large. Light in the greenhouse must be filtered with netting. Older trees will tolerate brighter light. This is a day-neutral plant, but it blooms best when the light is less than twelve hours in duration. Pollination: The flowers are hermaphroditic, and some fruit may be produced without hand pollination. However, touching the center of each blossom with a cotton swab, will cause the tree to bear more fruit. Never use a hormone compound on these blossoms, as it may destroy the viability of the pollen. Special Culture: Coffee trees are fully capable of growing too large for your apartment garden and so pruning may be necessary to keep the plant under control. Before you start clipping, however, it is essential that you know the peculiar growth characteristics of this plant. A central stem is always dominant, and the primary lateral branches grow in pairs opposite each other and horizontally from this central stem. These may branch to give secondary laterals, and the secondary growth may branch again. All these branches will spread out on about the same plane and at right angles to the central stem. No upright branches grow from the horizontal laterals, but only from the central stem. If the central stem is cut back, more upright stems will grow, and from these will spring more lateral branches like those growing from the central stem. All upright branches should be cut while they are very small, and the central stem should be clipped when it threatens to reach a height of about 4 feet. This causes branching of the primary lateral growth. The secondary lateral branches should be thinned out so that only one s left at each node. Find the first ode with two laterals, then cut one away. Move to the next node and cut away the lateral on the opposite side. This helps stimulate branching instead of up ward growth, and greatly increases fruit production. Harvest: The coffee tree will not bear fruit until it is three years old, though it may blossom before that time. It will be bearing fully by its fourth year and may then go on providing coffee for fifty years or more. The coffee is ripe when the cranberrylike fruit is a very bright red in color. Each fruit contains two coffee beans. These beans should be spread on a pan and roasted in a 350° oven until they take on the familiar rich brown color we associate with coffee; be sure to turn them frequently so the roasting is uniform. They'll not provide a great deal of the beverage, but having a cup now and then can be a fulfilling experience, especially if it's accompanied at breakfast by juice squeezed from fruit you've grown yourself. Growing Instructions: Coffee Arabica (Kona) as we call it is an evergreen tree with dark green, waxy, pointed, opposite leaves with bright red berries. Bury seeds in a container with a good garden soil or peat moss about ½" deep. Coffee likes good drainage, and lots of water. Your coffee plant thrives best in shaded areas with temperatures of 50° to 80° F. They should germinate within 3 to 4 weeks. After seeds sprout, fertilize with general garden fertilizer once a month.