Some General Information about Coffee
A coffee tree is considered to be a long-liver as it produces coffee beans for over a period of 60 years and can live even longer up to 100 years. In its first two years of life the coffee plant blossoms with white jasmine-like flowers that emit an unforgettable sweet-scented odor. But the tree gives its first harvest only after 3-6 years of living – red berries much like cherries that need almost 9 months to mature. One tree gives only sufficient harvest of berries to make a half a kilogram of roasted coffee. Thus the farmers need to grow thousands of trees on their plantation to earn real money. Growing
The tree naturally grows in the shadow but it is intentionally planted under the direct sunshine to provide more fruit.It needs constant pruning as well – to be strong in order not to bend under the strain of the fruit; to be in range of the pickers. The excess branches suck the lifeblood out of the coffee plant not allowing it to give good yield. Fertilization is another important factor when growing coffee. The soil constantly drains and is no longer beneficial for the coffee, thus the farmers are constantly applying different fertilizers so that their trees don’t become impoverished and are able to provide enough strength for their fruitage.
The water amount should also be abundant. In the areas when coffee grows naturally, there are a lot of rains, such as blossom showers and monsoons which stimulate the coffee tree blossom. But besides this, there is some artificial flooding that supplements the natural watering: Sprinkler irrigation systems are used together with blossom showers; drip irrigation systems help yielding coffee crops as well as other intercrops. Thus if a farmer puts his trust in the forces of nature only, he will never have a good harvest and won’t be able to export his coffee worldwide and thus be a good trader.
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Coffee Growing
Coffee Growing
Coffee beans or more correct would be to say coffee berries of red color grow on a tree that reaches circa 13 feet and looks like an evergreen bush. In fact a coffee plant can reach up to 16 and even 40 feet tall if left untouched but it is usually kept up to 10-13 feet for an easier cropping and a richer harvest.
As it has been mentioned before, the coffee plant has the tendency to grow tall. If let it grow wild, the tree will not only be difficult for picking up the berries but will also give a slender harvest. It should be noted that there are hundreds of various coffee plants in the universe and only two species – Arabica and Robusta – can be used for coffee producing.
And of course the watering and the temperature are not the least important factors when cultivating coffee.It is grown in the warm climate that Africa, some Arabic countries and Latin America can provide, therefore it’s not surprising at all that the coffee plant is cultivated namely on the territory of the mentioned above countries. The ideal temperature is 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit all year round.
