Easy Guide To Growing Coffee Using Dry Coffee Beans

Coffee is undoubtedly one of the most popular produce nowadays. And for any coffee enthusiast, what better way to take your coffee interest to the next level than trying to grow your own coffee plant at home? Even better, maybe you can start growing several coffee trees in your own backyard and have your own supply of fresh coffee cherries right outside your door. If you are interested in growing coffee beans at home, here is our quick guide on how to grow coffee by using dry coffee beans.

Choosing the seed

To grow a plant, you would first need a seed. When it comes to planting coffee, it is best to use freshly picked coffee cherries for the fastest germination process. However, if this is not possible, you can use dry unroasted green coffee beans for planting, which you can find in local coffee shops, suppliers, and even online. Even better, unroasted dried coffee beans cost notably less and have a long shelf life that can last up to 3 years. However, the general rule of thumb is that old and dry coffee beans would take notably longer to germinate compared to using soft, fresh seeds. Fresh coffee beans would germinate within 2 to 3 months, while older and dry coffee beans can take as long as 4 to 6 months before they are ready for planting.

Germinating the Coffee Beans

With your coffee beans on hand, it is time to plant them to become a seedling. As mentioned earlier, the germination process for coffee beans can take at least two and a half months for fresh beans, while older beans can reach up to six months. Regardless, we suggest allowing the seeds to pre-germinate by soaking them in water for about 24 hours before sowing them in damp sand or in between moist coffee sacks. Pre-germinating your seeds can also help you discard beans that are too old or too dry for planting. These are the ones that do not grow a tiny white bump on their end after the 24-hour process. If you are using dried unroasted coffee beans, we suggest pre-germinate as many beans as possible as there is a high possibility that most of the beans will not be viable for planting. To plant the pre-germinated seeds, it is ideal to use friable loam soil with a notably high humus content or simply any lightweight porous soil type that is readily available to you. Gently take the pre-germinated seeds from the sand or coffee sacks and sow them in the loamy soil flat side down in a hole that is about 1 to 1.5 cm deep. Don’t press on the soil firmly once the seeds are set. Instead, lightly sprinkle some soil over the hole to cover it. You can spread some mulched grass on top of the soil to help keep moisture but be sure to remove the grass once the seeds germinate.

Coffee Plant Care and Maintenance

With your coffee seeds successfully planted, the next step will be to care for and maintain the quality of their surroundings to make sure that they survive and grow. Here are some tips on how to care for your germinating coffee seeds:

• Make sure to water the seeds daily while also avoiding flooding the seeds. Keep in mind that the soil should constantly be drained but remain moist.

• If you plan to transfer the germinated seeds to a different lot, make sure to use soil that has low pH and high nitrogen content you can check it by using the best home garden soil test kit. The soil should also be porous. You can add coarse sand or gravel dust for the plant to thrive.

• Planting coffee outdoors in tropical regions can be too harsh for the plant to develop. Considering this, it is better to grow the coffee beans indoors or in a greenhouse where you can control the amount of sunlight, humidity, and air suitable for the coffee tree.

Conclusion

Much like any other plant, growing coffee will require the utmost attention, effort, as well as patience to get it to grow into a full fruit-bearing tree successfully. And while this may not be easy, nothing beats the feeling of joy and contentment once you finally see a beautiful and healthy tree.