Hi, I'm Judy Mirro, a UVM Extension Master Gardener,
coming to you from the University of Vermont Greenhouses.
And I'm here to help you become a houseplant hero
by providing some guidance on caring for your house plants.
Today our focus is on the Coffea arabica,
or the coffee plant.
The coffee plant is a small, upright evergreen shrub
or small tree that's grown in tropical climates
around the world.
Grown indoors, the coffee plant
requires bright indirect light and high humidity.
The plant will provide you
a gorgeous glossy green leaf year round.
After three to four years,
you'll be rewarded with small white fragrant flowers
that appear from late spring to early summer.
The coffee plants can mature to a height of 15 feet.
The one here at the UVM Greenhouse is about six feet tall.
But don't worry, you can cut it back
anytime you feel it's getting too large.
Pinch the top to keep it bushy
and small if it's gotten out of hand,
or just cut it right off the top,
leaving at least two feet of the main trunk.
Berries are edible with a pulpy grape-like texture,
but it's the seeds of the coffee plant
or the beans that are sought after.
Coffee plants like water.
Water thoroughly once the top half inch of soil feels dry.
Avoid soggy soil, and ensure the pot has good drainage.
A mix of two parts peat, one part compost,
and one part perlite is a good growing mix.
But you know, if you have just a great regular potting mix,
you'll do fine.
Because the coffee plant prefers richer organic soils
and more moisture than most plants,
they can be prone to attracting
that annoying soil fungus gnat.
So, be on the lookout for this little pest.
If the pest finds its way into your coffee plant soil,
reduce the problem by using yellow sticky paper,
just like this that you can buy
at your local garden center or even hardware stores now.
These are great for larger plants,
and these little guys are great for smaller plants
like this one.
You really wanna get the larvae too,
so potatoes are the best way.
So I find if you cut them
and maybe again 'cause this is a small plant.
They're nice and juicy,
make sure you get a good juicy potato
and then put them right in the soil,
get the juicy part buried,
and then come back in another day
and all the little larvae
will be attached to that moist potato.
Take it out, throw it out.
Fragrant star shaped flowers
bloom in the late spring to early summer
in clusters of two to nine.
Flowers are self-fertile and self-pollinating.
It will take about 10 months from bloom to cherry harvest.
Wait until the cherries are fully developed
into a deep dark red
before you are able to harvest your cherries.
The jelly-like fruit within the cherries tastes sweet,
and eating them is one way to clean up
the two coffee beans inside.
Otherwise, you'll need to push the beans
out of the cherries and wash them thoroughly
before planting or drying the beans for roasting.
Cherries start out pale green and turn yellow,
then red, then deep burgundy
when it's time to harvest them
I should roast my coffee harvest,
but I continue to start new coffee plants every year
from the cherries I pick.
While money might not grow on trees,
coffee certainly does,
so why not grow some yourself?
Remember that by providing your plants
with the conditions and care they need,
you too can be a houseplant hero.
For more information on plants and home gardens,
visit the UVM Extension Master Garden website
and see our Garden Resources page,
or contact an Extension Master Gardener volunteer
at the helpline.
The phone number is on our screen.
This is Extension Master Gardner Judy Mirro
wishing you happy growing.