Coffee Tree

[woodyb23]

I have a coffee tree that I was given two years ago and it is now about 4 years old. It is approx a foot tall.

I have not repotted it but was wondering if I could move it to a shallow pot in the spring to begin training it as a bonsai.

Is this a good idea? How would I go about selecting a pot? As a beginner is this even a good idea?

I have tried growing in the past but have never been as stable as I am now and my plants would always die. I am at more stable point in my life with the space and resources to cultivate a collection.

I am in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-6.

Also, when is the best time of year to start trees from seed?

 

[mat]

How thick is its trunk?

Sounds to me like it's not ready for a shallow pot yet. Once you put a plant in a small pot, its growth slows down. So, you generally don't want to do that until it's pretty far along in its development - as in it has a trunk that's nearly as thick as you envision for the final design.

I have no experience with coffee trees, but I think this applies to just about every species.

 

[bougie nights]

If it is the native Kentucky coffeetree, it may pose some challenges, not the least of which would be the massive, compound leaves.

 

[woodyb23]

hey bougie I am also from Columbus. I am not sure what type of coffee plant but I do not believe it is kentucky coffee bean.

 

[woodyb23]

I think its pretty tall but the trunk is still skinny IMO. I will take a picture and post it here soon.

 

[bougie nights]

I think its pretty tall but the trunk is still skinny IMO. I will take a picture and post it here soon.

Nice to meet you! Are you a memeber of the CBS club?

 

[MrFancyPlants]

arabica?

I have what I think is a Coffea arabica and I must say it has about 0 of the traits desirable for bonsai. For me, the healthy leaves are huge, and any branching is difficult to achieve, much less so ramification.
But I love coffee, and I love my coffee plant even if it never becomes a bonsai. I've thought there might be a niche market for large coffee house plants with some styling pulled from the principles of bonsai.

Do you bring your plant in from freezes? I would think that waiting until late spring would be better for repotting. Here is an interesting care sheet that I found:

http://www.dilleybeans.com/GrowingaCoffeeTree.html

 

[woodyb23]

No I am not but I have the application in front of me know to be sent in. Im ready to start learning and actively building up a collection.

Nice to meet you! Are you a memeber of the CBS club?

 

[woodyb23]

It is being kept indoors all year round at the moment. Trying to figure out why i cant post a picture. I have one to share of its current state.

I have what I think is a Coffea arabica and I must say it has about 0 of the traits desirable for bonsai. For me, the healthy leaves are huge, and any branching is difficult to achieve, much less so ramification.
But I love coffee, and I love my coffee plant even if it never becomes a bonsai. I've thought there might be a niche market for large coffee house plants with some styling pulled from the principles of bonsai.

Do you bring your plant in from freezes? I would think that waiting until late spring would be better for repotting. Here is an interesting care sheet that I found:

http://www.dilleybeans.com/GrowingaCoffeeTree.html

 

[woodyb23]

The thing about is that I also do love coffee and I would be heartbroken if I killed this plant. I would love to see it get to flower.

 

[mat]

The thing about is that I also do love coffee and I would be heartbroken if I killed this plant. I would love to see it get to flower.

Then I'd suggest maybe just keeping it as a nice houseplant and not worrying too much about hacking it down and potting it up to be a bonsai.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Here is my coffee tree (center) that I've had for almost two years, that I have been torturing in an attempt to induce any sort of branching. I actually got it to split into 3 at the very top, I removed the center, and then accidentally knocked another one off when I was trying it out inside the new aquarium... It didn't fit.

 

[JudyB]

hey bougie I am also from Columbus. I am not sure what type of coffee plant but I do not believe it is kentucky coffee bean.

Hey woodyb, I'm also columbus, general area at least. Amanda down between lancaster and circleville.
Welcome to the forum, good to have another ohioan here!

 

[woodyb23]

4 years of growth with no pruning

4 Years of Growth w/ No Pruning

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1Weh8eRVxAM_TbsGMULihePMrMB6U95nOvy-olg_-Acc

Was thinking of pruning back in spring after second pair of leaves.

Would this be the correct place to prune?

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Here is an interesting link regarding arabica pruning on an industrial scale, according to the article, "before the rainy season" is the proper time to trim, but I think you would be safest in late spring or summer like a tropical:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/AD219E/AD219E06.htm

Obviously we are not growing our plants in the ground outside so our situation is different, but it does indicate that the plants will readily backbud and/or sucker from the base. I have had so little luck inducing branching, that I think I will try a different approach rather than continuing to hack back the new growth. To interfere with the apical dominance I may try to stake the top of the plant back down to the pot to see how it responds. As an added bonus, if I bend the top down, it will probably fit into my new aquarium and LED setup. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[woodyb23]

I am also interested in maybe attempting that method as well because the trunk is rather then and bendy and might lend well to this. I really think this tree has potential I am just nervous about making that first big pruning.

Im reading about staking with wire and cutting into the tree to create multiple trees in a new book I just bought called The Art of Bonsai by Yoshimura and Halford.

Here is an interesting link regarding arabica pruning on an industrial scale, according to the article, "before the rainy season" is the proper time to trim, but I think you would be safest in late spring or summer like a tropical:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/AD219E/AD219E06.htm

Obviously we are not growing our plants in the ground outside so our situation is different, but it does indicate that the plants will readily backbud and/or sucker from the base. I have had so little luck inducing branching, that I think I will try a different approach rather than continuing to hack back the new growth. To interfere with the apical dominance I may try to stake the top of the plant back down to the pot to see how it responds. As an added bonus, if I bend the top down, it will probably fit into my new aquarium and LED setup. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[woodyb23]

There is a local roaster right down the street and I am going to ask to purchase some green seeds so I can get more of these plants to experiment with.

 

[woodyb23]

Post pictures please!

Here is an interesting link regarding arabica pruning on an industrial scale, according to the article, "before the rainy season" is the proper time to trim, but I think you would be safest in late spring or summer like a tropical:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/AD219E/AD219E06.htm

Obviously we are not growing our plants in the ground outside so our situation is different, but it does indicate that the plants will readily backbud and/or sucker from the base. I have had so little luck inducing branching, that I think I will try a different approach rather than continuing to hack back the new growth. To interfere with the apical dominance I may try to stake the top of the plant back down to the pot to see how it responds. As an added bonus, if I bend the top down, it will probably fit into my new aquarium and LED setup. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I did stake the coffee plant down a while and it did induce branching. I plan on growing this guy out as much as possible as I like to eventually use it as a house plant and get some berries and beans out of it. But for now I chopped it back as the leaves are so big and dense that I was having a hard time watering it from the top because it would shed all of the water. It is also looking a tad chlorotic, so I figure a fresh set of leaves might speed things up. It is outdoors for the summer even though it seemed to enjoys fast growth in the led enclosure.

 

[jeremy_norbury]

I did stake the coffee plant down a while and it did induce branching. I plan on growing this guy out as much as possible as I like to eventually use it as a house plant and get some berries and beans out of it. But for now I chopped it back as the leaves are so big and dense that I was having a hard time watering it from the top because it would shed all of the water. It is also looking a tad chlorotic, so I figure a fresh set of leaves might speed things up. It is outdoors for the summer even though it seemed to enjoys fast growth in the led enclosure.

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Did this ever get anywhere?