The plant, which giving coffee – if only this name does not deriver from the name of the drink, – come into the world as tiny sprout, which peeped out from furcated bean. This bean is planted into the sand and not very deep. As soon as sprout puts down roots, it so to speak takes it grain out from the soil immediately after itself. After some days appear two first leaves crowning with sprout. Old capsule, now empty, stays on the ground. Then young plant is transplanted to the other pot and is taken to nursery. In the course of year it should be diligently cared, and then it becomes less susceptible and exacting to environment. Some sun hours per day are quite enough. «Roof» – log hedge or some other protection – is gradually put away from the nursery. Little tree is transplanted to appropriate lot, mostly to the shadow of banana tree, especially if plantation is located on the plain not far from equator where hot sun rays fall fast plumb. Even though coffee plantations lay on flank of hills, then they do not often are in need of protection, inasmuch as sun rays fall on one or another flank of hills only around half a day. At last, if coffee tree is growing on a table, than it so to speak has luck. There is not only high air humidity to its good, but also haze, that is hanging on such height and protecting it from the sun.
During some first years tree does not afford, but needs considerable cares: watering, trimming, weeding, sprinkling, additional fertilizing and mulching – two last operations are absolutely required, because soil consists not of volcanic ash and humus. It is also not rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
At last, in four or even in five-six years tree give it first fruits. Then in two years it reaches maximum production, and in succeeding 20-25 years continues yield the same harvest, but only on the assumption of constant care.
All coffee trees can at the same time have flowers, green and ripe fruits. In this connection arise necessary condition: the harvest can be gathered only by hand. Coffee tree gives one or two principle harvests per season, and sometimes some secondary harvests. Harvest duration depends on tree’s variety and plantation’s location. Thus, coffee plantation can not be often seen «all flowered». Coffee tree’s flowers – these are beautiful cream-colored clusters exhaling aroma of jasmine. Flowering continuing only some days, and soon appear little green berries, which need some months to become red and ripe «cherries» (so the French call them).
Handling and Pruning Coffee Trees
A video on the second pruning procedure, called handling, on the coffee trees at Acacia Hills Coffee Estate in Tanzania.
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Tags: coffee bean, coffee trees
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