The coffee plant is a tropical beauty that can actually thrive right in your living room! Believe it or not, you can even grow your own coffee plants from scratch using seeds. Just a heads-up, though: you’ll need a little patience, as germination can take a while.
The Unroasted Coffee Bean
To get started, you’re going to need a coffee bean. But don’t head to the pantry just yet—the pre-packaged beans from the grocery store won’t work because they’ve been roasted for flavor, which kills the seed. You need raw, unroasted “green” coffee beans. You might find these at health food stores, but your best bet is to buy seeds specifically labeled for planting. If you already happen to have a coffee plant at home, you can also harvest seeds directly from it!
Fresh seeds are tucked inside an edible fruit called a coffee cherry. Before you plant the bean, you’ll need to remove the fruity coating and let the seed dry out for a few days.
Starting Seeds in an Indoor Greenhouse
For the best results, use a small indoor greenhouse. Fill it with a high-quality seed-starting mix and gently press the seeds onto the surface. Here’s a pro tip: coffee beans are “light germinators,” meaning they need light to wake up. Don’t bury them under the soil!
Mist the soil with water and pop the cover on. It usually takes about four weeks for them to sprout, and during this time, it’s super important to make sure the soil never dries out.
Transplanting Your Seedlings
The first set of leaves you’ll see are the cotyledons (seed leaves). Once the plant grows its first set of “true” leaves, it’s time to repot your coffee plant. While adult coffee plants love nutrient-rich soil, you want to keep it a bit leaner for the youngsters. If the soil is too rich too early, the plant won’t bother developing a strong root system. A 50/50 mix of potting soil and seed-starting mix is perfect for this stage.
General Care
Once they get settled, coffee plants are actually pretty easygoing. As your seedlings grow into little shrubs, they’ll start craving more nutrients and will need to be fertilized regularly. Adding a liquid fertilizer to your watering can every three to four weeks should do the trick.
One thing to keep an eye on is the mineral content of your soil, fertilizer, and water. Coffee plants are a bit sensitive; while they need a tiny bit of minerals, they usually get enough from the soil itself. Most importantly, try to avoid using hard tap water (water with high lime/calcium content), as these tropical plants prefer a softer touch!
