How To Grow And Care For A Coffee Plant
Did you click on this article? It’s likely because you’re interested in growing coffee plants indoors. Today, we’re going to be talking all about the coffee plant, otherwise known as Café Arabica.
We are going to talk all about water, soil, light, humidity, temperature, all that good stuff, so that you can take the best care of your coffee plant indoors.
Table of Contents
Things You Should Know
Let’s start with a little background info on this plant. Arabica is one species within the genus Café, and there are about 60 to 100 different species alongside Arabica.
Among these species, robusta and Arabica are the most commonly produced, with Arabica making up about 60 to 80 percent of the world’s coffee production. So yes, it can produce coffee beans you can drink. These plants are tropical, so their care reflects that.
This plant is unique because some people grow it just as an indoor houseplant for its foliage, while others grow it to produce coffee.
The care for these two purposes can vary. Today, we’ll focus on growing a smaller coffee plant for aesthetic indoor houseplant purposes. Many articles discuss how to produce beans and flowers, but not many focus on how to care for it just as a houseplant.
That’s why I’m writing this article. The good news is that growing this plant as a houseplant is a bit easier than trying to produce beans.
Watering Your Coffee Plant
Coffee plants love water but don’t want to be soggy. Keep the plant fairly moist throughout the year, cutting back during winter.
If you don’t have a moisture meter, wait for the top one to two inches of soil to dry before watering. With a moisture meter, wait until it reads about a three.
These plants are quite vocal; when thirsty, their leaves start drooping. However, don’t let them droop too often to avoid signs of consistent underwatering. During winter, the plant slows down and requires less water. I recommend using distilled water, as the root system can be sensitive to tap water, which may cause leaf burning.
Overwatering leads to root rot, while underwatering results in drooping and dehydrated leaves.
Light Requirements for Coffee Plants
Coffee plants love bright indirect light. In the wild, they grow under other trees, and commercially, they are often shaded to prevent foliage burn. Indoors, they can be placed close to a window, as indoor light is less intense than full sun outside.
East or west-facing windows are ideal. A sheer curtain or tree outside can help shade the light. This plant is not low light tolerant. Too much light can cause leaf burning and possibly leaf loss. Move the plant to more indirect light if this happens.
Soil and Repotting Tips
Many sources mention the need for acidic soil, but for houseplant purposes, regular potting soil works fine. If you want, you can research and maintain the correct level of acidity, but I haven’t noticed any issues without it.
For this plant, add a bit less drainage material like perlite or pumice to keep the soil moist. White terracotta pots retain more moisture than standard terracotta pots. If you don’t have them, use a good nursery pot or ceramic pots with proper drainage holes.
When repotting, increase the pot size by no more than an inch or two to avoid overwhelming the plant’s root system, which can lead to root rot.
Humidity and Temperature Needs
These tropical plants prefer warmer temperatures, around 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Slightly cooler temperatures, like 65 degrees, usually don’t cause issues. Aim for at least 60% humidity around the plant.
Fertilizing Your Coffee Plant
Fertilize during the growing season or when the plant grows aggressively. Use a gentle organic fertilizer and water more frequently instead of using a strong synthetic one, which can burn the leaves. I use Espoma’s all-purpose, balanced organic fertilizer, diluted in water, and water the plant every week or two during spring and summer.
Managing Pests
Coffee plants, like many plants grown for food, can attract pests. Clean the leaves and use preventative measures like neem oil to keep pests at bay. Keep an eye out for any signs of pest infestations.
I hope you learned a bit about the coffee plant and how to take better care of it indoors.
 *(Include an image of droopy leaves)* Some plants, such as calatheas, prefer moist soil at all times; otherwise, they develop that signature brown tissue damage on the leaves. The annoying thing here is that the damage cannot be reversed and can only be cut away, leaving you with a damaged plant. If the soil of your plant is bone dry, you'll notice that it's pulling away from the sides of the pot. This is because the soil has shrunk due to a lack of moisture, so make sure you are not letting this happen by watering a little more frequently. #### Signs Your Plant is Overwatered (darkgreen) Overwatering plants is a really common way that people kill their plants. Beginner plant enthusiasts often have a common misconception that houseplants need lots of water, but the reality is that these plants are native to hot climates where they may get periods of drought followed by large rain which rehydrates them. **Yellowing leaves** (red) can indicate an overwatering problem as well as an underwatering problem. If you are watering your plant too often and the soil is always wet, this can lead to root rot, which will begin to affect the leaves of your plant. **Limp and mushy leaves** (red) also indicate that you are overwatering your plant. This is particularly true with succulents such as Echeverias. Echeverias store water in their thick leaves and have difficulty storing excess water if you are watering your plant too often. This leads to mushy plants that eventually fall off.  *(Include an image of yellowing leaves)* Philodendron and Pothos plants tend to get mushy leaves that fall off if the soil is consistently soggy. My Philodendron Birkin recently developed some new brown leaves that fell off because I was overwatering it. Whereas crispy brown edges on leaves indicate an underwatering problem, if the whole leaves are turning brown, this tends to mean that the plant tissue is rotting due to too much water. You may also notice some water droplets on the ends of the leaves of some of your plants. This is the plant perspiring excess water through its leaves and can indicate that you are giving the plant too much water. Now, this tends to happen on plants that prefer drier soil, and I notice it quite often on my Philodendron Birkin and my Tradescantia Nanook. **Increased presence of fungus gnats** (red) can also be a sign that your plant is too moist. Fungus gnats like a moist top two inches of soil to breed and lay their eggs, so if your soil is wet, it creates a breeding ground for gnats. If you see lots of flea-like flies jumping around the top of your soil, I would just dial back on the watering and let the top two inches of the soil dry out before watering again. #### Watering Tips (darkgreen) It is important to allow the soil of your houseplant to dry out between waterings. This prevents the possibility of over-watering, which is one of the most common reasons people kill their plants. **Check the soil moisture** (red) before watering your plant by sticking your finger two inches into the soil. If it feels wet, leave it a few days and then check again. An even better way to check the soil moisture is to invest in a moisture meter. This device needs no batteries and tells you exactly how much moisture is in the soil, giving you control over watering your plants.  *(Include an image of a moisture meter)* When you identify that your plant needs water, make sure you give it a thorough soaking. Take your plant to a sink area and soak the soil four or five times until water drains out of the bottom each time. This ensures that all the soil in the pot gets moistened and there are no dry patches. **Bottom watering** (teal) is a method that has changed the health of my plants since I implemented it a couple of years ago. Place your plant in a container of water and let it absorb moisture from the bottom up. This method prevents water from getting on the leaves, which can cause leaf tissue damage. I hope this article was helpful. Now you know when to water your plants and when not to. Apply this knowledge to your plants and see the growth. Happy gardening! --- Incorporating these visual and formatting enhancements will make your article more attractive and engaging for your readers.](https://growinggaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pexels-artempodrez-7242495-scaled.jpg)
