Coffea arabica or better known as the Arabian Coffee Plant. Who would have guessed I’d find such a unique plant at Aldi while grocery shopping? Well actually, I am not because Aldi has some great finds. In this post, I am sure with you my experience growing the Coffee Plant.
About My Coffea Arabica Plant
What a cute little plant growing in a coffee mug. How could you just walk past something so cute at the checkout line? I was surprised to see this unique little plant growing in a coffee cup so healthy. The price was right ( $4.99) for such a unique plant and cup. One thing that crossed my mind was if the plant didn’t survive at least I’d have a cute mug for coffee.
Coffea Arabica ( Arabian Coffee Plant)
There isn’t a whole lot of information on this plant when I do a quick Google Search. I look up the keyword with the extension office behind it of course. I did find a nice little write-up with pronunciation included on the North Carolina Gardener Site. The phonetic spelling is KOFF-ee-uh a-RAB-ih-kuh. You know I am going to use my pronunciation app on my iPhone! Grown as a houseplant in temperate climates with well-draining potting soil. The Coffee Plant needs bright light and high humidity so it is going to love my dome garden. I’ll have to remember that if I take the plant outdoors it is going to need partial shade. You don’t have to have a dome garden to enjoy this plant. Grow in organically rich-well drained soil and in about 3 years small fragrant white blooms will arrive in late spring. Berries are edible with a pulpy grape-like texture, but it is the seeds (coffee beans) that are sought after. Berries are picked by hand when ripe and de-pulped, with the extracted seeds/beans then dried in the sun before roasting and grinding to produce the popular beverage coffee.
Details About The Coffee Plant
Here are a few interesting facts I found about the plant online. Be sure to check out my resources at the bottom of this post.
- Family: Rubiaceae
- Relatives: Ixora, gardenia, portlandia and pentas
- Trees are small to medium and can grow up to 50 ft tall. The Coffee tree in home gardens are usually restricted to 4-6 feet with pruning.
- Coffee plant leaves are dark green and shiny.
- Stems of the plant can grow 1-4 feet bearing leaves, flowers, and fruit.
- The flowers are small and fragrant only lasting 2 days after opening in the morning.
- Roots of the plant (seedlings) form short taproots. Later the roots can go as deep at 9 ft.
- The fruit is a drupe and called a cherry.
- Fertilize every so often with a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10
Resource Links
Resources I found useful so be sure to check these out. The Florida University Extension has a really awesome PDF you can download with facts about the plant and tree.
- Florida Extension Office
- North Carolina Gardeners State Extention Site
- University of Arkansas Extension Office – Plant of the Week
Let’s Connect
In conclusion of doing this research and sharing my plant with you, I look forward to keeping it happy and healthy. Give the plant a bright, window-side location during the winter in your home and move them outside to the shaded patio in the summer. So far it has tolerated a dry late Autumn season in my kitchen northwest-facing window. I look forward to sharing this plant as it grows. I am really hoping to have some beans to grow more in the years to come. Please be sure to reach out to me on my website at the link provided. Consider subscribing to my Newsletter to find out more as it arrives. I’ll be sharing on social media these plants as they grow so follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Happy Coffee Growing,
