Understanding Coffee trees and their planting conditions

1. What is a coffee tree?

The origin of the coffee tree is Ethiopia in Africa. Coffee tree is a perennial evergreen shrub or small tree of Rubiaceae. It is a horticultural perennial cash crop with the characteristics of fast growth, high yield, high value and wide market. Wild coffee trees can grow to a height of 5 to 10 meters, but coffee trees planted on the manor are often cut to less than 2 meters in order to increase their fruit and facilitate harvesting.

two。 Flowers, leaves and fruits of Coffee trees

The leaves of the coffee tree are evergreen, the leaf tip is sharp, and the two pieces are relative to each other. The surface of the leaf is dark green and the back is light green. Coffee flowers are pure white, with five stamens and one pistil, usually with five petals, but some have six or even eight petals. The flowers will give off a jasmine-like fragrance, but they will wither in about three or four days, and then they will bear fruit in a few months.

Coffee fruit is a drupe, about 1.5cm in diameter, initially green, then gradually yellow, ripe and red, very similar to cherries, so it is called cherry coffee (Coffee Cherry). There are two seeds in the coffee fruit, which is commonly known as "coffee beans". The two beans are connected face to face with each other on one side of the plane. Each coffee bean has an outer membrane of pu, which is called silver skin, and its outer layer is covered with a yellow outer skin, called endocarp. The whole coffee bean is wrapped in a sticky pulp to form the coffee pulp, which is soft and sweet, with the outer shell.

Planting conditions of Coffee trees

The conditions for the cultivation of high-quality coffee trees are quite strict: coffee is more shady and cold-tolerant, but not resistant to light, drought and disease. Sunlight, rainfall, soil, temperature, as well as the way coffee beans are harvested and the production process, will affect the quality of coffee beans.

Among them, climate is the decisive factor for coffee cultivation, and coffee trees are only suitable for growing in the tropics or subtropics, so the zone between latitude 25 degrees south and north is the most suitable for growing coffee. This coffee production zone is generally referred to as "coffee belt" or "coffee area". However, not all the land located in this area can cultivate good coffee trees. The ideal planting conditions of coffee trees are: the temperature is between 15-25 ℃, and the annual rainfall must reach 1500-2000 mm. At the same time, the rainfall time should be in line with the flowering cycle of coffee trees.

Of course, in addition to the coordination of seasons and rainfall, there should be fertile soil. The most suitable soil for growing coffee is a well-drained, fertile soil containing volcanic ash. In addition, although sunlight is an indispensable element for the growth and fruit of coffee, too strong sunlight will affect the growth of coffee trees, so various producing areas will usually cooperate with the planting of some sunshade trees. generally plant bananas, mangoes and legumes and other plants with higher trunks to shade. While we love coffee, let's also fall in love with these coffee trees.