Free the Trees! Arabica Coffee Plants Need Separating

Summary: How to care for and what to do (right away!) with your newly acquired arabica coffee plant. Don't make the common mistake of not separating the individual trees.

Here you are, with your very first coffee plant!

Once you get it home full of excitement to give it all the love, make sure the first thing you do is separate and re-pot those trees. That’s right, trees (plural). These pots don’t just contain one, but multiple coffee trees. And as pretty as they may look all crammed together like this, it’s not good for overall plant health.

Wait, What? I Have More Than One Plant?

Oh yeah. The majority of coffee trees found at plant nurseries typically contain anywhere from 3-10 plants per container. They’re also usually the arabica coffee species of plant (coffea arabica, in Latin). If this is what you have, then each one of these stems is a separate plant!

(Note: If your plant tag says “robusta” or another variety that’s not “arabica”, then you might not need to separate the trees. And by the way there’s no such thing as a “cappuccino” plant, which I have seen on plant tags!)

The following advice is specifically for the arabica coffee variety, which is the type I’ve encountered most often at garden centers.

Each plant grows into a fairly large, fruiting, shrub-like tree, with one main trunk that can grow upwards of 10-feet tall in the wild. Since they’re all sharing the same soil, these individual trees need to be re-potted into their own pots ASAP. Otherwise their roots will grow together and they’ll compete for water, nutrients and sunlight, which will cause them to struggle and grow improperly.

Do NOT wait to separate them. I can’t stress this enough. Their roots will very quickly grow tangled together, and when you go to separate them later they’ll surely need to be ripped apart. This is super stressful on the plant, and depending on how badly tangled together the roots are, plants may not recover. So for best coffee tree care, separate these plants and re-pot them into individual containers immediately.

Video Tutorial: Separating Coffee Trees

Can I separate my trees if they’ve already grown larger?

Most of the the time, yes, it will be safe to separate larger plants. Just be really gentle when tearing them apart. If you absolutely have to break some roots, use a sharp knife, rather than a forceful tear. This risk is having one or more die, but even if just one tree survives, it’s worth it to have one healthy tree that has the space it needs to grow.

Separating Newly Acquired Coffee Plants

Things You’ll Need:

No need to overthink it, because it’s better to act quick, then to put it off. You’ll need:

• Empty Containers
  Tip: Taller/deeper pots, like the ones in the pictures below, are better for directing root growth downwards. Coffee grows a taproot so don’t choose wider, shallower pots. Choose a pot that suits the size of the seedling you’re planting with the deepest depth possible. Not too big not too small, think Goldilocks.
• Potting Soil
• Water
• Your precious time & care

Optional:

• Organic Soil Amendments
• Gloves
  

Re-potting a Coffee Seedlings in 5 Easy Steps:

#1 Pre-moisten your potting soil with water so that it’s damp. Not dry and not soaked.

#2 Prepare your pots by pre-filling each with a few inches of pre-moistened soil. This provides space for the roots to grow downwards.

#3 All at once, remove all of the coffee trees from the original pot, and get to work on separating the roots carefully with your hands. Tip: Do this in the shade, not in direct sunlight and move quickly. Roots don’t like to be exposed to light. Try to keep as much root and soil intact on each plant as possible.

#4 One by one, position each tree in the center of each prepared pot, and gently fill in the rest of the pot with your pre-moistened soil. The trunk should be positioned at a depth so that the roots will be completely covered in soil, and the base of the trunk will be flush with the soil line. Very gently fill any major gaps in the soil by poking it down with your fingers while attempting to leave some small air pockets. Repeat this process for each coffee tree seedling.

#5 Gently and thoroughly water each plant. Don’t be afraid to pour water on the leaves and trunk as well. Coffee loves moisture! If you notice the water compresses the soil, you can top-fill the pots with more soil as needed. This should be a deep watering so keep giving water until you see it drain out of the bottom. Remove any leftover water and keep the plants in a warm, shady spot with filtered sunlight until they perk back up and start growing again.

Trust me, your coffee trees will be so thankful! They will take a little time to recover and may droop a little; But don’t worry, they’ll perk right back up again within a few days.

Coffee’s Natural Environment

The arabica coffee variety originates in Ethiopia and grows naturally at high elevations in biodiverse, tropical forests that have filtered sunlight due to a mix of factors, including cloud cover, trees, and high humidity. The days are hot and humid and the nights can be significantly cooler.

The main things to note about coffee’s habitat are that these plants prefer warm temperatures, hot days and cooler nights, high humidity, filtered sunlight and/or shade, rich soil, and a steady supply of nutrients.

If you live in a colder climate, keep them indoors in the winter, fall and early spring. They can be moved outside in the summer once nighttime temperatures stay above 14° Celsius; Any colder and a coffee tree will not be able to thrive as best it could. (For reference, in coffee growing regions ideal temperatures for Arabica coffee plants is 17-22°C).

Watering

Keep well-watered; But never leave a coffee plant sitting in a pool of water. Allow the top 1-3 inches of soil dry to out before watering deeply once again. (I tend to water mine every 2-3 days in warm summer months, and every 3-5 days in winter). For more on watering coffee plants, see “How to Properly Water a Coffee Tree in a Container“.

Sunlight

Give coffee trees plenty of filtered light; Always keeping them out of direct sunlight. Arabica coffee is a shade plant. It needs sunlight, but can’t handle harsh rays. In situations without suitable or sufficient indoor lighting from a window, artificial UV lighting will need to be provided.

To recap, after separating and re-potting the coffee plants into individual containers, keep them well-watered and in a warm, bright location. This is the best care you can give to a container of coffee plants as soon as you get it home.

Over time, you’ll also want to learn how to control the moisture level of your coffee trees, as well as fertilize them (a.k.a. feed them). But for now, once you’ve separated and re-potted your plants, you’ve done good. Take a break to admire your good work.