Can Coffee Be Grown in China? FrontStreet Coffee Plantation Nursery, Planting, and Shade Cultivation Technical Records

This article is sourced from FrontStreet Coffee's plantation. FrontStreet Coffee began its breeding and cultivation program in 2014, and all images come from our documented records.

1. Seedling Cultivation

To improve the germination rate of seedlings, FrontStreet Coffee selects fully ripe fresh coffee cherries from the latest harvest season. After removing the pulp, the cherries are spread on sand beds, covered with a one-centimeter layer of river sand, and then topped with a layer of straw to maintain moisture and prevent erosion of the seedling sand beds. If using external seed sources, they are first disinfected with clean water and potassium permanganate to prevent early seedling infections.

Nursery Preparation:

Attention must be paid to the shading effect when selecting a nursery site. Seedlings exposed to direct sunlight easily wither and die, reducing survival rates. Therefore, nurseries must have shading equipment, which can include shade nets, thatch, or straw. Alternatively, nurseries can be established under rows of large trees to cultivate coffee seedlings. Secondly, as a nursery site, it requires an adequate water source. Additionally, proper drainage facilities must be established. Poor drainage can easily cause seedling rot. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan plantation, like most coffee-producing regions, harvests during the dry season. Therefore, during this period of seedling cultivation, daily watering is necessary to maintain moisture.

Under normal circumstances, seeds take 30-60 days to germinate after sowing. During germination, roots first grow downward, pushing the coffee bean upward. Approximately two weeks later, a pair of cotyledons emerges. About a month after that, the first pair of true leaves appears. When seeds sown in seedbeds develop 2-4 pairs of true leaves, they can be transplanted into 4-inch seedling bags to facilitate later field transplantation.

When seedlings develop their 8th-10th pair of leaves, they begin to grow opposite lateral branches. Thereafter, each pair of leaf nodes will produce a pair of lateral branches. Approximately one year after sowing, seedlings reach 2-3 feet in height with about 3-4 pairs of lateral branches, making them suitable for permanent planting in prepared coffee fields. If planting in the Yunnan region, where the rainy season begins at the end of May, the one-and-a-half-year-old seedlings can be planted at the start of the rainy season. The rainy season continues until October, providing six months of rainy season time for coffee seedlings to establish their root systems.

2. Permanent Planting

Coffee seedlings grown to over 60 centimeters are suitable as permanent planting stock, as they are convenient for transportation and their root systems are not too long, preventing damage to the main taproot during planting.

1) Selecting Suitable Planting Sites

Coffee cultivation must select locations and soil types with good drainage. Sandy loam soil is preferable. Clay soil has poor drainage, which restricts root growth and thereby affects coffee tree development. It's best to avoid planting in clay soil areas.

2) Land Preparation

Before permanent planting, land preparation work must be completed first. There are several key points:

a. Clear ground weeds.

b. Decide whether to create raised beds or dig planting holes, arranging the corresponding quantities in advance to allow sufficient time for soil exposure to sunlight.

c. The planting spacing for coffee is 2 meters between plants and 2-3 meters between rows, facilitating harvesting. On average, 200 plants are planted per mu of land. (Catimor variety: 330 plants)

3) Permanent Planting

Before planting, determine the spacing between plants and rows, then dig planting holes 30 centimeters wide and 30 centimeters deep. Place one to two kilograms of base fertilizer at the bottom, then cover with a thin layer of soil.

Row and Plant Spacing: 2-3 meters between rows, 1.5-3 meters between plants.

During planting, remove the coffee seedling from its growing bag and place it in the planting hole. The optimal planting method is to place the seedling in the hole at a 30-degree angle. The seedling will then sprout several new shoots near the soil surface. However, this method slows the growth rate of coffee trees, with the advantage that the newly grown plants are stronger and less likely to fall over. After properly positioning the seedling, backfill with soil and compact it.

3. Shade/Water

When planting Arabica coffee, consideration must be given to planting shade trees, as lack of shade affects coffee tree growth. Shade trees can be selected from local non-fruit-bearing large trees to avoid competition for nutrients, and their crowns should not be overly vigorous. They should be planted at some distance from coffee trees. During the initial planting stage, bananas can be planted simultaneously with coffee seedlings because banana trees grow quickly and can provide short-term shade effects. However, because banana trees grow rapidly and can create excessive shade, attention should be paid to the spacing between banana and coffee trees, as well as proper renewal of banana trees.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473