Greetings! Today I’m back at it in the Plant Propagation Station with some coffee. Watch our tutorial and keep reading below to learn more about how one of our very favorite plants is propagated.
One example of plant propagation via seed is the coffee plant. After all, what comes to mind first when you hear the word coffee? Probably the delicious beverage we brew from its seed! If you’ve seen a live coffee plant, you’ll know that the coffee bean is encased inside of a bright red, eye-catching fruit. These are both strong indications that the coffee plant prefers to be propagated via seed. (And if you don’t know why this is the case, check out our post on Intuitive Plant Propagation)
I’m experimenting with two different ways of planting the seed today. For the first trial I’ve picked the ripe red coffee “berries,” taken the seed out of the fruit, and then fermented them in some fresh water (simply by letting them soak) for 24 hours. I’ve also picked some old, dried fruits which have withered on the plant and inside of which fermentation has already naturally occurred. I expect that these older ones are better to plant but I’m not sure. The seeds are planted in nursery bags in my Plant Propagation Station.
One good tip for planting seeds: if you’re unsure of how deep to plant them, you can tell by how thick the seed is (diameter). Always plant a seed twice its diameter deep. When the seeds are planted, give them a nice watering and don’t forget to keep track of your results!
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