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Coffee trees have willowy stems, waxy leaves, and when they receive the ideal amount of sunlight, they can grow up to 15 feet indoors. However, the word ideal is key here, as this is pretty hard to achieve. If growing conditions are not spot on, you can expect an average growth of 3-6 feet, considering the average lighting conditions in our homes.
Are you a coffee connoisseur? If so, you will be tickled to learn that these plants are the very same plants your favorite coffee beans are harvested from in countries like Ethiopia, Mexico, Colombia, and all along the coffee belt. Yet again (hangs head), in our homes this won’t happen. But a girl can dream, can’t she?!
They require so much sun, humidity, and constant warmth, conditions nearly impossible to replicate at home. When mature, at about 3-5 years old, they may produce little white, slightly sweet-smelling flowers, but even that is rare. These flowers are followed by green fruits which change to red then to almost black as they ripen, a process that takes several months. Inside each ripened fruit are two seeds (or beans) that when properly roasted can be ground and made into coffee.
As with most plants, we lean on them for their beauty and the life that they bring to our home. The coffee tree is very beautiful, lush, and can be quite the communicative and forgiving houseplant, telling you exactly when it needs to be watered, through the drooping and dull leaves. So even if your plant never flowers or produces coffee berries…that’s okay, because it’s a great companion to hang out with while you enjoy your cup of coffee!
I have come to learn that coffee plants thrive in abundant, indirect light. The key is to avoid harsh, direct sun, as this can burn the leaves. If the only space you have with enough light has rays of light beaming into the room, I advise a sheer curtain in that window to filter direct light. I have my coffee tree about five feet away from a north-facing window and so far, so good.
Make sure that your coffee plant is potted in a pot that drains water. It’s important to avoid wet, soggy soil as this can lead to root rot. During the summer months, keep the soil slightly moist at all times. During less-sunny months, allow the soil to dry 1-2 inches down at most, and water very deeply each time. When winter rolls around, it will require less water.
Never let the soil dry out fully. The best method for knowing when to water your coffee tree is to watch the leaves. When they look droopy and less shiny, feel the soil to be certain, but the plant is likely in need of a good watering! This method works year-round.
To test the soil you can use your finger, a moisture meter, or you can place a popsicle stick or skewer into the soil and pull it out. If it comes out dry, it’s time to water. If it comes out wet with soil stuck to it, wait. Don’t lock into a set watering schedule. The amount of water a plant needs changes when the post size increases, plus different seasons bring in heat and humidity, which ramp up the need for more water.
If you want to really give your coffee plant a stable home, I would recommend adding additional humidification. The simplest, most effective way to increase humidity is to place a humidifier nearby. You can also group it with other houseplants, which naturally increases humidity. I do both.
I suggest never letting the temperature get below 60 degrees (F) in the winter and never below 65 degrees (F) in the summer. Keep it away from poorly insulated windows and away from doors where drafts can reach it.
As with every houseplant, always err on the side of too little fertilizer as opposed to too much! If you add too much, it can burn the roots and kill them. I recommend using a liquid concentrate, all-purpose houseplant fertilizer at half strength every time you water in the summer, stopping altogether in the winter if you live in a four-season climate. For some of you, the growing season can be year-round.
Plant Characteristics to Watch ForDiagnosing what is going wrong with your plant is going to take a little detective work, but even more, it requires patience! First of all, don’t panic and don’t throw a plant out prematurely.
Take a few deep breaths and work down the list of possible issues. Below, I am going to share some typical symptoms that can arise. When I start to spot troubling signs on a plant, I take the plant into a room with good lighting, pull out my magnifiers, and begin by thoroughly inspecting the plant.
The leaves have lost their glossy appearance.
If you want to have healthy house plants, you MUST inspect them regularly. Every time I water a plant, I give it a quick look-over. Bugs/insects feeding on your plants reduces the plant sap and redirect nutrients from leaves. Some chew on the leaves, leaving holes. Also watch for wilting or yellowing, distorted, or speckled leaves. They can quickly get out of hand and spread to your other plants.
IF you see ONE bug, trust me, there are more. So, take action right away. Some are brave enough to show their “faces” by hanging out on stems in plain sight. Others tend to hide out in the darnedest of places, like the crotch of a plant or in a leaf that has yet to unfurl.
Placement in the House: My coffee plant sits approximately 5 feet from a north-facing window, which gives it plenty of indirect light. I also run a humidifier in that area, since I have many plants there that love the extra pampering.
All parts of the coffee plant, with the exception of the mature fruit (the coffee bean), are toxic to humans, cats, and dogs. Ingestion of these plants may cause vomiting or diarrhea.
I have one coffee plant from my mom. The top looks healthy enough, but it’s very tall and lanky. What should I do?
Good morning Janet,
To encourage a fuller appearance you can either prune or cut the plant back. Pruning is simply pinching off the new growth. Pinching back the plant will not only restrain the tree’s height but will encourage a bushier appearance. Or you can cut it back during the spring months to maintain a fuller, bushy appearance. Be sure to use clean, sharp pruning shears, cut the stem at a 45-degree angle, 1/4 inch above where the leaf attaches to the stem (axil).
I hope this helps. blessings, amie sue
I have over 300 house plants, calatheas, Chinese evergreens, alocasias, philodendrons ferns and basically every difficult plant available. 16 months ago I was gifted a small coffee plant in a 7cm pot. It’s still a small plant in a 7cm pot that has only managed to grow 3 tiny new leaves. Obviously, with a lot of need care plants I have the humidity, temp etc right (everything else is growing like crazy, my coconut palm has grown 4′ since January) what could be the issue.
Hmm, that’s a great question Maria… but a tough one to answer. It shows that you have plant experience and are following all the criteria for plant growth. If you have checked off all the requirements for the coffee plant… then I would just continue to give it time. My smaller ones were slow growers. Sorry that I don’t have any concrete answers. blessings, amie sue
Thank you a great article and I look forward to my own very pathetic little coffee plant maybe one day looking like yours. However the one thing I would query is the idea of coffee leaves being toxic to humans? See “Kuti” ie coffee-leaf tea which is apparently very widely drunk in Ethiopia.
I am 81 & have always loved plants. Indoor and out.
I live in a 130 year old small house and it’s loaded with plants.
I Sagan renovations myself after I bought it in 2002 and needed plants.
The closest material store was a Home Depot with a large nursery department. As my only income was from social security Ihad to be careful about wanting to buy plants that were beyond my budget. So, going almost weekly, I watched the “discounted plant shelves” very close. You never knew what you could get back then. One time after season was over we’re 6 orchids that were wilted and dried up looking & were discounted from$24.95 to .50 cents. I believe that they thought they were dead.
Another time 5 Christmas Cactus from $7.95 to .50 cents. I still have them & are huge. And have probably “bred” 100 pots of new plants from leaves that came off at times. This year I saved & counted all dried blooms from original plants and each had between 65-78. Amazing when in full bloom.
Then, what made me start this is my Coffee Tree. Don’t remember original cost but got it for $1.00. Was 8” tall in tiny pot. Now it is 8 1/2 feet as I have never pruned it. It’s awesome but Will only fit in second bedroom that has a high enough ceiling. Last year it had 3 coffee beans. Pretty cool.
My grandkids can barely get in that bunk room because of coffee tree but theblike it too.
Good evening William,
I LOVED LOVED reading through your life’s journey of caring for houseplants. I can totally imagine just how beautiful your charming home is! I hope your love and passion for plants rub off on your grandkids. :) Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. blessings, amie sue
My coffee houseplant is 2 years old. I have been caring for it following your advice and similar from others. Even though it’s now winter it continues growing new leaves green enough. But after the leaves mature some of them just turn yellow (not brown, not dropping). All I ever dream of is a bushy plant with their deep green and shiny leaves but it’s almost impossible. Now and then I would have to plug a yellow leaf. Should I try to just prune off those new leaves as soon as they emerge?
Good day Lis,
Ahhh the good ole’ coffee tree plant. I understand your frustrations and experience them as well. That is why I tagged it as a moderately difficult plant to grow. First off, pruning should be done during the spring months to maintain a fuller, bushy appearance. Pinch or prune with shears 1/4 inch above where the leaf attaches to the stem (axil). Double-check everything; watering schedule, light source, and fertilize during the growing season. Also, be sure that you are cleaning the leaves. You can do this leaf by leaf or you can put it in the shower and give it a good spray down. Dust will block photosynthesis and make the leaves appear dull.
I wish you the best of luck! amie sue
Great article. Two questions.
My coffee plant seems healthy. Had a rough couple of months and a scale infestation that I think is taken care of. My coffee plant is a single stem not a series of stems of off shoots. Is that normal?
Next is the leaves are only at the tips of the plant about ten per branch but the middle of the branch is empty? Any idea why?
Hello Shawn,
Indoor Coffee plants can be challenging and mysterious! Having only one stem can be normal, just depends on how it was first grown and potted at the nursery. You also talked about the middle of the branches don’t have any leaves on them. Did they die off? Fall off? Were they damaged by the scale and removed? You don’t have to answer those questions, I stated them more for thought. As long as the plant has recovered from those nasty scales (good job on that!) and it looks healthy, just keep taking care of it and see what happens.
blessings, amie sue
Hi!
Well, I’ve had a lovely and healthy container coffee plant in my warm, west-facing office window for around 5 years plus. Recently (last week of February), I had a tic and decided to put some coffee grounds mixed with rose fertilizer (likely ~6 oz. organic pellet type) into the soil. Additionally, I accidentally left the heater on all night in the office 2 days after adding this mixture to the topsoil. The next morning, the entire tree looked like it had been steamed (or at the least Heavily stressed). It had tons of microscopic new growth appearing before I did this strange thing. It is now 7 days; and the plant is still life, brown, not recovering, I want to say “obviously dead”… HA, please no need to remind me what an idiot I was 7 days ago! I would just really appreciate your take on what ultimately killed (or maimed) it (heat or fertilizer burn or…) and if it is obviously time to take my tree to the graveyard.
Thanks for any comment that may come to mind for you.
Best,
lpaulick
Oh my, Lynelle, you have been on quite an adventure with your poor coffee plant. You have me scratching my head on this one. I don’t think it was heat unless it was over 85 degrees for the whole time. Coffee grounds can be ok, and rose fertilizer can be ok… but perhaps the two were just a bit too much. And perhaps the trifecta of high heat… well, shoot girl… this is tough. I looked up what the signs are when you have over-fertilized a houseplant, and it read:
Symptoms and signs of over-fertilization
Crust of fertilizer on soil surface. (do you see this on your plant Lynelle?)
Yellowing and wilting of lower leaves.
Browning leaf tips and margins.
Browned or blackened limp roots.
Defoliation.
Very slow or no growth.
It doesn’t quite match up to what you were describing. If it were me, I would first try flushing the soil. The best way to solve the problem of over-fertilization is to leach excess nutrients from the soil by using watering to flush out the pot slowly. You will want to put it in the bathtub or outside (if you have nice weather where you live). Hopefully, your pot has drainage holes. You might want to do this three or four times, because this will take the fertilizer out of the roots. After leaching, don’t fertilize the plant for at least a month. Then see what happens.
If you don’t feel this won’t resolve the situation based on what you are witnessing… you can always cut it way back and see what happens. I mean, if you are already entertaining the idea of taking it to the graveyard… why not experiment. :P I have a selloum hope plant, a huge one, and a few years ago, it just turned yellow, the whole thing. No explanation, no changes in its diet or location, and no pests. A real head-scratcher. I was getting ready to cut my loss and part ways. Instead, I thought, “What the heck, what would happen if I cut all the leaves off to the dirt line?” So I did. I kept watering it but didn’t have much faith that it would rebound. Well, it did and recovered beautifully. Shrugs. Sometimes being a plant parent is a true mystery. :P
I am so sorry that I don’t have an exact answer for you. But whatever you plan on doing, keep me posted. blessings, amie sue
Oooomg, omg, amie-sue, this message from you is like a huge gift! I suddenly have hope, hahaa. Which I feel right down to my core — it’s so unexpected. I appreciate this so so much!
Gonna print out your comments and get Right on it; and I’ll let you know exactly what happens!
Very best,
lynelle
Awe, now you made my night Lynelle. :) I will be sending plant vibes your way! blessings, amie sue
Hi Amie Sue!
Update on the dead coffee tree! We (against my judgment that it be kept in a temp-controlled area), we put it outside and flushed the soil several times. But we left it outside in temps of ~40-58 for several days that included another rainstorm and temps of ~40-58F — not a bit of which the plant has ever experienced, as it was always an indoor tree; and of course, what leaves are still hanging on are dark brown!…so this morning, I took the Felcos out to cut a small branch and see if it’s truly dead or what. AND THIS: the inside is Fully green. Dead on the outside, apparently quite alive inside! So I want to simply trim it down a bit, change the soil, and bring it back up to the western sun-facing window it loved and let it kind of start again. Haven’t done anything yet, though.
May I ask for your advice on timing?? As well as anything else you might want to comment on?!
Thanks in advance,
lynelle
Thanks for the update Lynelle. How is it now? amie sue
I have had a coffee tree for years. Plenty of sun and misting and watering when about the top inch and a half of the soil is dry. For some reason all the branches are totally bare and it only holds leaves on the top. Can I get them to grow back? If I cut it down close to the dirt would it grow back with leaves? I don’t know how to get it to stop dropping all its lower leaves, it’s done this it’s entire life.
Hello Dan,
Do you keep your coffee plant indoors or outdoors? amie sue
Always indoors. It finally started thriving and then the leafs started tuning black and eventually drying out. Maybe it got too cold I. The window? I don’t know what happened but now it’s sad again.
I bought a potted coffee tree 2 or 3 years ago, it was maybe 1′ tall.
It is now around 4’and currently has about 7 coffee cherries expanding nicely for the first time.
While it seems pretty healthy in general, it occasionally produces a few distorted leaves. Sometimes one side of the leaf looks normal, but the leaf margin on other side looks toothed and underdeveloped, with the central vein curving towards that side instead of straight. Or occasionally the tip of the leaf will be deformed.
Any suggestions? A nutrient deficiency, or watering issue?
Due to our seasons where I live the plant is moved at different times of the year, and also heating in the room when inside changes which changes its water demands when the heaters run longer. This is normally picked up pretty quick though, and at worst cause a couple of old leaves to fall. I don’t know if the odd deformed leaf is related or not.
Hello Brett,
I wish I knew the answer to your question, but I am unsure. Diagnosing a plant is challenging, let alone one that I am not in contact with. The best advice I can give is to try different things one at a time. So, for instance, make sure your watering is on point, move onto location, check the roots, lighting, and add fertilizer. It’s a long process to really understand what might be the issue. besting of luck, amie sue
My coffee plant finally started thriving over the summer (at a year old). When do I know when it’s time to re-pot? It’s still in the same 7″ pot as when I got it. Also, it’s in a west-facing window and has been dropping a leaf (patchy brown and dry) here and there since November. After reading your article, I moved it away from that window. Is there anything else you suggest? I mist it almost daily and I have it sitting in a rock tray filled with water for the humidity. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated, I’m new to the houseplant life. Thanks in advance!
Hello Adrianne,
The main way to tell if a plant needs to up-potting is to remove the plant from the pot and look at the roots. A root bound plant will be dense with roots, and often the start circling around the pant soil, and/or they come of the drain holes in the pot. It’s hard for me to diagnosis what is happening with the brown leaves. Relocating it seems like it was a good first step. Keep monitoring it making sure you have it on a good watering schedule, no insects are present, and making sure it isn’t getting direct light. Good luck and enjoy your plant journey! blessings, amie sue
Hello, and thanks for creating this thread. I’ve had an Arabica for a couple years now, and although it’s grown to about 4′, I have had ongoing issues with Scale and inside leaves dropping.
After reading this article, I suspect that I’m not watering enough. I can tilt the pot (like 15 gal ceramic), push my finger into the drain hole, and it’s moist, but has NEVER had any water come out of the drain hole.
In regards to scale, I’ve used my fingers and a toothpick to flatten runners and squash the little shells they created later in cycle. Curious whether Safer Soap over the entire plant would be a good idea, provided I rinse the soap off a little while after application. I tried it last year, and didn’t look like the plant did well with the possible pH change, or just the soap itself. – Steve
Good evening Steve,
You are more patient with scale than I am. :) At this point, if I were to get a plant with scale on it, I would dispose of it. I have too many plants that I would fear it spreading. I don’t have a space to isolate a plant since I have so many. lol
When was the last time you repotted it, checked for root bound issues, or checked the soil?
Coffee plants can really give a person a run for their money when trying to diagnosis what they are up to. amie sue
Amie-Sue,
I’ve had the plant for about 26 months, a grafted Arabica, which seems to have grown at lightning speed, relative to the 14 seed potted ones I got last year. I repotted about a year ago, into a bowl shaped pot 13″ tall and 14″ wide. It’s my largest indoor plant by far, and I’d like to see if I can get it to produce coffee beans. Disposing of it would set me back a minimum of 2 years. I have been travelling A LOT this past 6 months, and aside from watering, there’s nobody to inspect the scale progress. Now that I’ve been home an entire week this year, there are shoots on every limb, and most of the visible scale have been eradicated physically. Leaving on another 10 day trip following tomorrow. Spray? If so, what? (Insecticidal soap works great on aphids, curious if it handles scale as well)
Hello Steve,
Wow, that all sounds like you have quite the thing going on. I love it. Yes, insecticidal soap can help with soft brown scale and may take several treatments. Horticultural oils can help to. Here’s an article that talks about it. https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/horticultural-oils/#:~:text=Today's%20highly%20refined%20horticultural%20or,shrubs%2C%20ornamentals%2C%20and%20houseplants.
Best of luck! amie sue
Thank you for creating this resource!
I welcomed my first coffee plant into my home about a month ago. It was pretty tight in the 4” nursery container so I repotted to a 5” pot with drainage.
The good news is that there’s new growth at the top – lovely, bright green baby leaves.
The middle leaves are dark green, shiny and healthy.
But the bottom leaves are shriveled and crispy. I read all the advice about increasing humidity and grouping with other plants. Tried that too, to no avail.
I originally placed the plant on my sunporch, which it west facing and gets nice light. However the space is a bit drafty so I moved it to my workspace with a grow light. I run a small humidifier there and hoped it would help, but still no luck.
I’ve now moved it to the corner of a credenza in my living room. It’s about 5 feet from a west-facing window, and about 3 feet from a humidifier. There’s also a heating vent about 4 feet to the left of the plant.
I’ve trimmed off the crunchy leaves and I’m crossing my fingers that maybe this will be the spot where it thrives.
Oh and I’ve misted the plant every 3-4 days since it came home.
If you can think of anything else I might have missed I’d love to learn more.
Thanks again!
Hello Natalie,
It sounds like you have tried a lot of things and it seems as though it is in a good spot. I am not sure what else to add other than just giving it some time to adjust. The signs of new grow is encouraging. At this point, keep doing what you are doing and lets see how it does in time. Fingers crossed! amie sue
Thank you, Amie Sue!
I moved my coffee plant one (hopefully) last time. It’s now on my laundry porch which gets bright, indirect light from both west and south-facing windows. It perked up a bit with all of the light and it gets a humidity boost from the washing machine.
I added another midi humidifier to the space on a whim, and the leaves – even the crispy ones – responded immediately! Their edges are a bit tough but the plant is responding beautifully.
I don’t want to keep the plant in the back of my house long-term, but I will let it stay there until it takes off and thrives. Then I’ll move it to a more permanent spot and ensure the humidifier is nearby.
Keeping my fingers crossed too!
Natalie
Keep me posted Natalie! The fact that you are so attentive to your plants is amazing. Often people don’t try to dive in to investigate as to why their plants may not be healthy. It’s a battle for sure. Being a plant detective requires patience! :) Good luck. My fingers and toes are crossed! amie sue