My day doesn’t start without a great cup of joe. It’s what this Mama needs to conquer the day with a house full of kiddos. You’ve heard the saying, “but first coffee”. For better or worse, we are addicted to that glorious mug of dangerously dark liquid. It’s the elixir of life — dramatic? Maybe, but it’s pretty dang awesome!
But what does it take to make a great batch of coffee?
We’re not talking about whether you use one teaspoon and milk first or go straight up black. No. We’re talking about the beans, in which your coffee crop can only be as good as your coffee trees.
Of course, there’s much more to it than just planting good trees. Growing strong, healthy, and super-productive plants mean paying attention to several critical variables. So, without further ado, here’s the secret process behind your favorite mug of the good stuff. Who would have thunk it, right?
Location Location
Yup. Location is the most important factor in the whole process. No ifs or buts. It’s about being somewhere that offers up the optimum conditions in terms of climate, precipitation, temperature and sun intensity. It’s about finding a pocket of the planet where the temperature is between 21°C and 22°C, there are 1800 hours of sunshine a year, and the rainfall dances somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000mm annually. That’s perfect.
Throw Some Shade
It’s pretty darn important that coffee trees get no more than 1800 hours of sunshine per year, which is where shade slips into the equation. But it’s not as simple as saying, “well, we get 2,300 hours of sunny days, so we need to use 42% shade cover,” because it’s there are other elements that need your attention, like drought or a lack of rainfall. That’s where shade plays a role in water retention. Crazy, huh.
The Secrets Of Soil
Nutrition. Weed management. Preventing diseases. Fighting off fungi. It’s the challenge that never stops. The trick is preparing the soil before planting the seedling, quickly followed by maintaining it with due care and attention during the first growth phase, as this will continue to impact the tree throughout its life. It’s no wonder so many coffee growers have to save the ‘contact us’ page of the fertilizer suppliers website and make sure everything is at optimum levels on that side of things – soil acidity is just too important to ignore.
Don’t Be Too Dense
When it comes to planting your trees, you need to know what sort of climate and soil conditions you’re playing with. Good sun exposure means you can plant more, lots of shade means you need to be a bit more conservative. Then there is the sort of tree your planting, the size of the variant, the layout you opt for and the spatial arrangement.
Coffee Is Life
All that dedication (and more) just so you can kickstart your day with a grin. Crazy, right? Thanks to those
