Coffee plant (Coffea arabica) care

Herbs & edibles · needs attention to keep

Coffee plant (Coffea arabica) wants bright indirect light. Water it every 6 days. Keep evenly damp through spring and summer, slightly drier in winter. It wilts hard when dry and the leaf edges brown afterwards. Pot it in slightly acid, free-draining compost. A balanced feed at half strength every two weeks in spring and summer, and repot once a year. Humidity: above 60%. Toxic to cats and dogs — the caffeine in the leaves and beans causes vomiting, a racing heart and tremors.

The coffee plant: glossy, deeply veined dark leaves on an upright shrub, growing as understorey in the Ethiopian highlands. It makes a handsome foliage plant indoors and will, at four or five years old and in good conditions, flower and set a few cherries — enough for a novelty, not a cup.

Quick facts

Water: Water every 6 days. Keep evenly damp through spring and summer, slightly drier in winter. It wilts hard when dry and the leaf edges brown afterwards.
Light: Bright indirect light.
Humidity: Above 60%.
Soil: Slightly acid, free-draining compost.
Feeding: A balanced feed at half strength every two weeks in spring and summer.
Repotting: Repot once a year.
Toxic to pets: Toxic to cats and dogs — the caffeine in the leaves and beans causes vomiting, a racing heart and tremors.
Difficulty: Needs attention.
Mature size: 1–1.5 m indoors.
Native to: The highlands of Ethiopia.

Watering a Coffee plant

Water every 6 days. Keep evenly damp through spring and summer, slightly drier in winter. It wilts hard when dry and the leaf edges brown afterwards.

That cadence is the one PlantParlour sets for this species when you name it, and it is deliberately on the cautious side — a plant that asks a day early is safer than one that asks a day late. Log each watering and the reminder moves with the plant rather than with the calendar.

Light

Bright indirect light, no direct sun. Coffee grows as an understorey shrub and the leaves scorch quickly in a sunny window.

Humidity and temperature

Above 60%. Central heating in winter is what turns a comfortable room into a dry one, and it is the usual reason an established plant suddenly browns at the edges or picks up spider mites.

Soil and potting

A slightly acid, free-draining mix — ericaceous compost cut with perlite works well.

Feeding

A balanced feed at half strength every two weeks in spring and summer. Stop feeding in autumn and start again when you see new growth in spring — feeding a plant that isn't growing just builds up salts in the pot.

Repotting

Repot once a year. Every spring while young. It grows into a substantial shrub and can be pruned to keep it in bounds.

Common problems

Brown leaf edges and tips
Dry air or hard water.

Fix: Raise the humidity above 60% and water with rainwater.
Leaves yellowing between the veins
The compost has gone too alkaline.

Fix: Repot into an ericaceous mix and feed.
Leaf drop after a cold night
Cold damage — it will not take below about 12 °C.

Fix: Move it away from cold glass and keep it warm.

Propagation

From fresh seed, which must be very fresh, or semi-ripe cuttings with bottom heat.

A cutting taken in PlantParlour keeps its link to the plant it came from, so a propagation years later still traces back to the mother plant — which is the point if you ever sell or trade it.

Toxicity and safety

Toxic to cats and dogs — the caffeine in the leaves and beans causes vomiting, a racing heart and tremors.

Questions people ask

How often should you water a Coffee plant?

Water every 6 days as a starting point — that is the cadence PlantParlour sets for Coffea arabica. Keep evenly damp through spring and summer, slightly drier in winter. It wilts hard when dry and the leaf edges brown afterwards. Light, pot size and the time of year all move that number, so treat it as a reminder to go and check rather than a rule.

How much light does a Coffee plant need?