There are two types of coffee namely; arabica and robusta. Arabica coffee is planted in highland areas while robusta is planted in low altitude areas.
Coffee does well in deep, well drained and fertile soil. Trees or bananas can be planted along with coffee to provide shade to coffee plants then remove weeds by digging or spraying. Seedlings with symptoms of yellowing, weak and small stems should be rejected. Dig holes and plant coffee with pegs for support. Pests and diseases affecting coffee are black twig borer, root mealybug, coffee wilt. Uproot all affected parts and burn them.
Spacing of coffee
For robusta coffee, spacing of pegs is done at 10 by 10 feet to get 450 trees in an acre. For arabica coffee, spacing is at 8 by 8 feet to give you 680 trees in an acre.
Dig holes of 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep and put top soil on upper side and sub soil on lower side of the hole at least 3 months before planting. Pre fill the hole with top soil mixed with manure.
Planting coffee
Water seedlings before and after planting. After six months, bend the plants towards sunset direction to stimulate growth of suckers. Only allow 2-3 healthy looking suckers from the base of the plant to grow.
Prune coffee when it is 7-9 years, cut one branch 1 ft from the ground of the main stem of each plant every year and slant outwards to prevent water from settling which may cause rotting.
Harvest and post harvest
Harvest only fully ripe cherries. Pop the green cherries within 12 hours of harvesting and keep them in a container for 12-24 hours to allow controlled fermentation. Wash fermented coffee beans then dry on wire trays. In dry processing, dry the cherries on top of concrete floors.
Storage is done in bags and placed on raised pallets of at least 0.5 ft above the ground to avoid wetting and moisture.
