A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum Germinating Coffea Arabica Seeds (Coffee Plant)

Greetings!

I did some searching here on the forums but couldn't find the answer to my question so I thought I would ask! Also, I have read the Coffee Plant's profile here but it does not discuss in detail how to germinate the seeds for this specific species (Coffea Arabica & Coffee Arabica Catura).

I have been exploring my new found hobby of Horticulture recently and decided to take on a project. I will be attempting to successfully germinate at least one Coffea Arabica (Coffee) seed and one Coffea Arabica Catura (Dwarf Coffee) seed indoors. I have 24 seeds of each that I purchased online and received this weekend.

The research I have done online suggests soaking the seeds in water for 12-24 hours with the hope that with some the embryo emerge. At that point I am planning on sowing the "live" seeds into the 4" pots about 1.5" deep. I have purchased some quality soil which I will leave nameless (after reading the forum rules) but which has the following description:

"...blend of premium earthworm castings, bat guano, and Pacific Northwest sea-going fish and crab meal. Composted forest humus, sandy loam, and sphagnum peat moss...pH adjusted at 6.3 to 6.8 to allow for optimum fertilizer uptake."

I chose it because the research I did suggested that Coffea Arabica prefers a slightly acidic soil. The description of this soil very closely matched the ideal soil conditions.

I am confused on one point. I have read in one place that light is required for germination to take place. Another source advised that germination take place strictly in the dark. Coffea Arabica may be unique in that, from what I have read, germination takes 42-56 days.

Lastly, should I provide artificial (indoor) lighting if I can successfully get a seedling?

I am seeking advice of any kind. I am a confessed "newbie" and am learning a lot each and every day. Thanks for your time :)

It is my understanding that the seeds need to be around 8 weeks old for maximum germination, and they need light, so they should be sowed on the surface. There is a hormone called GA-3 that supposedly will help them germinate better, even in the dark. The seedlings will need good light, artificial or otherwise, esp. if kept indoors.

Also, since most coffee plants in the wild are started from seed dropped from birds, I would say light is required for germination. You could always do it both ways and see what happens!

Thank you very much!!

This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping for! I can definitely set up some artificial indoor lighting for the germination and seedling process. I believe your assumptions about it's natural habitat are correct.

Do you know what products contain GA-3? Is there a product that is readily available? I had heard this before and have done some research since reading your post. The seeds that I have are almost a year old (it's hard to get them much fresher inside of the United States) and the extra kick of the GA-3 hormone might be exaclty what I need.

Thanks again and if anyone has other tips or additional information I am all ears

Thanks!

The way I germinated mine was like this:

1. got red berries, removed red layer of flesh, and soaked in water.
2. there is a translucent coating around the seed. get it off. you will have to use your nails, or use a craft knife, and pry open the translucent layer from the middle groove
3. the seed is pale gray. you should seed a small radical poking out of the seed from one end
4. placed the seed in cheap potting soil (ran out of the soiless mix), water, put in covered propagator with lid and heating pad on bottom
5. took about 2 weeks for the cotyledons to show up (they are round and crinkly) and it take a few weeks for the true leaves to show (shiny, smaller, elliptic)

Mine never grew past the first set of true leaves because I left home for a few weeks and no one watered them for me

Thanks! I really appreciate the extra information! I'm definitely printing this all out for reference.

Where did you get the berries (fruit of the coffee plant) from? That is ideal! At the moment I don't know of any place that I can get my hands on the actual fruit that contains the 2 seeds. With the age of my seeds I imagine I will have a low (or non-existant ) germination rate.

I did some research and SuperThrive appears to contain plant hormones and has been recommend in several places for use in germination which leads me to believe one of the hormones that it contains is GA-3 (Gibberellin). Hopefully that will give me a better chance at succesful germination.

Thanks again for the info. The more the merrier

I found the berries at some confrence center where I was volunteering, and though why not try growing them? I had no clue what berries they were until I cut them open and saw the two seeds.

From what I remember in bio, gibberellins will only break seed dormancy (breaks down ABA), but can't make seeds sprout. They can help germinate seeds that need to be stratified, or need light to germinate. I've heard that green unroasted coffee beans can be germinated successfully

Thank you!



That is basically what I am working with. I purchased seeds, which have already been stripped from the original berries. I am excited to get started, but want to make sure I do this right since the seeds are a little hard to come by.

I am going to use a little SuperThrive mixed in with the water to hopefully help break the dormancy of these seeds.

Thanks again!!