Bananas.org - Coffee!

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Can it be grown in illinois-and how big do they get and long do they live-would it make a nice house plant???
THANX 2 ALL!!!

I hear coffee plants make excellent and super attractive houseplants and they'll even produce beans inside! :eek:

Don't know much about your zone but if you can provide a warm sunny sill, there's no reason one wouldn't grow for you, I bet. ;)

I've germinated coffee seeds before but they took a long time to sprout. Unfortunately they were killed from hardening-off bacteria and I didn't get to experience growing a plant.

I was told they can do quite well indoors so good luck to you.

: )

Grow at least 2 of them together. They like growing as a pair.

It's very moisture demanding, but managable.

Seeds won't germinate, unless they are superfresh. They tend to lose viability very quickly.

I gave one to my mother, once. It made an excellent house plant. Shiny, glossy green leaves, white, very fragrant flowers and nice red berries. She kept it growing for many years, in front of a sliding glass patio door. She even had second and third generation plants; she took the beans out of the berries, and planted them.

Coffee can be grown outdoors in climates where the temperatures rarely drop below freezing, and then only for a few hours maybe a dozen times per year -- non-consecutively. If the temperatures exceed 95F (35C), they will prefer filtered light during that part of the day. In the first few years of growth, a citrus formula (proportional to 3-1-2) is a good choice. For bean production after the 3 years in the ground, transition to a potassium formula proportional to 2-1-3 -- the same as we feed bananas. When the shrubs are about 5ft (1.5m) high and wide, two of them should produce enough beans for the daily coffee needs of one drinker.

When grown indoors, a 5ft (1.5m) high and wide plant will have an annual production that will net about 20 to 30 cups of coffee.

If you are searching for high quality (tasting) coffee seeds, try to obtain the fresh beans from the Central American hybrid "Maragogype" directly from the distributor.

No matter what variety you search for, get the imported fresh beans (1st generation) and not those from some plant grown off-plantation. The second and follow-on generation seeds will be far more generic in taste.

Here were some fresh viable coffee beans I had...

Shows one that sprouted after soaking...

: )