Hi,
I grew coffee in the last place I lived just north of Sydney, NSW, Australia. It grew in my back yard in a fairly sandy soil. It produced a good crop of berries which the birds would eat when they were ripe. I think most plants will adapt to a varity of soils and conditions as log as you pay attention to the basics water (less in winter) good drainage, protection from frost if it is a problem in your area.

Can you recommend a soil mix for coffee? I have even heard that different sands make a difference, some people use silica sand, but I do not know how well this does. I would like something that resembles the tropical soil, and not something like MG, but I am open to anything. Thanks for the help!

Thank you very much! I feel so bad for them, I just want them to grow to their potential! I will try flushing the soil, as well as using an acid fertilizer with an iron additive. Do you think that foliar fertilizers would work better for it? I will try using distilled water as well. I had no idea you could grow coffee outdoors in California!

Howdy Wiguy. Coffee Trees aren't the easiest plants to grow in zones 7 and under.

After several attempts, I finally managed to keep a Coffee tree indoors during winter months and outside in summer. My tree is going on 12-yrs-old.

Winter is harsh on our trees. Three important factors are fresh, circulating air, humidity, and proper watering.

Of course, sun is important, too. I discovered Coffee's do well in very bright light. Direct south or west, 'summer' sun will scorch leaves.' Too much sun is the reason my
previous Coffee Trees died.

During winter my coffee is placed in a cool room, before south and east windows. Also a few hours of artificial light at night.

Because Coffee require acidic soil, I add Peat in the mix. The mix consists of, MG Cactus and Succulent Soil, Perlite, Pea Gravel, Peat, House Plant Soil, African Violet Soil and bark.

Gravel and Perlite help with drainage. Peat and African Violet Soils acidify. House Plant 'black' soil adds nutrients.

I find it mandatory to shower leaves often. Plants perk up after a shower. If possible, daily misting helps, too.

Water thoroughly, saturating entire rootball. Before adding more water, soil should dry between. It should look crumbly, not cracked. The best way to check is by inserting a stake deep in soil. If stake comes out wet, retest a few days later. Once stake comes out dry/clean, it's time to water. When summered outdoors, more water is needed.

Plastic pots work best. If you're a person who can't resist watering, pot in clay. Better yet, try your best to avoid over-watering.

Containers must have drainage holes.

During winter, fertilizer is withheld, however I add Super Thrive.

Once new leaves form, Coffee gets its first feeding of the year with Fish Emulsion. In summer, it gets a balanced,(5-5-5 or 10-10-10) half-strength dossage of a balanced fertilizer. Make sure fertilizer contains minerals and nutrients. Read the label for ingredients.

Inspecting for insects is most important, moreso when wintering indoors. Coffee can acquire different insects. Mealy, Mites, etc.
Dry, stale air and constantly wet soil is a No-No, leads to pests and disease.

Adding Iron 1-2 times a year is sufficient. Certain plants need extra iron, especially acid-lovers. Follow container directions. Use as a preventative and/or cure from Chlorosis.

Good luck, Toni

Thank you Toni!
You have certainly done quite a bit of work with your coffee plants! I will have to follow these steps! I will see if I can find the soils that you are using ( these are hard to find, even during the summer here. I have not heard of Super Thrive, do you find that it works better than other fertilizers?
Thank you for all of your help, I really do appreciate it!

Morning Wiguy.

Wiguy I should have explained more about Superthrive. It's 'not' a fertilizer..
ST contains hormones and 50 Vitamins. It can be used with or without fertilizer.

I've been using ST many years. It's a real pick-me-up to plants.
Especially stressed plants, plus it works great with cuttings.

My plants get a monthly dose, 4-5 drops per gallon.
For ailing or sick plants, 10 drops per gallon.

For best prices check out Ebay. That's where I get mine. Local stores and some online nurseries over-charge.
A small bottle goes a long way.
For example, I have over 300 plants. I buy ST by the pint. My bottle is two-years old and there's still a little less than half left.

What type of soil mediums are available in your area? Perhaps we can narrow them down.
What type of soil do you normally use? Toni

Thank you for sharing! I will have to buy some, I think a store I go to normally carries it. Hm as for soil, I can get Ferti-loam products easily, as well has hort. grade vermiculite, African violet soil, pea gravel and some other brand soils, but I can't recall them.

I am not expert in growing coffee; but I live in Guatemala where we produce the finest coffee in the world. I am a Meyer lemon grower by experience; but I have grown coffee plants in a number of places in the world. I have coffee trees in all my gardens here; and I find that if I treat them exactly like I treat my Meyer lemons, they seem to thrive and produce lots of coffee. The big difference is the coffee needs a lot of pruning to be maximally productive. Growers used to prune out 1/3 of the limbs every year; until someone invented "Rock and Roll" pruning. Now the growers cut 1/3 of the trees every year with chainsaws at 18 inches above the ground; it saves lots of money and produces the same yields, but it's probably not what you want to do with a garden tree, at least not for esthetics.

Reminder to Self: Turn off heater in greenhouse on sunny days in the winter. Seriously sunburned my coffee trees. Temp was in mid 90sF ! oops. It's starting to leaf out again, but soil was fairly dry when I scorched them. The greenhouse is full of all kinds of tropicals, only the coffee was whacked.

thank you all for the help! I ended up transplanting them all into Al's gritty mix, and am sorry to say that they are not doing well at all! I guess they do not like their roots being disturbed. My coffee plant that is about 3 feet tall has nearly dropped all of its leaves and has a lot of twig die back :X I am just hoping that it lives to make it until I can place it back outside, it is looking terrible! I will be sure to prune it back to healthy wood, but this is at least 1/3 already; and I will watch the temperatures as well, they are about 75 degrees in the day.

I planted one out here in the SF bay area last summer..and to my happy surprise did fine through the winter...never dropped a leaf or has shown any cold damage. Its planted near a large Brugmansia and is very close to a young Shaving brush palm. And this year we had one early morning hit 32f.
I'm looking forward to the first San Francisco bay area Ca crop of coffee..wink. In five more years..

About 3 years ago the dw brought some coffee beans back from her uncles plantation on the Kona coast of the big island. I knew from nothing about coffee. Started 8 and soon had 8 little coffee trees. potted them up a couple times , growing in partial shade, Used a mix of one bag of Jungle Growth mixed with a 50lb. bag of play sand. Fertilized with a heaping table spoon of regular 8-8-8 garden fertilizer once a month. Built a greenhouse to keep them from freezing over the winter, fed them once a month and watered about every 3rd day. (dry down about 2 inches. Trees are about 40" tall and the bottom limbs are blowing up with flower buds. Might be in bloom on there 3rd birthday. Just my experience, Jim

@birdsnblooms I found this thread when searching for tips on taking care of my coffee plants. I bought "a" plant that is actually six plants in one small pot. I want to split them out but I want to make sure I use the right kind of soil. Since your plants had already lasted 12 years when you posted this (and I know people who couldn't keep their coffee plants alive for more than a few months,) your custom blend looks like it's a winner. Do you have some recommendations for ratios? Without some input, I feel like I'm just mixing together a random concoction and hoping for the best.