The coffee bush or coffee plant is a robust plant. However, mistakes in care can lead to deficiency symptoms and illnesses, which you can easily avoid with a little care.
Coffee beans from our own cultivation - the dream of many coffee drinkers. Of 60 Coffea species, the coffee bush (Coffea Aarabica) is the only source of coffee beans. It takes about 3 to 4 years before the first harvest. So you need to have a little patience and of course a green thumb. Because even if the plant is very robust and resistant, care errors in particular can lead to the plant becoming ill or showing signs of deficiency.
In this article, we would like to explain how you can recognize common changes in the plant and how to combat them accordingly.
Common diseases and pests on the coffee bush
Damage to leaves and roots
» Discolored leaf tips
Brown or black discolored leaf tips are a sign that the plant has received too much sun. Young plants are particularly sensitive. It is better to place the coffee plant in a spot that is light and airy but not in the blazing midday sun. If the plant is too dark or the temperatures drop, it loses leaves. Loss of leaves is normal in autumn and early winter. But you could, for example, provide more light with a plant lamp (such as this one here).
» Incorrect amount of water when watering
The leaves are also sensitive to too much or too little water. The basic rule for coffee bushes is: water regularly and plentifully in summer, but avoid waterlogging; only water enough in winter to ensure that the root ball does not dry out completely. The plant likes high humidity, so it helps if you spray the leaves with lime-free water. This creates good conditions for he althy growth and strong leaves.
If the roots are constantly too wet, root rot will form. You can tell by the fact that the plant looks sickly overall. The earth gives off an unpleasant smell. Take the coffee plant out of the pot andremove the rotten root parts. Let everything dry well and then place the plant in fresh soil.
The fight against scale insects
Even with the best care, scale insects can infest, which like to spread on coffee bushes. The real pests are the scale insect larvae, which quickly spread over the entire plant. The first signs are stunted leaves that later fall off. Unfortunately, the symptoms only appear when there are already many scale insects on the plant.
It is therefore worth checking the underside of the leaves from time to time. Scale insects are about two millimeters in size. The female specimens bore their proboscis firmly into the leaves and suck out the sap.
» If you spot scale insects: Isolate the plant immediately! You can only fight the lice with systemic agents that are absorbed through the soil or the leaves. Either use sticks or sprays, which are suitable for controlling scale insects. There's no point in scraping the scale insects. At the same time, you would distribute the tiny larvae that often sit under the carapace. Some species of scales secrete a sticky honeydew. Then the plant can also be attacked by sooty mold fungi. Use an effective fungicide in addition to pest control.