C.A.P.E. Australia - Tips on Growing Coffee

Some free advice from our experience as North Coast Coffee growers
and Australia's largest coffee tree nursery.

Remember, different conditions require different cultivars and procedures. C.A.P.E. recommend the seeking of professional advice before planting out. It could mean the saving of thousands of dollars and thousands of hours of work.

Always purchase the best and guaranteed coffee seedlings. A cheap tree may end up costing you a lot of money.

Think carefully about putting in irrigation. Research indicates that this is the best way to ensure safety of crop in case of drought, maximising the yield, the quality and the size of bean. Again, a certain cost at the beginning of your operation which will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Following is some free advice for growing superb coffee in the most effective manner. These 'rules' on C.A.P.E.'s plantation work very well in the Northern Rivers Area of New South Wales, Australia on our plantation in the hinterland behind Byron Bay.

• It is not recommended growing coffee in areas known to frost.
• Coffee trees do not like "wet feet' and grow best in well drained, deep soil.
• It is recommended that trees are protected from Southerly and Westerly winds.
• Get a complete soil test before starting any land preparation.
• Start your land preparation at least 4- 6 months before planting.
• For mechanical harvesting keep at least 7 metre headlands.
• Keep row spacings at around 3.75 metre.
• Clear your strips, about 0.9 meter wide, with 'Round-up' or another similar chemical spray effective for the elimination of weeds and grasses.
• Remove all dead grass and weeds from those strips as soon as possible.
• Rotary hoe the strips lightly in order to encourage weed growth.
• Spread the recommended product to correct pH.

• Keep spraying the weeds as soon as they emerge.
• Deep rip with a single tyne ripper in the centre of the row, if there is a danger of erosion, 'jump' the ripper every 8-10 metres.
• Spread the pre-plant fertilisers as per soil test recommendations and rotary hoe into the soil.
• After planting, keep an area of at least 30 cm on both sides of the trees free of weeds.
• If using a weed spray, be very careful not to allow spray drift to get on the young trees, as it will burn the very delicate green bark and therefore kill the trees.
• Always fertilise at the right time, using the right fertilisers at the right rate and do keep the fertiliser away from the trunks of the trees and spread it evenly around the tree. Do not let the young trees get stressed, but even more importantly do not over-water.
• Re-test your soil after one year.

Further advice on growing coffee can be sourced from the Federal Government's Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC).