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I like dual purpose plants. They could be good to eat and beautiful, serve a purpose or feed animals. Sometimes I come across a plant that serves nature and me, and that’s what I love about gardening. Feel the same? You should consider growing coffee trees.
Although it only provides you with a handful of sweet and juicy berries, it has many other uses, which we’ll discuss below.
If you want to learn all about this increasingly popular plant, here we go. You won’t regret planting this magnificent specimen, and the wildlife around you will thank you too.
Contents
What are Coffeeberries?
California coffee tree (Frangula californicalisten)) is a small, medium, or large evergreen shrub that grows between 18 inches and 15 feet tall depending on the cultivar. You can find it growing natively in most parts of California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
This plant is very attractive to native birds, insects and butterflies, so it is perfect for a wildlife garden.
Traditionally used by Native Americans for food and medicine, you can plant coffee as an understory specimen or as an informal hedge. When California buckthorn, as it is also called, receives plenty of water, it is fire resistant due to its thick growth and ability to resist burning.
Coffeeberry is also well used in erosion control on steep banks. It is particularly suitable for regenerating dry and unused slopes.
A member of the buckthorn family, the California coffee plant produces berries that turn green to dark purple or black in summer. The berries have a sweet, almost fig-like taste.
Native Americans used the berries as a laxative, so keep that in mind. Do not eat too many berries at once. Never eat the leaves and branches. They are poisonous.
Grow coffee trees in USDA hardiness zones 7 through 10.
Best Coffeeberry Cultivars
There are different cultivars available depending on the size and growth habits you need. If you have plenty of space, try growing one of the available coffee berries. If you need a certain size, you might want to check with a local nursery to see what they have in stock.
Eve Case
It is a compact cultivar. It will reach between five and eight feet tall and the same width. You can easily trim Eve Case to shape it. It has vibrant green leaves.
Bonita Linda
With gray to green foliage, ‘Bonita Linda’ grows up to 10 feet tall and tolerates partial shade. This cultivar makes a magnificent climbing specimen.
Little Sure
Another compact variety, ‘Little Sure’ has dark green leaves. At maturity, it will reach about four feet tall and wide.
Mound San Bruno
This compact cultivar makes a good groundcover. Or you can just let it grow to its full size, which is about five feet tall and wide.
Improved sea view
This cultivar is perfect for ground cover at just 18 inches tall. It lies flat on the ground and has dark green leaves. It is a prolific berry producer.
leather sheet
Although it can grow up to eight feet tall, you can also keep the leatherleaf compact to around five feet tall with good pruning techniques. The dark foliage makes a good backdrop for lighter plants, and it tolerates cold down to about 5°F.
Coffeeberry Propagation
There are two ways to propagate coffee trees, or you can just go to the store and buy a sapling. The first is by seed, which is the better of the two because it is more reliable. The second is by cuttings, which has a higher failure rate.
Seeds
Propagation by seeds is a fairly simple method. Although they are slow to germinate and grow, your patience will be rewarded. Coffee berries can live 100 to 200 years.
Collect seeds from ripe black berries in late summer to early fall. Each berry contains two seeds. Squeeze them and rinse the seeds well.
Plant immediately or keep stored seeds dry in an airtight container. They should last up to a year.
If you are ready to sow the seeds right away, plant them in pots of good quality potting soil and keep it moist. If you choose to dry the seeds for planting later, you will need to cold stratify them.
To cold stratify the seeds, soak them in water for 24 hours. Place them in a damp paper towel and in a resealable bag. Store it in the refrigerator for three months.
It will take about 45 days for the seeds to germinate, but check them every two weeks or so. Make sure the seeds aren’t moldy and the towel is damp. If the paper towel is too wet or crumbles, replace it with a new one. Replace the sealable bag at the same time.
Once the seed has germinated, it is ready to be planted. There should be a new shoot coming from the seed called a radicle. When it is a quarter to half an inch long, you can plant it, but be careful not to damage the radicle.
Use a container at least five inches deep. Plant the seed about a quarter inch and cover. Some people place the seed on the surface as it would be in nature. See what suits you best.
Water the seed soil well, but do not saturate it. Let the seed grow for two to three months before planting it outdoors.
cuttings
Take hardwood cuttings at least a quarter inch thick. You will need about four or five knots. Cut at a 45 degree angle.
At the top of the cutting, leave one or two leaves and remove the rest. Dip the angled end in rooting hormone.
Push the cuttings into a container filled with seed soil. Keep it moist for about 60 days before checking for root development.
Plant outdoors in fall, summer or spring.
How to Care for Coffeeberry
Plant the coffee tree in full sun or partial shade. You will notice the difference in foliage between those planted in full sun and those in partial shade. Those in the sun are greener and brighter. Those in partial shade will be darker.
The soil should be well-drained, but the coffee tree will grow in loamy, sandy or clay soil. The pH should be between 5.0 and 8.0.
Although coffee trees are drought tolerant, it is a good idea to mulch them well to suppress weeds and retain moisture. In their natural environment, they are often surrounded by mulch of leaves from other trees. Try recreating that.
Water at least twice a month during the summer for the first two years of growth. If you have a lot of rain, that should be enough. Once the plant is established, it shouldn’t need any additional water.
Size of the coffee tree
Coffeeberry responds well to pruning and can be shaped into a hedge. If it gets too tall or messy, it’s an easy plant to reshape.
Prune in summer when it is dry to avoid disease.
Dead, dying or diseased branches should be cut back to the trunk or to the nearest healthy branch.
Companion Planting for Coffeeberry
Coffeeberry makes a good understory, or as a taller plant in the background with smaller ones in the front. Try:
- Lilac
- Toyon
- Ceanothe
- Oak
- Smoke
- Egret
Problems and Solutions for Growing Coffeeberry
Coffeeberry is a very hardy plant and does not affect it much. Let’s look at the few problems it sometimes has.
Scabies
This is a fungal problem caused by Fusicladium, VenturiaWhere Spiloceae mushroom species. Scab is usually a problem during exceptionally wet seasons. Hot, dry conditions can throw it off.
You will first see yellow spots on the eaves which slowly darken as the disease progresses. Fungal growth forms on the underside of the leaves before they twist and fall from the plant.
To prevent scab, be sure to water the base of the plant and prune to allow good air circulation. If scab develops, be sure to remove any dead leaves that show symptoms.
aphids
Aphids love coffee trees, especially if the plant is dense and has little air circulation. Read our article on how to identify and treat aphids in your garden here.
leaf miner
When leaf miners are present, you will see yellow curvy lines in the leaves. These are the larvae that mine the leaf. The adults are small black flies that do little damage. It is the larvae that cause problems.
Left too long, leaf miners can cause serious damage to the coffee tree.
You can spray insecticide as soon as you see the signs, but it’s often too late. To learn more about identifying and dealing with a leaf miner infestation, check out our guide.
Sudden oak death
Despite its name, sudden oak death affects a number of trees, especially in coastal areas. It is a water mold pathogen that causes other problems such as leaf scorch and other canker-like diseases.
You will notice that the twigs die in small and then in large numbers. Bark cankers are another sign, as well as leaf spots. These look like dark bruises on the leaves with a lighter center and dark outer edges.
There is no cure for sudden oak death, but spraying with copper fungicides can help slow the progression of the disease.
Top Tips for Growing Coffeeberry
- Mulch well. Apply at least three inches of mulch to mimic the natural coffeeberry environment.
- Water thoroughly at least twice a month for the first two years if the summers are dry.
- Propagate with seeds as the success rate is high compared to cuttings.
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