Coffee production is a very time taking process. Growing quality coffee is very similar to the process of growing good grapes for making wine. Coffee is grown on small and large plantations. This requires appropriate climatic conditions, a certain altitude, fertile soil, and good care. The area with volcanic soil, moderate rainfall, and the sun is ideal for growing coffee.
Berries are harvested mainly by hand, as they ripen at different times, although some large farms have already harvested. Harvesting also requires much attention: if you pick unripe fruit, the prepared drink will not have the characteristic taste and aroma, and coffee from overripe berries will be very bitter.
Therefore, farmers tried a single stem system in growing coffee trees. They believe this is the best possible way to reduce costs and efforts for cultivation.
What’s The Sense In Single Stem Processing?
For a good coffee harvest, you need to do your best. Depending on the grade, the coffee tree reaches from 6 to 15 meters in height. On coffee plantations, bushes are systematically pruned up to 2-3 meters in size to facilitate the harvesting process.
Pruning is a cutting method when farmers prune away all side sprouts and leave the one central stem. At first, the coffee tree seedling grows only upwards. Its lateral side buds wake up in the second year of life, and skeletal branches grow. The structure of the coffee tree resembles a spruce: a straight vertical trunk and horizontal branches located on it.
When long side stems appear, they are pruned so that the crown of the coffee tree becomes thicker and more buds are formed.
Benefits Of Single Set Growing:
- Minimize competition for nutrients. This helps to improve yield and quality.
- For better harvesting, farmers often spray coffee trees with chemicals. One set helps to reduce the number of sprays and harmful reagents. This is a friendly approach for saving the environment.
- Reduced production costs for proceeding, watering, harvesting.
- By pruning, you have one stem left as a base. This opens the tree for sun and rain.
- One tree method is good for growing coffee at any altitude and weather.
- You help trees to build up a strong framework of their primary branches.
Coffee farmers from all over the world believe that the pruning method sheds some light on the future of coffee cultivation. The tree is usually pruned 5-6 times a life cycle without losing its harvest qualities.