Crop management

Bending

Bend the 6-month-old coffee plants up to 45 degrees and along rows to stimulate growth of suckers.

Allow only 2-4 healthy looking suckers of the trained plant to grow.

Weeding

Weeds take water and nutrients from your crop. They also hide pests and diseases.

Remove weeds by digging and slashing or by mulching.

Ring weed below the canopy to avoid damage to the plant (during slashing or spraying).

You can also use herbicides. Always follow instructions and wear protective gear. Avoid spraying on the coffee leaves as this can kill the plant.

Pruning

Prune unwanted stems and suckers, and dead, weak and unproductive branches This encourages new growth.

Fertilizer application

Apply about 3 - 5kg of organic manure around each coffee plant to improve plant growth and yield, once a year at the beginning of the rains. Apply fertilizer within the rooting zone (under the tree canopy).

Mulch

Mulch coffee gardens with maize straw or any other dead plant to conserve moisture, control weeds and soil erosion, and add nutrients to the soil. Do not place mulch next to the stem. Put 1ft away around the stem.

Stump

When coffee trees get too old, they no longer yield many berries and need to be cut back. Stump coffee after 7-9 years to renew the stem cycle and improve productivity.