Hi,

I'm looking to purchase an established coffee tree bonsai for a project I have in mind.

Hoping for one of the smaller leaf varieties as the common coffee producing tree has leaves too large I feel.

A tree no higher than 400mm be great

Appreciate any thoughts on who may have trees like this available to sell would be wonderful.

thanks for your time

Jake

How fun that you want to try making bonsai from a Coffee plant. I just want to point out that bonsai techniques itself reduces leaf size on almost all species. No need to look for small leaf varieties.

And also: this is an international forum. Asking to buy something may give better result if location is mentioned. I would guess USA, most people that don't mention location is there. However we cannot be sure until you tell us.

RoxyCafe2 wrote:

Hi,

I'm looking to purchase an established coffee tree bonsai for a project I have in mind.

Hoping for one of the smaller leaf varieties as the common coffee producing tree has leaves too large I feel.

A tree no higher than 400mm be great

Appreciate any thoughts on who may have trees like this available to sell would be wonderful.

thanks for your time

Jake

I have thought about a tea tree, but maybe a coffee tree would be as good. Of course, I need two more trees like I need another yard.

BTW, yard is an American measure. 1 yard = 1 garden.

Thanks for the reply...

Probably a good idea to describe the project better

Basically I run a cafe, and I like to grow plants in unusual pots for display in the cafe, along the theme of nature fighting back. Dont know what I'm doing really other than the basics, but have had success with hardy plants like figs...

Anyway, I found an old coffee machine boiler and I want to sit in front of the cafe's working machine, with a coffee plant growing out of it, with all the old existing group heads and milk froth wands actually watering the plant.... So, its like a flip concept. Instead of using the machine to extract coffee, the old machine is being used to grow a coffee tree. Fun in my head anyway.

I've asked around all the bonsai shops I could find to get an established coffee tree, but no-one's really heard of it. So hoping someone has an old coffee plant they would like to sell me so I can get the idea happening, else I may have to try and grow from scratch....or maybe somebody knows of someone who has one they'd be okay parting with. I would do my utmost to care for it I promise, especially since I find the idea so appealing

thanks for you time
Jake

There may be a good reason that bonsai shops don't sell them.

Google lists several sellers, but before buying you should check care requirements and see if they will thrive in your area.

A tree might grow just fine in a pot too large for bonsai. You should research some, see what is possible, and give it a try.

In my area Coffee trees are sold quite frequent cheap and in large numbers. I know several people that have tried but noone have succeded. And many of them are experienced growers.

There may be a reason why Coffee is only grown in tropical highlands and as usual with plants that is most likelly down to climate conditions.

I really enjoy that kind of entrepreneur ideas and enthusiasm. But if you are not an experienced grower with access to tropical highland conditions I would suggest look for other species that are easier and that you can grow in your conditions.

You got my curiosity up.

Googling it seems coffee should have only partial sun and that too much sun will burn the leaves. Also, they want lots of humidity and can't take frost. That means indoors, most of the year and probably in a greenhouse of some kind. I did not find what humidity it expects. It wants loamy soil and should be fertilized.

The site I found assumed you are growing the tree to get the beans. If you are running a coffee shop, you would have a whole new idea for House Blend.

Thankyou for everyones thoughts... It probably wont work but I'm still going to try as a personal challenge. Visually I feel it will look amazing maybe with the milk wands spraying mist on timers,,,, lamps above maybe to give a little more light.