looking for Coffee seeds? Also Alpine Strawberry

Thanks Landscaper! I am a little suspicious of the fast sprouting bean too, but I guess time will tell. Good luck with your cocoa project - I am trying to sprout vanilla bean seeds right now too, but heard you needed the presence of a certain kind of bacteria to get the seeds to germinate. No luck just yet, but they are misted daily, and kept on my heat mat with a cover. I want them to sprout soooo badly. I wouldn't know where to get a cutting from for vanilla bean vine, so seeds are my only option. Furthermore, if they don't sprout, I wonder where one would obtain this bacteria from to help the process? Hmmmm...

Yes, the coffee beans do certainly smell weird - almost like a sour, fruity, earthy, smell - if that makes sense? I am grateful to finally have the beans, and will continue to document my results...

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Hollyberry, when I plant coffee I just poke a hole in the ground to the depth of my first knuckle and pop the bean in. The sour, fruity, earthy smell is completely normal.
On the Orchid front, you could ask Ecuagenera if they sell culturing bacteria for Vanilla; I know they micropropagate at least 2 species of it.

Landscaper, if you're going to try Cacao (if you can find raw, unprocessed nibs to sprout from; Bernard Callebeaut may know where to obtain these) you should be aware that it needs a balanced 12-hours on, 12-hours off cycle of light, and that the tree will get quite large before it starts producing pods. You should also be aware that going from Cacao pod to Cocoa is an involved and complex process, and that going grom Cocoa to Chocolate is equally labour-intense. I have done both processes with a small organic fair-trade chocolaterie here; if you do, against all odds, get a cacao plant to grow, let me know and I'll fill you in.

 

Thanks for the information Lorax! It will be very interesting to see what happens next. I am relieved to hear that all sounds normal to you.

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Alright, a couple of hours later and I have buried the beans in some soil. Another one of the El Salvadorian beans sprouted a white shoot this afternoon too - so they must be really good beans. Although there are no shoots from the Peruvian type just yet, one of them is so fat and swollen, it looks like it could burst! I had the beans in very shallow dishes of water sitting right on my heat mat, where I knew they'd appreciate the warmth.

I saw pictures on the internet today of sprouted coffee seedlings - wow they are so attractive. Then I saw mature plants with bright red berries containing the beans inside. These really are nice ornamental plants! I love growing it from seed, instead a store bought one - so rewarding.

Thanks for all the support, knowledge, and tips everyone!

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Well low and behold, I just got back from the mailbox Landscaper, and there was your envelope!!! Thank you so much for the coffee beans - they look just like mine do. Do you know what kind yours have in the mix? I've aready got a few of them in water soaking! Thanks for including some extra for me to share with Laticauda - so nice of you. If you would like some of our beans also, just ask - not like we don't have enough! Omg Lati, what are we gonna do with all these beans?!!!

I so appreciate the mystery seeds too, Landscaper! Here's is some information I googled about them...

Sounds so interesting - thank you. I just hope I can get the seeds to pop! By the sounds of it, they're tough. I do enjoy a challenge though.

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Amazing Landscaper, but your beans have ony been soaking for 7 or 8 hours and two of them already have white sprouts coming out of them as well! This is too cool. I am going to have a whole ton of coffee plants, by the looks of things! I have them all labelled, so I know exactly which is which.

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Well what d'ya know, I'm a daddy! I'm glad that you got the beans and was able to have some sprout Hollyberry. To tell you the truth, I was going to tell you that I had some sprouting as well, but unfortunately haven't found out whether their Guatemalan, Jamaican, or what. Uh yeah, nothing like some "daddy" not knowing where his kids came from... Actually, I'm having a tough time even remembering the name of the blend that I got from the roaster. I'll see if I can figure this out.

While the manzanita it native to this area, many people incorporate it into their landscape because of it's lush green foliage and smooth reddish bark. Early settlers and indians used the berries and bark for various purposes. It does well in dry, drought like conditions.

Lorax, I never would have guessed that cacao would require 12 hours of sunlight. Don't most grow beneath the canopy of other larger trees?

 

No big deal, if you don't know what they are - I was just curious. All the beans are now in soil, so we'll see what happens next. Very excited to see a shoot above the soil.

: )

 

Yes, but it's 12 hours of at least diffuse light, followed by 12 hours of darkness.

 

Oh yeah, your seeds just arrived Hollyberry Lady! Of course you know I'm jazzed about them, but the info that you supplied was also great. I think I'll get those prepared today.

Regarding Cacao, it certainly would be a challenge to grow it this far north. However my greatest rewards have come through overcoming obstacles.

 

So great you got the seeds Landscaper - you are in for some real treats, you lucky bugger!!! I was happy to share with ya, so I hope you enjoy them. Glad you are excited.

Yeah, well what are seeds without a little information? Lorax is good too, at sending excellent information with the seeds. People want to know what the heck they're growing! The only seeds I don't include information on, are the ones I received in trades - because most have none, so I just google them myself. I have even received seeds from people in trades that didn't even have so much as a name on them - let alone any information!

I am misting, and checking the soil daily to see coffee sprouts above the soil - nothing yet. It's real early though. I am being patient.

Oh yeah too, Lorax, I emailed about the bacteria to sprout the vanilla seeds, but they didn't reply! Maybe because I am in Canada. Wish the darn things would just sprout! Just one, even. I am not giving up yet. I am one determined individual.

I am going to be so happy when my little coffee plant gets going. I intend on keeping the stongest seedling for me, and giving the rest away. people love free plants, so I'm sure it won't be a problem.

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Update:

I regret to inform everyone that I have had no success with getting Landscaper's nor my own coffee beans to sprout yet! Notice I said yet?!!!

Some of the beans were actually rotted in the soil when I dug then up to investigate!

: O

I tried sowing a new batch without soaking them in water this time, and not misting as much. It's only been a week and they can take 1-2 months to pop, so we'll see.

I am kinda disappointed but refuse to give up. I know I can get one to sprout. Just need some more experience. I'll keep you guys posted...

: )

 

Update # 2:


Just as I suspected - I've got worms!!!

: O

I was digging up a couple of my newly planted unsoaked coffee beans just now and noticed they were rotten too! I just knew something was going on that wasn't adding up...

Sure enough, as I began to have a look at the soil, I saw these very tiny but long little white worms all throughout the soil in the container I had both batches of coffee beans in! Hardly have to wonder now why they didn't germinate! These buggers have been feasting on the beans for months!

In a panic I rushed to all my other pots to see if there were any more of these critters, but it seemed to be just in this one pot. I immediately put on the kettle of hot water and flushed the soil repeatedly with scalding hot boiling water. Nothing's living in there anymore, that's for sure!

Now I know why the beans were rotting and not germinating! So glad it wasn't me. Don't know where these worms came from - never had them before. Soapy hot water kills them dead, and purifies the soil again. I will of course be sowing some more coffee beans, in the morning.

Makes me wonder if those worms or eggs for them, came from the coffee beans themselves! Is this possible? I've never seen them before, and oddly they were only in the pot with the beans - no others. Very weird. Glad to be rid of them.

Hopefully now, I will get a coffee bean sprout...

: )

 

Very possible that the worms came with the beans. There are hundreds of different pests for coffee. However, trying again will confirm or deny that rather simply - if they show up again, they're on the beans and you need to somehow sterilize those before you plant. Dilute Hydrogen Peroxide (a 5% solution should be sufficient) will do that without causing seed sterility.

 

Thank you, Lorax.

Believe me, I will be keeping a close and watchful eye on the beans and the soil they are in, to make sure those weird worms do not return. I will take measures if necessary to sterilize the beans, yes.

I am hoping for the best, as I have already sown a new batch in some new soil. Let's see what happens...

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Do let me know so that I may sterilize if necessary as well. :)

 

So far so good, but then again, they may take time to show up! I am hoping so bad, that they won't.

We'll see...

: )

 

Good news:

I am happy to report that not only have the worms not returned, but the coffee seeds are not rotten, either!

When I had 1st noticed the rotten beans but not the worms, I thought I had kept the soil too wet, which would have been totally amateurish of me, and nearly unheard of, but I just couldn't understand it. Then when I buried a 2nd batch of beans, they were all rotten within a week - that's when I noticed the worms.

This is now my 3rd batch of beans and it has been over a week and a half, and none of them are rotten this time. Yippeeeeeeeee. I even saw a little embryonic sprout on one of the beans I uncovered! I am hoping they will continue now, like they weren't allowed to before because of those horrible critters.

I know it can still take a full two months for a coffee bean to germinate but at least the beans aren't being devoured this time. Off to a good third start...

: )

 

Very cool! I'll start mine in January so if I mess up I still have a buffer month of February. :D