Growing coffee

[Elvis3577]

I gave mine a severe pruning and they've thrived since because of it.

How long did it take for the shrub to 'recover', in other words , when did the advance become noticeable?
Did you cut them right down as well or did you get rid of the (sub) laterals, to make it more 'airy' ?
Thanks, E.

[Thundergod]

I gave mine a severe pruning and they've thrived since because of it.

[RayTCoffeePro]

So how do you guys process the cherries....

It's not like anyone here has got a depulper or mechanical demucilager.....

Just dont make human luwak.....

Anyways, there's this natural drying proccess.......

Seems economical really.....

[GrahamK]

I rang him on the phone the other day when I needed some quick advice on something , and he told me ( correct me if I'm wrong ) that he cuts them back to 500mm height ! Which sounds awfully severe to me.
So instead, I carefully cut the top out of one of mine at 1800mm, just to see over time what the consequences are...

PS Surprise , surprise he's not really a Dutchy, but NZ born !
Very Nice and extremely cooperative !

Yes he cuts them right down, and I've seen them after such a pruning, but then has plenty of others to fall back on until they recover. And yes a Kiwi, with a Dutch name and lovely guy who is very willing to share his knowledge.

GrahamK

[Elvis3577]

Luke G said : I found that i got a lot of floaters when i picked cherry that was lighter in color or still had slight green patches. The darker, the better for my taste.

I still had quite a few floaters amongst my dark red ones btw....
So I'm guessing there's more involved besides color when it comes to floaters...

Ta , E.P.

[Elvis3577]

Kees from MTCP recommended a severe pruning every now and then.
GrahamK

I rang him on the phone the other day when I needed some quick advice on something , and he told me ( correct me if I'm wrong ) that he cuts them back to 500mm height ! Which sounds awfully severe to me.
So instead, I carefully cut the top out of one of mine at 1800mm, just to see over time what the consequences are...

PS Surprise , surprise he's not really a Dutchy, but NZ born !
Very Nice and extremely cooperative !

[Luke_G]

I personally leave my cherry on the tree till it is dark red-maroon in color and soft to touch. Sometimes i'll let mine to dry on the tree and remove it a few weeks after the rest has been picked.
I found that i got a lot of floaters when i picked cherry that was lighter in color or still had slight green patches. The darker, the better for my taste.

[GrahamK]

I found three yesterday that I must have overlooked previously, and they were past their red/ maroon stage and were positively looking purple almost.

Not difficult to do, they hide under the leaves, and when you look from a different angle, they suddenly become visible. Then when you are picking on the other side of the tree you notice all the ones you missed previously. Reckon once you have enough trees to keep you going, the trick is to prune them so they are easier to manage. Height is also an issue, so another reason to prune. Kees from MTCP recommended a severe pruning every now and then, but currently I don't have enough trees to allow a recovery season as yet.

GrahamK

[Elvis3577]

I'm out of red cherries at the moment as well, it's all fairly dark green on the branches and no new blossom.
Had a couple of mugs yesterday from the 'honey' batch and it was the best tasting cuppa yet.
Thinking I might stick to that procedure...

Thinking back of all the waiting, growing , all the work etc. and it resulted in no more than 10-12 mugs of coffee, and I'm out of it again for a little while at least...
The 'return -on -investment ' is quite small, but was it worth it ? ABSOLUTELY !!

PS That Popcorn machine doesn't produce a very even roast. Some beans would be more like 'milk chocolate' while others have already some black spots on them, so I might have to rethink that.

[Elvis3577]

I concur with Graham.
That's what I do too. Selective picking.
I depends a bit on the size of the batch you've already picked, but I tend to leave them as long as possible.
I found three yesterday that I must have overlooked previously, and they were past their red/ maroon stage and were positively looking purple almost. I guess the next 'stop' would have been black ( raisin ). But they were fine !
There is a fair bit of play in it. I'd say a week / 10 days extra or so isn't going to kill it, depending on the weather of course.

[Elvis3577]

Kevo said : I imagine with all those coffee beans in them, they'd be too hard to catch anyway!

Yeah , they were going like a zyrtec !

[Divey]

I find its a range of ripeness really, as they are not at the same stage at the same time. A deep red ripeness is what I aim for, but while I am picking some will not be as ripe as others. For convenience, and to ensure I get them before the possums find them, I'll pick some that are more pink than deep red. So basically once a fair proportion are getting to that target ripeness, I'll start picking across the range. The riper they are the easier to pulp, especially if you are doing them by hand.

I'm currently on about my 5th batch of picking this year, and still have quite a lot of green cherries left to ripen. In fact I think they may start blossoming again before I have finished picking the current batch.

GrahamK

Okay, I'm happier now because what you have described you are doing is exactly what I am doing at present. However, as I don't have a problem with possums I could leave them much longer but I'm buggered if I know how long is too long.

[GrahamK]

Let's get back onto subject. When do you consider that the cherries are ready to be picked ?? As soon as they turn red or older ??

I find its a range of ripeness really, as they are not at the same stage at the same time. A deep red ripeness is what I aim for, but while I am picking some will not be as ripe as others. For convenience, and to ensure I get them before the possums find them, I'll pick some that are more pink than deep red. So basically once a fair proportion are getting to that target ripeness, I'll start picking across the range. The riper they are the easier to pulp, especially if you are doing them by hand.

I'm currently on about my 5th batch of picking this year, and still have quite a lot of green cherries left to ripen. In fact I think they may start blossoming again before I have finished picking the current batch.

GrahamK

[Divey]

Let's get back onto subject. When do you consider that the cherries are ready to be picked ?? As soon as they turn red or older ??

[Vinitasse]

Vinitasse, Other wordly ??????

This is getting weird

You took the words right out of my mouth