Temperature
65–80°F
Keep away from winter window glass and heating vents.
Coffee plant
Coffea arabica
Coffee plant wants bright indirect light and water every 5 to 10 days, once the top inch is dry. Toxic to cats, dogs, and humans.
Light
Bright indirect
LowMediumBright indirectDirect
An east window, or three feet back from a south one. Direct midday sun scorches the glossy leaves.
Water
Every 5–10 days
Baseline for a 6-inch pot indoors. Check first: water when the top inch is dry, not on a schedule.
Humidity
50% and up
Wants 60%. Struggles in dry winter air.
Difficulty
Moderate
Scores 3 of 5: Scores 3 of 5: easy to grow as foliage and effectively impossible to crop indoors — it needs three to four years and specific conditions to fruit, and one plant yields a few grams of beans. Buy it as a glossy shrub.
Habit
Upright
Grows to 24–72 inches. No support needed.
Toxic to cats, dogs, and humans
Contains caffeine. Reported signs include vomiting, diarrhoea, hyperactivity.
If a pet has chewed a leaf, rinse the mouth with water and call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
Full detail for cats → Full detail for dogs →
What each authority says
- ASPCA
- No record page found under any name tested.
- NC State Extension
- Entry exists and records no poison data.
Light
Bright indirect light. An east window, or three feet back from a south one. Direct midday sun scorches the glossy leaves.
Water
Every 5 to 10 days in a 6-inch pot, when the top inch is dry.
Treat the interval as a starting point and the test as the actual instruction. Pot size, light level and season all move the number.
| Method | keep evenly moist |
|---|---|
| Test before watering | the top inch is dry |
Soil and potting
Two parts potting soil, one part perlite, one part fine bark.
Repot roughly every 2 years, or when roots come through the drainage holes and water runs straight through without absorbing.
Common problems
Ranked by how often each turns out to be the cause for this species. Each links to a diagnosis page with the causes ranked for this species.
- Brown crispy edges monitor
- Leaf drop this week
- Yellow leaves this week
Pest and disease guidance for this species consulted at the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, checked 2026-09-12.
Pests
Recorded for this species. Each links to identification and treatment.
- Mealybugs this week
- Scale insects this week
- Spider mites act today
Propagation
Stem cutting in soil. Roots in 28 to 70 days.
A cutting without a node will not root. It may stay green in water for months and never produce a single root, because it has no growth point.
| Preferred method | stem cutting |
|---|---|
| Medium | soil |
| Time to root | 28–70 days |
| Node required | Yes |
| Best season | Spring and summer |
Sources
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Coffea arabica (consulted; entry exists and records no poison data.) Checked 2026-09-12.
- Wikidata entity Q47685 — taxonomy and entity identity.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — Coffea arabica Accepted name; family Rubiaceae. Checked 2026-09-12.
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder — Coffea arabica Pest and disease guidance. Checked 2026-09-12.
- Photograph: Kızıldeniz, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 4.0.
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-02
Tony Valcarcel is the editor and publisher of this database, not a horticulturist
or a veterinarian. Every fact above is drawn from the sources listed, and
toxicity severity is reported only where one of them stated it.
How this is sourced.
Last updated 2026-09-02