Heteroptera

HeteropteraI was so happy with my coffee plant, but unfortunately, my happiness was short-lived. A beetle was just as happy with the plant as I was and started eating all the leaves. Not great, so I had to come up with a solution. Luckily, my own local AI had some advice.

Question for AI: What is an effective way to deal with beetles that are eating the leaves of my coffee plant?

AI advice (using essential oils)

One effective and natural deterrent for beetles, including those that might be eating the leaves of your coffee plant, is a combination of essential oils mixed with water and soap. Here’s an easy-to-make recipe:

### Natural Beetle Deterrent Spray

**Ingredients:**
1. 1 cup of water
2. 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (to help the mixture stick to leaves)
3. 1 teaspoon of dish soap (preferably natural, like castile soap)
4. 10-15 drops of essential oils (choose from the following options):
– Peppermint oil (strong scent that beetles dislike)
– Eucalyptus oil
– Tea tree oil
– Citrus oils (like lemon or orange)

**Instructions:**
1. Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle.
2. Shake well before each use to ensure the mixture is properly blended.
3. Spray the solution on both sides of the leaves and the stem of your coffee plant.
4. Apply every 3-5 days, or after rain, until the beetle problem is under control.

### Tips:
– **Test a Small Area First:** Before spraying the entire plant, test a small area to ensure the mixture doesn’t harm your coffee plant.
– **Reapply Regularly:** Beetles can be persistent, so regular application is important.



But wait a minute—essential oils? Oof, I don’t have those at home. Maybe I can just go the old-fashioned way, with water and garlic…

AI advice (based on my own suggestion, using garlic)

Yes, a homemade spray using garlic and onion can act as an effective natural deterrent for beetles and other pests. The strong scent of garlic and onions can repel many insects, including beetles.

Here’s how you can make a DIY garlic and onion insect repellent:

### Garlic and Onion Insect Repellent Spray

**Ingredients:**
1. 1 small bulb of garlic
2. 1 small onion
3. 1 tablespoon of hot pepper flakes (optional, for added deterrent power)
4. 1 liter of water
5. 1 teaspoon of dish soap (to help the solution stick to leaves)

**Instructions:**
1. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and onion.
2. Place the chopped garlic and onion in a blender or food processor with enough water to make a smooth puree.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.
4. Add the strained liquid to a large container or spray bottle.
5. Stir in the hot pepper flakes (if using) and dish soap.
6. Fill the rest of the spray bottle with water.
7. Shake well before each use.

**Application:**
– Spray the mixture on both sides of the leaves, as well as on the stem of your coffee plant.
– Apply the solution every 3-5 days or after rain to maintain its effectiveness.

### Tips:
– **Test a Small Area First:** Before spraying the entire plant, test a small area to ensure the mixture doesn’t harm your coffee plant. Some plants can be sensitive to garlic and onion sprays.
– **Store Properly:** Keep any unused mixture in the refrigerator if you plan to use it within a few days. Otherwise, make fresh batches as needed.

This natural spray should help deter beetles from eating the leaves of your coffee plant without resorting to chemical pesticides.


About 76 coffee beans

Coffee!I got another chance! My first coffee plant provided me with a few beans, but not even close enough for making a cup of coffee. My second plant was even worse with only a single bean. Both plants died soon after the first harvest. After these two plants I kept trying, buying a few small plants every few years, and trying to keep them happy. Usually the plants would not last more than a couple of months.

Now, almost 15 years later things seem to have changed. Maybe it is the small drop in temprature, maybe it is the minor increase in precipitation (a bit more rain). Maybe it is something I dont even realise that I stumbled apon by pure luck. I dont know for sure, but what I do know is that my current coffee plant is thriving. It is still without flowers, but I feel confident enough to already start the research. I need 76 coffee beans for a single cup of coffee.

  1. Harvesting – Pick ripe coffee cherries when they turn red.
  2. Pulping – Remove the outer fruit to extract the beans.
  3. Fermenting – Soak the beans in water for 2-3 days to remove the mucilage layer. I will use my shrimp farm for some extra clean beans
  4. Drying – Let the beans dry in the sun until they harden.
  5. Hulling – Remove the parchment layer to reveal the green coffee beans.
  6. Roasting – Roast the beans in a pan until they reach your desired level.
  7. Grinding – Grind the roasted beans to your preferred consistency.
  8. Brewing – Use your favorite brewing method to make coffee

Money plant (Plectranthus Verticillatus)

Money plant!I have heard about it a couple of times already. There is a money plant. Not a plant that grows money, but one that somehow attracts money to your environment. There is one requirement related to this mystic power. “You cannot buy this plant”. Going to the shop and buying this plant is not an option. You need to get this plant a different way:

  • Steal it. Get a little piece of someone else’ plant and get it to grow.
  • Have it gifted to you without asking for it. Someone needs to surprise you with this little plant.

We had a money plant before, but after moving it to a new spot it somehow withered and died within a couple of days. We just let it be, and continued our lives without this plant. Thinking it really didn’t matter.

During our stay on El Hierro our apartment had a money plant on the balcony. This proved the perfect target for taking a little piece, and at the same time help the kids gain some biological insights. In a plastic cup with some sand and water the small plant accompanied us the rest of our holidays. With two kids it the car at times it must have been hard for the little plant, but it survived the trip and eventually arrived at our home. We transplanted the little plant to Alex’ window and I could already see a small root developing.

What happened next week surprised us. We experienced a salary increase, tax claims were dropped, a promotion, a bonus, another bonus, insurance that suddenly paid out, bitcoin value going up (this one might be a bit far fetched). In one week! It looks like the little plant is actually working.

Coffee harvest

Coffee harvert - one bean!It is not much, but still. The first year of owning a coffee plant resulted in exactly half a bean. De rest of the beans dried up, deteriorated beyond consumption or just disappeared.

Hopefully the next year will be better. Right now the coffee plant is without any leaves and it looks pretty bad. Hopefully the plant will survive its first year with me and will deliver a bigger harvest next year.

Coffee fail

Dried out coffee!My coffee plant has had a rough time. First our balcony was being painted which required me to move the plant around quite a lot which resulted in a loss of about 90% of the little future coffee beans. Then I had to leave the plant all alone for almost a month while our son was being born. This resulted in the complete dehydration of the resulting beans.

I tried to plant the dehydrated beans, to try and get a few more plants, but sadly my wife threw away the pot and seedlings during a cleaning fit. I did manage to harvest some mini coffee beans from the plant, and planted these, but I’m not very positive about the future of these beans. Next year I’ll try again.

Coffee update

Coffee with green beans!The coffee bush is growing nicely. There were quite a lot of little white flowers and now the coffee beans are developing.

I expect I will have to be patient a few weeks more and then I can start picking some of the beans. I don´t expect a big harvest but maybe I’ll be lucky and get enough beans to make myself one small cup of coffee.

Of course I also plan to sow a number of the beans, so I can have even more beans in the future and will be able to enjoy my own coffee.

Een koffie en een peer-meloen

Tijdens en na mijn verjaardag heb ik flink wat kados mogen ontvangen. Boeken, bloemen en planten en van twee verschillende vrienden kreeg ik een koffie plant, koffie zaadjes en een peer-meloen. Hier ben ik natuurlijk erg blij mee. De koffiezaadjes gaan binnenkort in de grond, en de planten voorzie ik al geregeld van een frisse water spray.

Koffie plant!De koffieplant
Tsja, de koffieplant is een eenvoudig verhaal. Na mijn helaas gestorven stekje koffie heb ik nu een hele plant, met als doel mijn eigen bakje koffie te kweken. De plant is al bijna een halve meter hoog, dus wellicht heb ik al vlot een paar koffie bonen. Deze zal ik dan moeten later rijpen aan de plant, drogen, wellicht pellen, en dan roosteren. Hierna de geroosterde bonen malen en in het koffie apparaat. Ik ben heel erg benieuwd naar het resultaat.


Peer-Meloen!De peer-meloen
Van de peer-meloen plant had ik nog nooit gehoord, maar toch heb ik ‘m nu. De plant die ik gehad heb is niet zo heel groot, misschien 25 cm hoog, en er zitten al een paar flink grote vruchten in. Een van de vruchten ziet er al bijna rijp uit, dus over een paar weekjes kan ik een peer-meloen gaan proeven.

Uitgedroogde koffie

Koffie mislukt!Het is helemaal verkeerd gegaan met mijn koffieplantje. Jammer maar helaas. Volgende keer zal ik wat beter zorg moeten dragen voor mijn koffieplant. Ik denk dat het beter is een rauwe koffieboon mee te nemen en deze te cultiveren, dan een stekje, want dat blijkt toch te hoog gegrepen.

Koffie!

Koffie!Koffie uit Agaete wel te verstaan, want Agaete (een dorpje in Gran Canaria) is was de enige plek in Europa waar koffie wordt geproduceerd.

Vandaag is daar echter verandering in gekomen, na een bezoek aan een tropische tuin, met onder andere ook koffieplanten, is Las Palmas nu ook een van de plekken in Europa met een koffieplant. Even kijken of de plant het overleeft, maar met een beetje geluk kan ik binnenkort mijn eigen gekweekte koffie drinken. (Uiteraard met een lekker hoog cafeïne gehalte).