How to Prune your Coffee Trees in an Agroforestry System
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Robusta and Arabica coffee trees are pruned for several reasons. One of the main reasons is to control the size and shape of the tree, making it easier to maintain and harvest the coffee berries. Pruning also promotes the growth of new branches and leaves, which can increase the yield of the tree. Additionally, pruning can also help to improve the quality of the coffee beans by removing diseased or damaged branches and allowing for better sunlight and air circulation within the tree. Overall, pruning helps optimize coffee trees’ health, productivity, and quality.
You should also keep in mind the life cycles of your trees. Massive pruning in a plantation is done when most of it has reached a certain age. As the years pass, coffee plants grow tired, but their productivity cycle can be expanded when you prune them. As mentioned in a previous article, coffee trees experience two types of vegetative and productive growth. Constantly new branches are developed through plagiotropic and orthotropic growth. With time, old branches stop producing flowers and fruit, but the new vertical and horizontal branches will yield. The objective of pruning is to stimulate growth and production.
Types of pruning:
1. Topping: It is done in plants in their first two years of production to induce the lateral growth of their branches. Prune at the height of 1.70 to 1.80 m above the ground for short and medium varieties. This type of pruning is practiced in varieties that tend to be quite tall but to keep them from growing too much. Topping is not commonly used in the region where I live, as once it is done, the plant stops growing vertically, and only plagiotropic growth is induced. When this happens, the stem acquires a thicker and more rigid consistency. This does not allow it to bend when collecting the grain. This factor is important for us as harvesting is done manually in Guatemala. The lack of elasticity makes it easier for it to break when you pull the stem to reach the berries.
2. High Pruning: This is done when the trees’ productivity cycle has not come to an end, but their yield has reduced in relation to the previous years. Pruning should be done at 1 to 1.20 m above the ground.
3. Low Pruning/Stumping: should be done if the plant is old, stressed, and already showing low productivity. This pruning requires cutting the stem 20 to 30 cm above the ground. Note that by doing this, only the stem is left. Since there are no branches, your plant will enter a regenerative period where it will not be able to produce any coffee berries for about two years. However, once this period passes, your production will improve. You can use a machete, saw, or small chainsaw. Make sure to disinfect your tools before using them. To add extra protection, the wound of the stem can be sealed by brushing a paste created with a mix of lime, copper sulfate, and water. In Guatemala, farmers use a machete to measure low pruning. Instead of using a measuring tape for each tree, they use their tool to measure the required 30cm height. This saves time. Make sure the stem is cut at an angle. The slope in the cut is to avoid any water accumulating on top. Water must be allowed to slide. Otherwise, it might seep into the stem and make it rot.
Measuring low pruning. In Guatemala, farmers use a machete to measure
The stem should be performed with an angle.
4. Disbudding/pinching: Three months after doing a low pruning, sprouts will come out of the main stem and eventually become secondary stems. Select between five or six of the most vigorous sprouts and eliminate the rest. The process must be repeated a month after doing this, but this time leave two or three sprouts. During the following years, they will continue to grow and become the secondary stems holding the branches, leaves, flowers, and coffee berries. The pruned main stem can be seen in the center. To the sides, three secondary stems (result from the pruning) can be appreciated. This plant was pruned two years before the photo was taken. (2022)
5. Bending pruning: as the name suggests, it consists of bending the main stem at a 45° angle to stimulate new tissue growth and sprouts. The plant must be pulled down and tied to a stake. After a few months of being bent, new sprouts come out vertically, and it is recommended to leave just two or three. Make sure to select the ones closer to the floor, as these tend to be thicker and more resistant. Once the sprouts have developed, the original main stem should be cut. This type of pruning is recommended for younger than four-year-old plants that are sick and have lost their foliage. Stimulating the regrowth of new tissue may help them recover. 
This other plant (in the red circle in the picture above) was accidentally bent after the wind knocked a branch from a tree. Even though it was not intentional, we can see the effects of bending as new sprouts have started to develop.
Apart from the pruning methods shown above, many countries have developed their own practices for pruning which are based on the basic principles of the ones shown above. Before trying them, you should research the local practices for farming coffee, as they are all done for a specific reason.
As you can see, the agroforestry method of growing coffee incorporates farming into a fully functional ecosystem. Just as pruning is important for maintaining the shape and health of the plant, balancing the right amount of shadow and light, incorporating organic materials, and attracting biodiversity also help to maintain a balance between nature and agriculture.
References
Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Institute, Ecological Benefits of Shade-Grown Coffee. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/ecological-benefits-shade-grown-coffee
All About Coffee by William H. Ukers, 1935, Chapter XV: The botany of the Coffee Plant. P. 122-145 https://www.cluesheet.com/All-About-Coffee-XV.htm
Polinización del Café por Apis Mellifera L. y Otros Insectos en Costa Rica, F. Bobadilla, W. Ramírez B., 1991, Turrialba Vol. 41, No. 3, P.285-288 https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/bitstream/handle/11554/10147/A0790e03-03.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
La Apicultura y el Café, una Combinación para Reducir los Efectos del Cambio Climático en la Región, Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura IICA, Costa Rica. https://www.iica.int/es/prensa/noticias/la-apicultura-y-el-cafe-una-combinacion-estrategica-para-reducir-los-efectos-del
Guía Técnica de Caficultura, ANCAFÉ 2018, P.21.
Coffee plant History and general Information
Coffee Plant Information – Morphology
Coffee Genetics and Variety Selection
How to Select, and Treat Coffee Seeds
Germination of Coffee Seeds and Creation of Seedbeds for Planting
Coffee Trees Planting and Plant Spacing
How to Prune your Coffee Trees in an Agroforestry System
Shade-Grown Coffee in an Agroforestry System
Coffee Tree Flowering and Pollination
From Rainwater Harvesting to Irrigation of Coffee Trees
Coffee Tree Fertilization Requirements
Weed Management in a Coffee Plantation
