02-22-2013, 08:21 AM
A long time ago the DOA had coffee test plots in Ka'ohe Homesteads in Puna. When I bought my land in '79 there was a 2-acre forest of them. Trees were a good 30 ft tall, stretching for the light. I cut some of them down to 3 ft.as an experiment. They sent out new growth, which bore cherries in profusion. Then I followed the pruning protocol of annual pruning back to the first set of double leaves on each branch or branchlet, and doing the same on the header. Made the plant bush out nicely. The more bushing, the more cherries, and they are reachable and easier to pick. I processed the cherries and made my own coffee manually for several years. No more. Too old and too busy. I do have lots of seedlings, though, if anyone wants.