The majestic Kentucky coffee tree grows best in large open areas with full sun.
The leaves, fruit, and seeds of this tree are toxic to humans and animals.
Kentucky Coffee Tree Care
Here are the main care requirements for growing a Kentucky coffee tree.
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Light
The Kentucky coffee tree does best with at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight.
The tree will tolerate a small bit of shade.
It isn’t bothered by too much acidity or alkalinity.
Being drought-tolerant, it’s also fine in dry spots.
But otherwise, it’s very drought-tolerant and should not require extra water.
It’s not likely to do well in growing zones higher than 8.
It struggles in hot, dry climates.
Avoid fertilizing with nitrogen products, since the tree is a nitrogen fixer.
(It even works to supply neighboring plants with nitrogen.)
Harvest them after the pods have turned brown in late winter to early spring.
What Do Kentucky Coffee Tree Flowers Look and Smell Like?
The female trees bear showy 12-inch long panicle clusters of pale greenish-white star-shaped flowers.
The flowers have a fragrance similar to roses.
There are only a few issues that may be of concern.
The tree usually tolerates occasional flooding conditions.
This tree has a medium growth rate, between 12 inches and 24 inches per year on average.
It has a moderate life span, reaching between 100 to 150 years of age on average.
Gymnocladus dioicus.North Carolina State Extension.
South Dakota State University Extension.
