Picking and processing coffee cherries is hard work, but a coffee farmer’s job doesn’t end there: they also have to look after their coffee trees, planning when to plant, prune, and stump their precious crops.

So what does it take to look after a coffee tree?

SEE ALSO: How Ripe is Too Ripe? A VIDEO Guide to Coffee Cherry Picking

The Beaumont-Fukunaga Vertical Pruning System has been around since the ‘50s, although it’s still viewed with skepticism by some. It advocates “stumping” trees every three years, having organised your trees into three rows (one year, two years, and three years since pruning).

This means having ⅓ of your crop unable to grow cherries at any one time – yet, when used as effective crop management, it can result in greater harvests overall.

Here’s one farmer on why he uses the Beaumont-Fukunaga system and how it’s resulted in 20% more yield.

Of course, that’s the theory – now let’s get down to the practice. How do you stump? What height do you stump at?  And what angle? Find out here:

SEE ALSO: Coffee Plant VIDEO: The Seed Germination Process in 80 Seconds

Now that’s something to think about next time you sip a latte.

Feature photo: Countrywisejo

Please note: Perfect Daily Grind does not own the rights to these videos and cannot be held accountable for their content.