Coffee is one of the key crops of Vietnam’s Central Highlands and also one of the country’s most important agricultural exports. Farmers here invest heavily in intensive cultivation and have gained considerable experience in coffee care and fertilization to achieve very high yields.
One crucial technical measure for boosting productivity is balanced and rational fertilization.
Today, with much of the coffee area already over 20 years old and fertilizer prices rising, farmers must better understand the coffee plant’s nutrient needs so they can fertilize in a balanced, cost-effective way. Surveys in the Central Highlands show that many growers still apply fertilizers unreasonably—using high rates of chemical fertilizer while paying little attention to organic amendments or secondary and micronutrients.
To manage coffee nutrition effectively, special attention should be given to:
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Combining chemical and organic fertilizers
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Balancing NPK and providing adequate secondary and micronutrients
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Increasing the use of foliar fertilizers
1. Combine Chemical and Organic Fertilizers
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Organic fertilizers have properties that chemical fertilizers cannot match. Besides supplying nutrients, organics improve the soil’s physical, chemical and biological qualities. Applying organics also raises the efficiency of chemical fertilizers.
Among organics, farmyard manure is ideal for coffee, especially when establishing new plantings. Because manure alone cannot meet total demand, other sources should be used: green manure crops, on-farm plant residues, composted household waste, peat compost, and processed coffee husks are all valuable sources of organic matter.
2. Balance NPK and Supply Secondary & Micronutrients
Coffee is a perennial crop with two phases:
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Establishment phase: When plants are small and roots are weak, they need abundant phosphorus to stimulate root development and plenty of nitrogen for stems, branches and leaves. Potassium demand is still low.
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Production phase: Once bearing fruit, coffee requires high levels of nitrogen and potassium because these nutrients are present in large amounts in the beans and fruit. Phosphorus needs are lower but remains essential for flowering and fruit set.
Farmers should select fertilizer formulas appropriate to each growth stage. Today most prefer compound NPK fertilizers, which are easier to apply and eliminate the need for on-farm mixing. Modern production technology now offers coffee-specific blends tailored to different stages.
Recommended NPK formulas:
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Establishment (from planting to year 3): NPK 16-16-8 or 20-20-15 during the rainy season; in the dry season, a fast-soluble NPK 20-5-6.
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Production: NPK 16-8-16 or 25-10-20 during the rainy season; dry season, fast-soluble NPK 20-5-6.
Besides the major nutrients (N, P, K), coffee also needs secondary nutrients—sulfur, calcium, magnesium—and micronutrients such as boron, zinc and copper.
Symptoms of deficiency, now quite common in intensive coffee areas, include: young leaves losing green color or deforming; shortened shoot tips; older leaves yellowing or scorching. High-yielding farms (>4 tons green beans/ha) require special attention to these elements because chemical fertilizers usually contain little or none, and nutrients removed in harvested beans include both macro and micro elements.
To meet these needs, some manufacturers (for example, Bình Điền Fertilizer Company) produce NPK blends with added trace elements (e.g., 20-20-15+TE, 16-8-16-13S+TE).
3. Increase Foliar Fertilization
Modern agriculture increasingly uses foliar fertilizers to partially replace soil applications. Foliar feeding is highly efficient and reduces the amount of chemical fertilizer applied to the soil, lessening problems such as soil acidification and structural degradation.
When applied to leaves, plants absorb 80–90% of nitrogen and potassium, and 30–35% of phosphorus, compared with only about 40–50% (N, K) and 10–15% (P) via soil application due to losses from volatilization, leaching and soil fixation. Micronutrients like zinc, boron and copper are also more effectively supplied through the leaves.
Foliar sprays are typically applied 2–3 times during the rainy season, when the plants are fully moist. Foliar fertilization reduces fruit drop and can significantly increase coffee yield.
Summary
For sustainable coffee production and stable high yields, farmers should:
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Combine organic and chemical fertilizers
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Apply balanced macro and secondary/micronutrients
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Use foliar fertilizers to improve nutrient uptake and soil health.
These practices keep coffee trees vigorous, maintain long-term soil fertility, and support a productive, sustainable coffee industry.