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How often should you put coffee grounds on plants


How to Use Coffee Grounds for Plants in Your Garden 🌿 PlantIn

Coffee grounds for plants have more valuable properties than you think. Coffee contains a lot of micronutrients and is used as an organic fertilizer for plants. But you can not just pour it into the soil, it is necessary to know all the nuances of such fertilizer.

This approach makes it possible to saturate the soil with useful substances without chemicals. So don't rush to throw away the coffee grounds after drinking the beverage since they can also be used for the benefit of your plants. In this article, we've put together a complete guide to using coffee grounds for gardening purposes.

Is Coffee Good for Plants?

Yes, and yes! Coffee beans are rich in minerals such as magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. Phosphorus and potassium improve yields, and nitrogen is involved in photosynthesis, which helps plants grow faster. Ground coffee is excellent for both house and garden plants.

Ways To Use Coffee Grounds in the Garden

Gardeners began to use coffee grounds in planting quite recently. And only a few people know about this unique and useful substance. We have compiled a list of the best ways to use ground coffee to benefit your plants.

Using Grounds as a Natural Nitrogen Fertilizer

If your plants need nitrogen fertilizer for garden, have a look at coffee. Coffee grounds are valuable as a fertilizer for plants containing nitrogen and other elements. In its nitrogen content, coffee grounds are equal to grass clippings.

It's hard to overstate the importance of nitrogen for soil, especially for plants, for which nitrogen is a vital element. Nitrogen leads to faster plant growth, strengthens the stem, and helps in chlorophyll production. Therefore, natural nitrogen for plants becomes an excellent fertilizer. Used coffee is also an excellent source of nitrogen for composting. It contains about 2% of this element, and with the right proportions, you can make great compost.

Remember, If you use coffee grounds as fertilizer, it is essential to follow proper watering techniques. The soil must dry out well to prevent the appearance of mold.

Using Coffee Grounds as Mulch

Coffee grounds are also used for mulching to prevent the soil from drying out, protect against pests, and improve soil quality. You can mulch both houseplants and garden plants in the open ground. Cover the soil around the plant's trunk with well-dried coffee grounds and water abundantly. Each watering will release nitrogen from the coffee grits and penetrate into the soil with water, soaking the plant's root system, thereby strengthening it and protecting it from pests.

Composting with Coffee Grounds

Compost is the most effective organic fertilizer for plants. It is suitable for the orchard or vegetable garden and for nourishing house plants.

Ground coffee is added to compost to speed up the process of maturation. They act as nitrogen compounds that start an exothermic reaction in the compost heap, which warms it up considerably and thereby ripens the compost much more quickly.

How to Compost Coffee Grounds

Start composting by calculating the right amount of coffee grounds and other ingredients. You can often vary the composition, but an optimum mixture is 50 % coffee grounds, 30 % straw, and 20 % leaves.

  1. Prepare a compost pit or large tank, which should be placed in the most protected place from rain and wind.
  2. Place coffee grounds, straw, and leaves or dried grass in the same pile.
  3. Coffee grounds should be well mixed and covered with fertile soil.
  4. Water the compost to make it a little wet and make a few holes to create a microclimate inside.

Your compost will be ready in 3-4 weeks. After that, it can be used as a fertilizer for houseplants and garden plants.

Coffee Grounds as a Pesticide

Coffee grounds can be used as a perfect protector against pests. Ants, snails, slugs, and many other insects do not like coffee grounds, which means they will avoid your garden beds. In the opinion of many gardeners, coffee can also kill the larvae of pests, particularly mosquitoes and garden bugs. Coffee grounds are not as effective as insecticides, but one of the clear advantages is their non-toxicity.

What Plants Like Coffee Grounds

As an organic nutrient, coffee grounds are suitable for most plants. However, since coffee slightly acidifies the soil, it is beneficial for roses, hibiscuses, begonias, and other plants prefer substrates with an acidic or slightly acidic reaction. Let's observe list of plants that like coffee grounds.

What Vegetables Like Coffee Grounds?

Coffee grounds as a fertilizer can be used when growing vegetable crops such as potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, radishes, and beans. Root crops need magnesium and potassium, while nitrogen is indispensable for green crops.

Onions

For non-commercial purposes, onions are advised to grow only on organic fertilizers. The main valuable component for onions is nitrogen. If you fertilize green plants, such as lettuce and spinach, with a coffee substrate, the yield will be higher due to the nitrogen content of coffee. Adding coffee grounds to soil only benefits onion and green cultures.

Potatoes

The most important period in the potato life cycle is the budding and flowering phases. The nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium consumption reaches its peak, and the plant needs to be fertilized. This is when coffee containing these nutrients comes in handy.

Carrots

Carrots like fertile soil with a neutral pH, loose and breathable, which coffee grounds can provide. Also, carrots prefer decomposed fertilizers, so use ready-made compost with coffee grounds or humus to fertilize them.

Are Coffee Grounds Good for Flowers?

Flowers are especially fond of coffee grounds. Shrub roses and begonias root much better and develop harmoniously after feeding with coffee grounds. Such fertilization is suitable for peonies, lilies, hostas, tulips, etc.

Roses

Coffee grounds can protect rose plants from pests due to their high potassium content. After coffee treatment, the flower becomes less attractive to them. Once the grounds are put in the soil, it becomes lighter, making the airflow to the roots easier. Soil rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, magnesium, and potassium is vital when growing roses from cuttings.

Interesting fact: by fertilizing roses with grounds, you can achieve a change in the color of the flower.

Hibiscuses

Coffee grounds are an organic, non-toxic fertilizer containing all the necessary microelements for hibiscus. Feeding the plant in the spring and winter can be monthly with coffee grounds, which contributes to prolonging the flowering period.

Begonias

Begonias love the addition of phosphorus-potassium and nitrogen to the soil, so coffee is an excellent substitute for chemical fertilizers. Coffee grounds help them develop buds and inflorescences.

Which Plants Do not Like Coffee Grounds?

Some plants tolerate an acidic environment very well, but there are also those for which the acid will be poison. Plants such as sago palm, yucca, etc., will not become friends with coffee grounds.

Lavender

This plant needs an alkaline environment for growth and good flowering. For fertilization, you can use potassium products and beware of nitrogen ones. Therefore, coffee grounds are not suitable fertilizer for lavender and can lead to its death.

Orchids

Coffee grounds are too acidic for epiphytes, so their roots can rot, and mold will appear on the surface, which can attract the attention of mosquitoes. Although coffee contains enough nitrogen that orchids need, their roots do not absorb it, leading to rotting.

Rosemary

Rosemary needs fertile, loose soil with a neutral pH. The plant does not like acidic soils and overwatering, so coffee, which creates an acidic environment, will be destructive for rosemary. The plant can be nourished twice a month with mineral and organic fertilizers that create an alkaline environment.

How Often Should You Add Coffee Grounds to Plants?

You can fertilize houseplants an average of 7 to 10 days in a row, but no more, as there is a risk of over-acidification of the soil. A cup of ground coffee should be added to the compost once a week. Do not forget that before adding it to the compost, the ground should be dried to prevent mold formation.

FAQ

Do Rhododendrons Like Coffee Grounds?

Rhododendrons are not only charming but also very capricious. Coffee grounds acidify the soil, making it perfect for this flower. It is recommended to use coffee as additional fertilizer along with horn shavings. Rhododendrons are quite often attacked by root weevils. To protect them, spray the flowering shrubs with a coffee mixture.

Do Ferns Like Coffee Grounds?

The fern will not thank you for adding coffee grounds. Coffee will put too much nitrogen in the soil for the fern, stopping the plant's development. More importantly, coffee has an antibacterial effect and kills the germs necessary for the fern. Therefore, it is best to keep your fern away from coffee.

Are Coffee Grounds Good for Gardenias?

Don't worry about adding more coffee grounds to your gardenia soil; these flowers absolutely love coffee. In addition to being an excellent source of nitrogen, the acid in coffee lowers the pH of the surrounding soil, stimulating the roots of acid-loving plants such as gardenias.

Can I Put Fresh Coffee Grounds in My Garden?

It is not recommended to fertilize the garden with fresh coffee grounds. Increased humidity promotes the growth of mold spores. The coffee grounds must be dried before they are added to the soil. Dry it in the oven, and then put it into plastic bags for ease of use.

Can You Water Plants with Coffee?

Plants that like coffee grounds also respond well to watering with coffee liquid. However, it is a fairly strong fertilizer, so this watering should not be done more than once a week. To prepare the mixture, boil the coffee and pour one and a half times as much water.

How to Use Coffee Grounds in Your Garden

If you make a daily pot of coffee, you have a fabulous source of organic matter right at your fingertips. Coffee grounds can make your garden happier in several ways, and not just that coffee gives you more energy for weeding and pruning. Don't toss the grounds! You can put them to work.

Put coffee grounds in your compost bin. There are two types of compost material: brown and green. Your coffee grounds may be brown in color, but in compost jargon they are green material, meaning an item that is rich in nitrogen. Coffee grounds are approximately 1.45 percent nitrogen. They also contain magnesium, calcium, potassium, and other trace minerals. Other green compost materials include food scraps and grass clippings.

Adding coffee grounds and used paper coffee filters to your compost will provide green compost material. However, it must be balanced with brown compost material, which includes dry leaves and newspapers. There should be a 4-to-1 ratio of brown compost material to green compost material. If you have too much green material your compost pile will start to smell. If you don't have enough, the compost pile won't heat up.

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

Fertilize With Coffee Grounds

Add coffee grounds directly to the soil in your garden. You can scratch it into the top couple inches of soil, or just sprinkle the grounds on top and leave it alone. In smaller amounts, especially when mixed with dry materials, coffee grounds will give up their nitrogen. Used coffee grounds are actually nearly neutral in pH, so they shouldn't cause concerns about their acidity. Be careful not to use too many coffee grounds or pile them up. The small particles can lock together, creating a water resistant barrier in your garden.

You can also make coffee ground "tea." Add 2 cups of used coffee grounds to a 5-gallon bucket of water. Let the "tea" steep for a few hours or overnight. You can use this concoction as a liquid fertilizer for garden and container plants. It also makes a great foliar feed you can spray directly on the leaves and stems of your plants.

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley 

Feed Your Worms

Add coffee grounds to your worm bin every week or so. Worms love coffee grounds! Just don't add too many at once, because the acidity could bother your worms. A cup or so of grounds per week for a small worm bin is perfect. In addition to using coffee grounds in your worm bin, earthworms in your soil will also be more attracted to your garden when you use them mixed with the soil as fertilizer.

Keep the Pests Away

Create a slug and snail barrier. Coffee grounds are abrasive, so a barrier of grounds placed near slug-prone plants may just save them from these garden pests. However, be warned that some researchers quibble with this advice and don't think it is effective. You may want to have a backup plan in mind if it doesn't work. Many cats dislike the smell of coffee grounds and may avoid using your garden as a litter box if you mix coffee grounds into the soil.

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley 

Fresh Coffee Grounds for Acid-Loving Plants

While used coffee grounds are only slightly acidic, fresh (unbrewed) coffee grounds have more acid. Your acid-loving plants like hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas, lily of the valley, blueberries, carrots, and radishes can get a boost from fresh grounds. However, tomatoes do not like fresh coffee grounds; keep them out of that area of the garden. This could be a good use for coffee that is getting old in your pantry or a type you bought for visiting friends but isn't your usual cup of joe.

Fresh coffee grounds still have most of their caffeine content as well as the acid. Don't use coffee grounds on seedlings or very young plants, as caffeine can stunt their growth. Be cautious in using fresh grounds around pets or your wire terrier may become extremely wired.

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

Dissenting Research Into Coffee Grounds in the Garden

One 2016 research study found that using spent coffee grounds in growing broccoli, leek, radish, viola, and sunflower resulted in poorer growth in all soil types, with or without additional fertilizer. The good news is that the coffee grounds improved the water holding capacity of the soil and decreased weed growth. The researchers think the poorer growth was due to the plant-toxic compounds naturally present in the coffee grounds. If you aren't getting the results you hoped for with coffee grounds, you may want to try your own experiments with and without them in your garden.

90,000 coffee grounds as a fertilizer for indoor flowers and gardeners in 2022 on the Gudgrint

Content

All this is possible thanks to useful substances contained in coffee grounds. You can talk a lot about the beneficial properties of sleeping coffee and its use as a fertilizer for indoor flowers and garden plants, but this issue should be dealt with in more detail. nine0003

Benefits of coffee grounds

Ground coffee contains a lot of valuable substances. This is:

Undoubtedly, during the brewing process, some of these substances are washed out of the coffee grounds. The content of useful mineral components in sleeping coffee is approximately 2-3% (for different substances it is different). But even this amount is enough to use coffee grounds as a mineral fertilizer for home and garden flowers, vegetables, and ornamental plants. The substances contained in coffee waste are essential for their growth and development. nine0003

For example, nitrogen plays a key role in the process of photosynthesis, without which plant growth and the formation of oxygen are impossible. Phosphorus and potassium are also involved in this important process, contribute to the development of the plant, the formation of flowers and fruits.

Using dormant coffee as a fertilizer is a virtually free way to provide your plants with healthy mineral nutrition.

At the same time, the probability of harming them from an overdose of one or another component is equal to zero. The concentration of minerals in the thick is optimal for many indoor flowers, garden and garden plants. nine0003

Potted flowers are particularly susceptible to coffee ground fertilizer:

A good result is the use of dormant coffee to feed vegetables, including:

This fertilizer is suitable for garden roses, lilies, ornamental shrubs, herbs. nine0003

Drinking coffee is an excellent means of feeding fruit and berry bushes and trees. After its application, the yield of these crops increases.

It is believed that coffee residues are highly acidic and therefore unsuitable for many plant species. This is not entirely true. The grains do have a high acidity. However, excess acid is washed out during the brewing process. Coffee grounds have a neutral level of acidity and as a fertilizer it is suitable for feeding any plants. nine0003

Use of coffee grounds as fertilizer

Coffee grounds are used to fertilize plants in two ways:

  1. Liquid top dressing. This method is very simple. It consists in the fact that coffee residues (thickness and part of the liquid) are collected in one container. Then this composition is watered on the ground in flower pots or under garden plants. This method has one significant disadvantage: a wet substance is prone to infection with mold or fungi. Therefore, to fertilize potted plants, it is recommended to use dry top dressing. nine0055

    Helpful Hint: To fertilize garden beds or garden shrubs, thin out the grounds until they are ready to be watered. Water the plants from above with a watering can, then pour plain water over them. This will allow the minerals to slowly release into the soil, nourishing your plants.

  2. Dry dressing. Dry the coffee beans thoroughly before use. To do this, after draining a small amount of thick, evenly distribute it on a sheet of thick cardboard or waterproof paper. You can use plastic spacing or baking sheets from the oven. Place the prepared thick in a warm place and keep it there until completely dry. When the substance dries, do not forget to break the caked lumps. Fertilizer can be used immediately or stored in dry glass, plastic or tin cans with tight-fitting lids. Thick paper bags are also suitable for this purpose. nine0006

Use of coffee grounds in the garden

Dried dry coffee is poured under the plant, then the soil is slightly loosened. When watering, useful substances will be released and flow into the ground, gradually enriching it.

When using this fertilizer in the garden, it is dug into the ground under the plants. With the help of a shovel, the earth is dug up to a depth of about 5 cm. Dry thickening is added to the loose soil. For one tree - 1-2 glasses, depending on the size. Then the thick is sprinkled with earth and lightly tamped. nine0003

Helpful hint: don't put too much ground (so that it covers all the ground under the plant). In this case, when watering, a crust may form, which will interfere with the access of oxygen to the roots. Do not add thickening to the soil for seedlings. It will weigh down the soil and slow down germination.

Sleeping coffee for flowers

Coffee sludge is especially popular as a fertilizer for indoor plants and garden flowers. For fertilizing indoor flowers, it is recommended to prepare the following composition:

Mix all ingredients and let them rot. To do this, you can use a large tank or an old pan. The mixture should be covered with fertile soil on top, make several holes with a stick and let it mature for about a month. The resulting composition can be used as nutritional supplements, making them into flower pots.

When planting flower beds and laying flower beds, coffee residues can also be used. Forming a flower garden, add them to the ground. On a bucket of earthen mixture, you should take one glass of dry thick, mix everything thoroughly, after which you can plant flowers. After planting the plants, the soil must be watered abundantly. nine0003

Coffee pomace as compost

Minerals, primarily nitrogen, contained in coffee residues tend to be released gradually under the influence of microorganisms. This makes coffee pomace a valuable component of garden compost. To do this, it is collected and placed in a compost pit. Thick contributes to the speedy decay of the contents of the pit, improves its mineral composition.

Coffee pomace can also be added directly to planting holes for garden ornamental and fruit-bearing plants. To do this, dry cake is mixed with prepared soil. A plant is planted in the prepared soil and watered abundantly. nine0003

Helpful Hint: Try using compost containing coffee residue to grow mushrooms. According to the reviews of those who used this method, the yield increases by 2-3 times.

How else to use grounds

Coffee grounds can not only enrich plants with useful minerals, but also protect them from a wide variety of pests. Insects such as ants, slugs, snails, aphids and others do not like it. Using grounds allows you to safely and inexpensively protect your plantings. It can also be used to prevent the appearance of insect pests. nine0003

Coffee grounds may just be indispensable in your garden. This is an excellent tool for changing the structure of the soil. Adding thickening will make heavy and clayey garden soil looser and lighter. To do this, the cake is added to the soil and regularly loosened.

Drinking coffee and coffee residues can also attract beneficial insects. Including earthworms. This property is especially important for composting. Worms, processing the contents of the compost pit, loosening it, contribute to the rapid maturation of the compost. nine0003

Cats do not like coffee aroma. With the help of thick, you can wean your pet from shitting under your favorite bush. You just need to sprinkle a dry product in a thin layer and do not water for a while.

Where to get enough grounds

First of all, do not throw away after drinking the drink itself. So, in a few days you can collect a sufficient amount of thick. Good for use as a fertilizer or compost cake from a coffee machine.

In some cafes and restaurants abroad, and in our country, a special table has recently appeared with packages that say "Coffee grounds for your plants" or "Coffee scrub for you. " They are a useful and pleasant present for visitors to the institution. Feel free to grab a few bags. They will only benefit your plants. nine0003

Therefore, you should not throw away such a useful product as coffee cake. Following the tips given here, you are sure to find a use for it in the garden or when breeding indoor flowers.

Ground and dormant coffee as a fertilizer for indoor plants and flowers

Natasha 03/05/2017 Fertilizers

Many lovers of natural coffee understand how useful the drink is due to the elements included in it and realize that the cake remaining after brewing can also be used for the benefit of plants. Indeed, dormant coffee as a fertilizer for indoor plants is successfully used as a mineral supplement. nine0003

Thickness contains nitrogen, potassium and a whole list of useful trace elements, it has the ability to reduce the acidity of the soil, makes the soil moisture-permeable and light. Nitrogen in percentage is 1. 5%, the same amount is found in mown rotted grass.

How is the dormant coffee for fertilizing prepared correctly?

Preliminary preparation of cake is obligatory, it should be understood that not ordinary ground coffee is suitable, but only spent coffee as a fertilizer for indoor plants. nine0003

After collecting the required amount of raw materials, it must be spread on wax paper or tracing paper and dried until flowable.

If the pulp is added immediately after making coffee, without drying, mold will appear and fungal diseases will begin to develop. So that the powder does not suffer from mold, you can additionally dry it in the oven, then pour it into glass jars with tight lids or into paper bags, breaking up the previously formed lumps.

How is dormant coffee used in home horticulture? nine0025

Coffee pomace as a fertilizer for indoor plants is considered a universal remedy, as it can be used in various areas of crop production:

Based on coffee grounds, a nutritional supplement is prepared to be added to flower vases:

Mix the composition well and let it rot in a large saucepan or tub, sprinkling a small layer of fertile earth on top and making several holes in the pile. After about a month of aging, the additive can be applied to flowerpots. nine0003

It is better not to use dormant coffee as a mulch layer, after some time it will take on a dense crust, which makes it difficult for the roots of the plant to exchange air and pass water to them during irrigation.

Coffee as a fertilizer for indoor plants, mixed with soil, serves not only as food, it perfectly structures the soil, even heavy clay soils become loose. Due to the content of many substances necessary for plants, their growth is stimulated, especially young shoots. The soil to which the coffee cake is added should be watered abundantly so that the nitrogen present in the thick is released into the soil. nine0003

If you add coffee to the soil for indoor roses as a fertilizer for flowers, you can unexpectedly get an interesting result: a new shade of buds. Breeders sometimes deliberately experiment, thus achieving the breeding of new varieties. If there is no desire to change the color of the flowers, but you want to use coffee grounds for top dressing, the cake can be infused in water, and then water the plants.

What mistakes can be made when using dormant coffee for indoor plants?

A flower grower always wants the methods he uses to be useful for plants, so you need to listen to the recommendations of specialists:

  • an excess amount of cake is unacceptable, since the caffeine contained in it can inhibit plants;
  • if milk has been added to coffee, such cake should not be used in order not to create an environment for the development of pathogenic organisms; nine0006
  • waste must also not contain sugar or fruit additives;
  • ground coffee as a fertilizer for flowers is not suitable for all plants, before using it, you need to clarify which green pets benefit from such feeding.

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