plath
05-22-2005, 12:33 PM
Coffee Grounds for my Plants
The next time you’re in Starbucks or your favorite coffee shop, place your order for your favorite morning jolt, and then say, “One bag of used coffee grounds to go, please.”
That’s right, spent coffee grounds are an excellent way to wake up the plants in your garden. And at Starbucks, coffee shops, at home, or at the coffee machine at work, spent coffee grounds are generated every day, and FREE for you to use in your garden. And by using it in your garden, you’re not only adding organic matter, but you’re helping reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.
One of the secrets to a successful garden is the quality of the soil, and adding used coffee grounds not only adds organic matter to help improve the soil texture, it’s also a valuable source of nutrition. It’s a great source of nitrogen, a little potassium, as well as calcium and magnesium. And it’s excellent in helping to lower the pH in your soils.
Now, here’s a few ways you can use coffee grounds for your plants and soil:
-Add the coffee grounds directly to the soil as a soil amendment, to landscape, flower and vegetable gardens, and till them in.
-Simply sprinkle around plants and water it in. Azaleas, hollies, hydrangeas and acid loving plants will certainly appreciate a shot of coffee grounds. Coffee grounds can also act as a natural insect repellent.
-Sprinkle of few grounds around your indoor plants. They love a little coffee jolt, and some gardeners have seen reductions of fungus gnats when using coffee grounds.
-Shake them out in the lawn. A little nitrogen, a little organic matter, and a nice looking yard!
-Add them to your compost pile; they help speed up the composting process, and whether you add them to the compost or mix in the soil; earthworms will love you for adding coffee grounds! It’s one of their favorite foods!
Now just like anything, use coffee grounds in moderation. They will help lower the pH of the soil, so I do suggest a simple pH soil test every now. A cup of coffee for me … and the coffee grounds for my plants … Decaf or regular?
The next time you’re in Starbucks or your favorite coffee shop, place your order for your favorite morning jolt, and then say, “One bag of used coffee grounds to go, please.”
That’s right, spent coffee grounds are an excellent way to wake up the plants in your garden. And at Starbucks, coffee shops, at home, or at the coffee machine at work, spent coffee grounds are generated every day, and FREE for you to use in your garden. And by using it in your garden, you’re not only adding organic matter, but you’re helping reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.
One of the secrets to a successful garden is the quality of the soil, and adding used coffee grounds not only adds organic matter to help improve the soil texture, it’s also a valuable source of nutrition. It’s a great source of nitrogen, a little potassium, as well as calcium and magnesium. And it’s excellent in helping to lower the pH in your soils.
Now, here’s a few ways you can use coffee grounds for your plants and soil:
-Add the coffee grounds directly to the soil as a soil amendment, to landscape, flower and vegetable gardens, and till them in.
-Simply sprinkle around plants and water it in. Azaleas, hollies, hydrangeas and acid loving plants will certainly appreciate a shot of coffee grounds. Coffee grounds can also act as a natural insect repellent.
-Sprinkle of few grounds around your indoor plants. They love a little coffee jolt, and some gardeners have seen reductions of fungus gnats when using coffee grounds.
-Shake them out in the lawn. A little nitrogen, a little organic matter, and a nice looking yard!
-Add them to your compost pile; they help speed up the composting process, and whether you add them to the compost or mix in the soil; earthworms will love you for adding coffee grounds! It’s one of their favorite foods!
Now just like anything, use coffee grounds in moderation. They will help lower the pH of the soil, so I do suggest a simple pH soil test every now. A cup of coffee for me … and the coffee grounds for my plants … Decaf or regular?