How to Use Coffee Grounds in Your Garden
Add coffee grounds to your compost., Add grounds to the soil directly to increase acidity., Consider adding lime to balance coffee's pH., Use coffee grounds to add nutrients to your soil., Optionally, make a liquid plant food.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Add coffee grounds to your compost.
One of the simplest ways to use leftover grounds is to add them to the rest of your compost.
In addition to providing extra organic matter, coffee grounds are able to speed up the decomposing process in compost.
Getting this benefit is as easy as pouring the leftover grounds into the compost pile and mixing to incorporate them.
There are two main types of composting materials: "green" compost and "brown" compost.
Coffee grounds are considered to be "green" compost along with other wet, nutrient rich materials.
If you add a lot of coffee grounds to your compost, balance it out by adding some "brown" compost as well — dry, bulky materials like dry leaves, twigs, newspaper, straw, corn husks, sawdust, and so on. -
Step 2: Add grounds to the soil directly to increase acidity.
On their own, coffee grounds have a pH of about
5.1 — fairly acidic compared to the soil in most gardens.
Though this can be too acidic for some plants, it's perfect for some that require extra-high acidity.
Just sprinkle a handful of grounds near the roots of the plants at the start of the growing season to get the acidifying effect.
Blueberries, cranberries, and citrus fruits like coffee added to their soil.
Other coffee-loving plants include camellias, gardenias, rhododendrons, and vireyas.Some flowering plants will give different-colored blooms in acidic soil.
For example, the addition of coffee grounds to hydrangeas is good for blue blooms. , As noted above, coffee grounds' natural acidity can make them inappropriate for many "average" gardens.
To mitigate this, mix a pinch of lime with the grounds.
Lime is naturally alkaline (or "basic," the opposite of acidic) and will work against the acidity in the coffee grounds.
This lets you add coffee grounds directly to your garden as a mulch or soil conditioner.
Lime (often sold as "garden lime" or "agricultural lime") is a powdery substance that's not related to the green citrus fruit of the same name.
You can usually find it at hardware stores or gardening supply stores for fairly cheap. , Acidity isn't the only thing that coffee ground have to offer.
They are rich in several nutrients that are critical to healthy plants, so if your garden lacks these, coffee grounds are an excellent choice.
See below:
Coffee grounds are rich in:
Nitrogen Magnesium Potassium Coffee grounds are not rich in:
Phosphorous Calcium , You don't need to use the coffee grounds themselves in your garden — you can also make a nutritious plant food from them and use it instead.
To do this, place a handful of coffee grounds into a bucket of water.
Let it sit in a cool, out-of-the-way place (like your garage) for a day or two.
It should create a nice amber-colored liquid.
Strain the remaining grounds out, then use the liquid to water your plants.
It will have the same acidity and nutrient content as normal coffee grounds, so use it with caution if your plants don't require high acidity or nitrogen, potassium, etc. -
Step 3: Consider adding lime to balance coffee's pH.
-
Step 4: Use coffee grounds to add nutrients to your soil.
-
Step 5: Optionally
-
Step 6: make a liquid plant food.
Detailed Guide
One of the simplest ways to use leftover grounds is to add them to the rest of your compost.
In addition to providing extra organic matter, coffee grounds are able to speed up the decomposing process in compost.
Getting this benefit is as easy as pouring the leftover grounds into the compost pile and mixing to incorporate them.
There are two main types of composting materials: "green" compost and "brown" compost.
Coffee grounds are considered to be "green" compost along with other wet, nutrient rich materials.
If you add a lot of coffee grounds to your compost, balance it out by adding some "brown" compost as well — dry, bulky materials like dry leaves, twigs, newspaper, straw, corn husks, sawdust, and so on.
On their own, coffee grounds have a pH of about
5.1 — fairly acidic compared to the soil in most gardens.
Though this can be too acidic for some plants, it's perfect for some that require extra-high acidity.
Just sprinkle a handful of grounds near the roots of the plants at the start of the growing season to get the acidifying effect.
Blueberries, cranberries, and citrus fruits like coffee added to their soil.
Other coffee-loving plants include camellias, gardenias, rhododendrons, and vireyas.Some flowering plants will give different-colored blooms in acidic soil.
For example, the addition of coffee grounds to hydrangeas is good for blue blooms. , As noted above, coffee grounds' natural acidity can make them inappropriate for many "average" gardens.
To mitigate this, mix a pinch of lime with the grounds.
Lime is naturally alkaline (or "basic," the opposite of acidic) and will work against the acidity in the coffee grounds.
This lets you add coffee grounds directly to your garden as a mulch or soil conditioner.
Lime (often sold as "garden lime" or "agricultural lime") is a powdery substance that's not related to the green citrus fruit of the same name.
You can usually find it at hardware stores or gardening supply stores for fairly cheap. , Acidity isn't the only thing that coffee ground have to offer.
They are rich in several nutrients that are critical to healthy plants, so if your garden lacks these, coffee grounds are an excellent choice.
See below:
Coffee grounds are rich in:
Nitrogen Magnesium Potassium Coffee grounds are not rich in:
Phosphorous Calcium , You don't need to use the coffee grounds themselves in your garden — you can also make a nutritious plant food from them and use it instead.
To do this, place a handful of coffee grounds into a bucket of water.
Let it sit in a cool, out-of-the-way place (like your garage) for a day or two.
It should create a nice amber-colored liquid.
Strain the remaining grounds out, then use the liquid to water your plants.
It will have the same acidity and nutrient content as normal coffee grounds, so use it with caution if your plants don't require high acidity or nitrogen, potassium, etc.
About the Author
Patrick Phillips
Creates helpful guides on creative arts to inspire and educate readers.
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