Using Coffee Grounds in the Garden: A Natural Fertilizer
What do you do with your used coffee grounds after a pot of morning coffee? If you toss them in the trash, you may want to consider doing something different with them
Coffee grounds are good for the garden and will benefit the soil and root crops + acid-loving plants in many ways. But, there are some precautions that must be taken into account with this type of natural fertilizer.
Read on to discover how used coffee grounds fertilizer for plants will make them healthier plus prevent the used grounds from taking up space in the landfill.
COFFEE GROUNDS in THE GARDEN
This is a rather long post so here is a list of the Topics:
- Coffee Grounds Contain Nitrogen
- Precautions When Applying Coffee to Soil
- Used Grounds Can Increase Soil Minerals
- Coffee Grounds Attract Earthworms
- Acid Loving Plants and Coffee Grounds
- Root Crops Benefit from Used Grounds
- Coffee Grounds Offer Organic Pest Control
- Natural Weed Suppression with Used Grounds
- A Little Coffee Grounds Goes a Long Way
- Coffee Grounds and the Compost Pile
- How to Make Liquid Fertilizer from Coffee Grounds
- Vermicomposting and Brewed Coffee Ground
Please read the entire post, if possible, to capture all the necessary information as each section hinges on the other sections. But, if you are in a hurry, then simply go to the section of interest!
You will discover why plants will benefit from coffee grounds….as well as how to use coffee grounds as a DIY fertilizer.
Also, consider: How to Make Simple Banana Peel Fertilizer for Your Plants
PRO TIP: if you are an organic gardener, then make sure to use Organic Coffee Beans and Organic Ground Coffee!
1. Coffee Grounds Add Nitrogen
Used grounds are rich in nitrogen and make a great addition to the garden soil or compost bin.
You can sprinkle a little bit of coffee grounds on top of the soil for acid loving plants or add them to the compost pile where they will slowly decompose.
When adding them to the compost bin, this coffee grounds will help make a nitrogen rich compost which can increase the nitrogen level of the soil.
If you are wondering if coffee grounds are good for plants just remember that all plants need nitrogen.
The use of coffee grounds in the garden is beneficial for garden plants as well as for plants grown in-ground, in containers, either indoors or outdoors.
But, remember like previously stated, there are some precautions that must be considered when using coffee grounds especially with indoors plants.
2. Precautions When Using Coffee Grounds as Fertilizer
Coffee grounds are great at retaining moisture so be careful when using them on indoor plants as they may cause the soil to retain too much moisture.
Secondly, coffee grounds may breed fungus. When the soil retains too much moisture, it can create a perfect environment for fungal issues to arise.
So, it is advised to watch for overwatering and excessive moisture.
It seems the safest way is to simply throw your used coffee grounds along with the paper filter into your compost pile first and then apply the nitrogen-rich composted coffee grounds to your plants.
But, if you cannot wait for the grounds to compost, you might also want to give coffee “tea” a try. The simple recipe is listed below.
Either way, continually watch for overwatering to maintain the highest level of healthy plant soil.
Nitrogen gives plants the energy to grow, and produce vegetables or fruits. It promotes the above-ground growth of plants. Nitrogen is considered the most important component for supporting plant growth.
Using coffee grounds in the garden are good for increasing the nitrogen level of the soil and improve plant production.
Garden soils west of the Mississippi tend to be more alkaline so the higher acidity level in coffee grounds makes a perfect pH balancer.
If there is a nitrogen deficiency in the soil, plant leaves become yellowish-green, plant growth is reduced, and there will be fewer and smaller vegetables or fruits.
Before adding any coffee grounds always make sure to check your soil pH to get a reading on your particular soil’s pH level.
3. Increases Soil Minerals
The primary nutrients needed by soil to support plant life are nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, all of which are found in coffee grounds.
The secondary nutrients that soil needs are also found in used grounds and they include copper and magnesium. Micronutrients in the soil are important.
Copper is important for plant metabolism and magnesium is needed for the development of green leaves.
In addition to individual nutrient components, it is also wise to make sure your plants stay healthy with a complete all-purpose fertilizer.
4. Attract Earthworms
It seems that earthworms enjoy the flavor of coffee almost as much as humans. The used grounds still contain a little coffee.
When soil moisture and coffee grounds come into contact with each other the coffee leaches out into the soil and attracts earthworms.
Since earthworms have no teeth, coffee grounds provide a gritty substance in their guts which helps them grind down foods.
5. Acid Loving Plants
Azaleas, hydrangeas, blueberries, and lilies will benefit from an application of used coffee grounds onto the nearby soil.
Using coffee grounds for plants that love acidity will lower the soil pH and raise the acid level temporarily.
Sprinkle fresh coffee grounds on top of soil around acid- loving plants once a month…..but keep the grounds away from the stems.
6. Root Vegetables
Coffee grounds are good for the garden that is growing root crops, like radishes and carrots, onions and garlic!
The grounds increase soil fertility and help keep the soil loose so the root crops can grow stronger and bigger.
Mix brewed coffee grounds into soil at planting time for root vegetables.
7. Organic Pest Control
Use coffee grounds for the garden as an organic pest control. The rough texture on top of the soil keeps slugs and snails away from plants. Soft-bodies pest don’t like crawling over rough surfaces and will avoid them.
If they do venture over the rough surface, the caffeine in the coffee grounds will cause them to dehydrate and die.
Ants don’t like them – both grounds and the coffee acids damage their exoskeletons. Using coffee grounds around plants will help keep ants off of them so they won’t drink all the sap from the tender plants.
If the plants are being grown near the foundation of your home, applying coffee grounds around the plants will help prevent the ants from attacking the plants and entering your home.
A 2-inch thick layer of grounds around plants and the foundation of your home will keep the ants away.
Some gardeners also claim that coffee grounds on the soil are an effective cat repellent and will keep cats from using your garden as a litter box. The aroma of coffee is also said to keep deer away.
8. Natural Weed Suppressant
Coffee grounds are good for the garden when they’re used as mulch. By applying grounds on top of the soil around the plants it will suppress weed growth.
Mulch is a must in any garden and free used coffee grounds make an ideal mulch. Weeds compete with garden plants for food, moisture, and sunlight. By using a natural weed suppressant, the weeds are stopped before they can germinate.
Using the coffee grounds for plant mulch will also improve soil fertility and structure. The gritty grounds will increase airflow in the soil and water drainage.
Plus, the grounds will attract the earthworms and they will create underground tunnels for increased air and water flow.
The earthworms will also leave behind nutrient-rich castings that will keep the soil fertile.
9. A Little Goes A Long Way
Too much of anything can become a bad thing. This is true of coffee grounds for garden use. A little bit of used coffee grounds can go a long way in the garden.
Fresh coffee grounds are much more potent than used coffee grounds. It is best to get the goodness out of the coffee for yourself first and then use the leftover grounds for the compost pile or the garden.
To use the grounds in your garden, incorporate 1-inch (2.5 cm.) directly into the soil. You can spread the 1/2-inch of grounds directly onto the top soil then cover with compost or other type of organic mulch.
For container grown plants (outdoors or indoor houseplants) sprinkle a fine layer of grounds on top of the soil. Re-apply every 3-6 months. Be sure to keep the grounds away from the plant stems.
And, remember, that coffee ground help retain moisture but keep an eye out that your plant soils is not soggy or too damp.
10. Adding Coffee Grounds to the Compost Bin
When added to the compost bin, coffee grounds will provide the bacteria the energy they need to turn organic matter into compost. Just toss the coffee grounds as well as the paper filter onto the compost pile and let them decompose.
You don’t have to turn them in or give them any special treatment. The grounds will help retain moisture in the pile as the organic material decomposes.
Used grounds make excellent ‘brown’ material when you first create a compost pile with layers of green and brown material.
If the compost pile is directly on the ground, the addition of used coffee grounds will attract earthworms to the pile of decomposing vegetation. The earthworms will go to work in the decaying matter and help it turn into compost much faster.
11. Liquid Fertilizer from Coffee Grounds
Make a coffee ground liquid fertilizer to use in the garden.
To make this liquid fertilizer, add 2 cups of coffee grounds to a 5-gallon bucket of water and let it steep for a few hours to overnight.
Feed 1-cup to each plant once a month during the growing season.
This is pretty fun as you know know how to make Liquid Coffee Ground Fertilizer as well as being able to offer your plants Homemade Liquid Compost Tea! Coffee or Tea, please!
12. Vermicomposting
This is also called ‘worm composting’, and it’s the method of composting with the use of earthworms.
You can use coffee grounds as worm food, too, if you do vermicomposting with a worm bin.
Worms are very fond of coffee grounds. The rough ground helps them grind down their food so it’s easy to digest. It’s the perfect addition to the earthworm’s diet.
In Conclusion
Coffee grounds and gardening just naturally go together. Whether you are using coffee grounds around plants indoors or outdoors, adding them to the compost bin, or using them to feed earthworms, you will find coffee grounds are good for plants.
So, go ahead and brew another cup then save those used grounds for the garden.