by Bozena Hartley

Created on: April 09, 2010

After several decades of adding chemicals to their crops, people started to realize that organic is better. Natural fertilizers and pesticides are much safer and just as effective as commercially prepared equivalents. One of such additives, commonly used by today's gardeners, are coffee grounds.

Used coffee grounds are rich in substances that most plants require for vigorous and healthy growth. They contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur and several other nutrients. Plants rely on their roots to obtain these nutrients from soil, but most types of soil do not contain them in sufficient amounts. Coffee grounds are also slightly acidic, which is what most vegetables and many ornamental plants need.

Just like many other types of organic matter, coffee grounds decompose much slower than commercial fertilizers and are less likely to cause burn or over-fertilization. However, you should test your garden soil periodically to find out whether you can keep adding coffee grounds directly into it, or if you should rather place it in your compost pile to decompose first. If your garden soil is highly alkaline and/or low in nutrients, you can add coffee grounds into it. If, on the other hand, it is quite acidic and contains enough nutrients for your plants, then you can compost your coffee grounds.

Some of the plants (outdoor as well as indoor) that like acidic soil and will benefit from coffee grounds are: azaleas, blueberries, butterfly weed, camellias, cranberries, ferns, gardenias, and heathers. There are also many trees and shrubs that naturally prefer acidic soil, such as mountain laurels, oaks, pecans, rhododendrons, spruces and yews. Other plants that respond to coffee grounds are roses, daffodils, tulips and other spring blooming bulbs.

There are a few different ways you can use coffee grounds. You can sprinkle them directly on the ground around your plants, which will serve as a slow-release fertilizer and as mulch, at the same time. You can also work coffee grounds (along with filters) into the soil, especially if your it is highly alkaline, dense, like clay soil, or poor in nutrients, such as sandy soil. Tilling coffee grounds will speed up their decomposition and feed the plants sooner. If you have a compost pile, you can add your coffee grounds and filters there. Due to their high nitrogen content and acidic nature, the grounds should be mixed with brown leaves and straw to keep the Ph level balanced. The heat that they generate

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>