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Are your roses drooping? Is your camellias just lacking the energy to grow? Well, perk them up with a jolt of java! Recycle your used coffee grounds by using them in your garden.

BENEFITS

Used coffee grounds are a fantastic natural fertilizer for plants that like foods high in acid, such as evergreens, azaleas, blueberries, and some fruit trees. The grounds also provide nitrogen to your garden.

The worms love the coffee, too. They will eat the grounds and produce a nice, fertilized compost.

HOW IT WORKS

In addition to obvious things like water and light, most plants need nitrogen to grow. The nitrogen's job is to keep the green parts green. The coffee grounds contain about 2% nitrogen, .03% phosphoric acid, and a bit of potash. The typical chemically created fertilizer you would find in the store would look something like 10-10-5, or 10% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 5% potassium. The grounds work like a slow-release fertilizer. Each time it rains, the nitrogen and acids leach out and fertilize your plants.

HOW TO USE

Recycling your coffee grounds is easy! Simply spread your coffee grounds around the base of your acid-loving plants. You can leave the grounds on top, or you can mix them in to the top two or three inches of soil.

You can also mix your grounds in with your compost, just keep the grounds to less than 25% of the mixture.

You lawn can benefit from the grounds, too. Remember that the nitrogen is responsible for keeping the green stuff green. By spreading the coffee grounds on your lawn you will get greener grass. Do not, however, spread the grounds on your grass when it is dormant. If your grass isn't ready for it, you could just encourage weed growth.

HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS

You can get too much of a good thing! If you compost a lot of coffee, be sure to add a small amount of wood for every five pounds of grounds. If you don't, you might end up with soil that is too rich in acid.

Sometimes you'll find that the grounds get moldy. If that happens, you can dry them first. Simply place your grounds in the oven on a low temperature until they are dry.

If you just can't drink enough coffee to keep you plants happy, you can get used coffee grounds for free at most Starbucks stores.

If your work has a coffee pot, start collecting the used grounds. Let you co-workers know and they can help, too.

According to Sherlock Holmes in The Case of the Three Garridebs, "There's nothing like a cup of coffee to stimulate the brain cells." Well, Sherlock, that coffee will also help keep your garden green.

Learn more about this author, Ron White.
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