Do Plants Grow Better In Water Or Coffee?

How To Use Coffee Grounds For Shinier Foliage, Stronger Plants, And Heavier Harvests

Coffee grounds for plants make great fertilizer.  They can be added to existing or new garden beds or mixed in compost piles.  Coffee grounds for plants are nutrient dense, adding nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium to the garden soil.

These nutrients are valuable for plant growth and health. Another benefit you get from grounds is an increase in soil acidity. Some plants thrive on higher acidity such as blueberry, rose, hydrangea, gardenia and rhododendrons.

The truth be told, using coffee grounds may be harmful to some plants. These include plants known not to grow well in acidic soils. So, before mixing grounds into any plant bed or container make sure it prefers acidic soil. A search online for your plant type will reveal whether to use them.

Added Benefits Of Coffee Grounds For Plants

Another benefit you get using coffee grounds is the gardening soil is much easier to till. But that’s not all. Worms seem attracted to the grounds, and as you may know they are valuable to any garden.

Worms feed on the grounds and spread the nutrients as they wiggle their way through the earth; this aerates the soil, and enriches it with oxygen. By allowing more oxygen into the soil, rooted plants grow much better.

Gardeners have different methods of using coffee grounds for plants depending the outcome they seek. One method is to sprinkle them around plants already settled.  When you water or it rains, the nutrients from the grounds seep in the ground feeding the plant. This method releases nutrients at a slow and steady pace instead of in one immediate feeding.

A word of caution

Don’t allow a pile of coffee grounds to build up in one spot. The grounds may clump up and deprive the plant of oxygen, which may do more harm than good to your precious plant.

Coffee grounds for plants may be mixed into the soil where your plants are growing.  Dig no deeper than one inch into the soil, mix in the grounds, cover them with compost, and water the area.

Coffee grounds can be used to keep garden slugs away. Simply sprinkle a line of them at the base of your plants.  Salt and eggshells can be used in a similar fashion to keep slugs away from your favorite plants.

Mixing a pound of grounds with a quart of water is a natural method of getting rid of ant mounds. Mixing the grounds into compost pile will raise the internal heat and kill off unwanted weeds

If you do not drink this popular morning drink, you can still make use of coffee grounds for plants.  Take a trip to your local Starbuck Coffee, there you will find pounds of coffee grounds free.  Visit during the morning when plenty of grounds typically are available.

About the Author

Steve Habib is an active gardener, researcher and lawn maintenance operator. You can receive more information about the benefits of  Coffee Grounds around your plants and crops.  Or if you’d like a Free copy of “How Do Plants Grow” visit Plant and Gardening blog

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