Coffee ground question

[backtobasics]

In the spring when I put my plants out I put coffee grounds around them. Question is How often should I give them coffee grounds? Is there a such thing as to much? Thanks for any help MIKE

[Rick]

Rather than use them directly in the garden you might consider adding them to your compost pile. Having said that, coffee grounds are actually pH neutral and can help amend your soil if you have a heavy clay for example. Adding coffee grounds is about the same as adding soil. Here's a study from Oregon State University you might find helpful.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lan...ts/cffee07.pdf

[hunter63]

I used to water my plants in my office at work with cold coffee......grew well....BUT.
Had to take a soak them and leach them out every once in a while....they got sour smelling after a while.

Mostly just add to compost.

Like anything ...moderation is good.

[Lamewolf]

I used to water my plants in my office at work with cold coffee......grew well....BUT.
Had to take a soak them and leach them out every once in a while....they got sour smelling after a while.

Mostly just add to compost.

Like anything ...moderation is good.

I crush up Viagra, mix it with water and put it on my tomato plants. Doesn't make them grow any better but you don't have to stake them !

[hunter63]

Really........?
You wouldn't be pulling my....ah, you know....naw....

[LowKey]

I just put the coffee grounds in the compost bucket.

[backtobasics]

What I did was.... last year I let the ducks in the fall eat and **** what was left of the garden. I also have a compost. This year we have a green house( first time). The plants are in the ground not in planters. When I put them out I dug a hole, filled it with compost, put the plant in and covered it with dirt. After that I took coffee grounds from starbucks and put it around the base of the plant. All the plants look great and I am very happy with them but I'm just wondering maybe I should put more grounds again? What do you think?
P.S. if my plants had Viagra they would lift the green house. Bigger is not always better.

[Davidlastink]

I just put the coffee grounds in the compost bucket.

"It puts the grounds in the bucket."


I use grounds with worms never really added directly to soil.

[Rick]

Understanding that you are only adding trace nutrients and not changing the pH there really is no need to add more. Think of it as adding sand. You are amending the soil and recycling something that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

[hunter63]

May want to check out Master Gardner
http://www.mastergardeneronline.com/...F-fVhvmCW2GHIA

[Rick]

It may depend on where you garden. Northwest gardens may prefer Starbucks. Southwestern gardens might prefer cowboy coffee and Southern gardens Mint Julep tea grounds. Those hoity toity Northeastern gardens probably prefer a cappuccino.

[Davidlastink]

I only use straight organic, and I'm more a Cafe con Leche sort of guy.

[TXyakr]

Probably depends on your soil, the plant(s) and how much coffee grounds you are using. Most coffee grounds are fairly neutral with a 6.5-6.8 pH, but anything can be over done, nitrogen content may be the biggest issue. If you piled 10 or more gallons of very fresh grounds around a very small tomato plant you might kill it. Letting earthworms work in the grounds mixed with other organic materials mixes and balances the nutrients and buffers the extra nitrogen etc. When I leave coffee grounds in a container in my kitchen for a few days mold grows on them so I try to dump them in the compost pile or over top of mulch in the yard or garden fairly often. If not overdone earthworms like them i.e. high in protein or nitrogen (0.5-5%?) so mold and bacteria grows on them quickly which feeds the earthworms indirectly in a bin, on/in your compost pile or just throughout your yard/garden. I am a lazy gardener, why get in the way of nature and slow it down messing with it?

Verbose way of saying many ways to use coffee grounds, difficult to do it wrong but some people probably do. Same with tea leaves, old bread and if you work in a restaurant/supermarket and can take home left over salad bar greens, beans etc. also good stuff just buy some strong 5 gallon buckets with good lids or whatever. Cover or trap the raccoons and feed them to your dogs ha ha ha.

[Grizzlyette Adams]

One of my friends likes to get huge bags of spent coffee grounds from Whole Foods grocery, for the compost pile.

I like to sprinkle some around the plants to deter slugs and snails (it works). My compost pile gets the rest of the coffee grounds.