Using Coffee Grounds As Natural Fertilizers
December 19, 2022
Once your cup of coffee is finished, the grounds at the bottom of your coffee filter can still be used! Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, which is essential to plant health and production. When added to compost, the nitrogen in the coffee grounds mixes with organic material to improve drainage, water retention, and aeration. The used coffee grounds will help microorganisms beneficial to plant growth thrive as well as attract earthworms.
Many people have the idea that coffee grounds effect the pH levels of soil, which can affect plants differently. However, this is only true for used but not rinsed coffee grounds as fresh coffee grounds are acidic while used coffee grounds that have been rinsed are neutral. If you rinse your used coffee grounds, they will have a near-neutral pH of 6.5 and will not affect the acid levels of the soil.
There is another special use for your coffee ground that you probably didn’t know about. Some gardeners like to use used coffee grounds as mulch for their plants. Other uses for coffee grounds include using it to keep slugs and snails away from plants. The theory is that the caffeine in the coffee grounds negatively affects these pests and so they avoid soil where the coffee grounds are found. Some people also claim that coffee grounds on the soil are a cat repellent and will keep cats from using your flower and veggie beds as a litter boxes. You can use coffee grounds as worm food too if you do vermicompost with a worm bin. Worms are also very fond of coffee grounds.
