Coffee ground uses anyone?
By snowcat46
@snowcat46 (2322)
United States
February 4, 2009 12:37pm CST
I have heard of putting used coffee grounds in the dirt around tomato plants. That it will help them grow faster. Do you know what other plants this works on? I'm tired of throwing old coffee grounds away if they can be used for something worthwhile. Can you give me any uses for used coffee grounds, besides throwing them away?
I have amaryllis, aloe vera, and a cactus or two. Will it help any of these?
3 people like this
8 responses
@fasttalker (2796)
• United States
4 Feb 09
Mixing the coffee grounds with the soil aerates the soil for the plant. Actually they work well with any plant. I use them in all of my indoor plants and I have a bucket that I dump them in until it gets full and then I dump it on my garden. In the Spring I just till it right into the ground and I have a beautiful vegetable garden every year.
2 people like this
@snowcat46 (2322)
• United States
5 Feb 09
Thank you for that. I hate throwing anything away. Don't the grounds in the bucket get moldy? Since they start out wet, I would think it would eventually turn to mold. No? Or do you do something special to it to prevent the dampness from doing that?
1 person likes this
@fasttalker (2796)
• United States
6 Feb 09
No they don't get moldy on me. But maybe if the temp is warm enough that they could get moldy you could empty it into the garden space a little more often.
@dvmurphy (326)
• United States
5 Feb 09
Coffee grounds are a stimulant and will help any plant. If you have left over coffee that hasn't had sugar or anything else added to it you can water your plants with black coffee. Roses adore coffee grounds and black coffee. Coffee grounds are also excellant to boost your garden soil and container pots. Think of it as free plant food. www.gardeningtoybox.bloghi.com
@snowcat46 (2322)
• United States
6 Feb 09
Thanks!! I just saved that blog! I know I need all the help I can get...
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
4 Feb 09
I use them mostly around my rose bushes. I'm not sure, but I would think they'd be beneficial to other plants as well. One article I read not too long ago said that old coffee grounds add nitrogen to the soil. The gardening article also said it repels snails and slugs when you put a ring of it around your plants. I don't know if the slug/snail repelling actually happens, but I do know my roses love it when I add it to the soil :-)
1 person likes this
@snowcat46 (2322)
• United States
5 Feb 09
Thank you for responding. With all these endorsements, I'll have to try it. I'm hoping my plants will like it.
@explorations (1712)
• United States
4 Feb 09
I actually mix my coffee grounds in with all my plantings, not just tomatoes. I read in one of my container gardening books that, when the grounds are added to potting soil, it will add nutrients to the plants. I also read that, if you put the grounds and the filter in when tilling your garden, that it will add a richness to dirt that may be lacking.
@snowcat46 (2322)
• United States
5 Feb 09
Thank you very much for this. I'm glad to finally have a use for those leftovers my husband leaves every morning!
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
5 Feb 09
I throw all my coffee grounds in the garden. I have horrible soil and it helps.
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
6 Feb 09
I just throw them on top. They get mixed in when I do some digging or the dogs decide to dig.
@snowcat46 (2322)
• United States
6 Feb 09
Us too. Stupid red clay. Do you have to till it into the ground, or just throw it on top and it's good?
@snowcat46 (2322)
• United States
5 Feb 09
Yeah, I've killed a few aloe vera's in my time. It's ok when I forget about them, they like that. It's when I remember them too much that they get unhappy.
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
4 Feb 09
u r talking to the wrong one now. my aunt told me years ago i had a brown thumb instead of a green thumb, i know of nothing coffee grouns are good for but that doesn't mean a thing. lol
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
5 Feb 09
good for you. i wished i enjoyed plants but i don't care anything about fooling w/them. i don't have one plant in my house. bet yours are beautiful. ilove flowers just don't like to fool w/them.
@playapal (894)
• United States
4 Feb 09
I use both the coffee grounds and the paper filter around all of my plants. Especially my canna's, tomatoes and gardenias. Every morning after I have finished my coffee I take the grounds out and sprinkle around, I also put egg shells around all my plants. I had a banana plant that was starting to turn yellow and since I have been putting the coffee grounds around it it is nice and dark green again. Back when I lived in the states they worked wonders around my azaleas and rhodedendrons.
2 people like this
@snowcat46 (2322)
• United States
5 Feb 09
I tried eggshells once, inside. The soil started getting moldy and I had to repot. Was it because it was an inside plant that it did that?
