Coffee grounds are great for making DIY body scrubs, but did you know they can also help perk up your plants? Just like people, some plants love coffee and others don’t, so here is a guide to help you know which plants benefit from a coffee boost.
Use old coffee grounds
The first key is the coffee grounds should be used, not new. The brewing process removes the acidity from the grounds but leaves behind key nutrients like nitrogen and potassium. This is good news for you because you’re saving money with fertilizer that would otherwise just end up in the trash.
Moisture-loving plants
Good choices for a coffee ground treatment are moisture-loving plants like hibiscus, elephant ear, forget-me-not, iris, lily of the valley, marigold, and meadowsweet. On the other end of the spectrum, dry-soil plants like lavender, rosemary, orchids, succulents, spider plants, and tomatoes will not benefit from coffee ground companionship.
Compost your old coffee grounds
So, the only question left is how to incorporate the grounds into your plant’s soil? The best method is to add your coffee grounds to your compost pile and use the compost on your plants, but if you don’t have a compost pile, you can also mix a teaspoon of coffee grounds into a gallon of water and use that to water your plants. If you’re using the grounds outdoors, you can also mix it with mulch to add to your garden. As an added bonus, the grounds will help keep slugs away as coffee is toxic to these pests.
Just like other fertilizers, too much can do more harm than good. Start by introducing a small amount of grounds to see how your plants respond. Additionally, cut back on fertilizer in the winter months when plants are semi-dormant.
