Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Using grounds for soil enrichment
• Method 2 of 2: Using the grounds for other purposes
• Tips

Tired of throwing away your full cup of coffee grounds after your next morning caffeine? Thanks to its high nutrient content, coffee grounds can be used to fertilize your garden. The natural acidity of coffee grounds and the high nitrogen and potassium content plants need are very beneficial and are a great way to neutralize alkaline soils and enrich nutrient-poor gardens. With creativity, coffee grounds can also be used for a variety of other garden tasks.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Using grounds for soil enrichment

1. 1 Add coffee grounds to compost. One of the simplest ways to use leftover grounds is to add them to the compost. Coffee grounds will not only increase the amount of organic matter, but also accelerate the decomposition process in the compost. To do this, you just need to pour the rest of the grounds into the compost pit and mix.
   • Compost is divided into two main types: "green" compost and "brown" compost.Coffee grounds are considered “green” compost along with other moist, nutrient-rich materials. If you want to add a lot of coffee grounds to the compost, balance it with "brown" compost - dry materials such as dry leaves, twigs, newspapers, straw, corn husks, sawdust, and more.
2. 2 Add the grounds directly to the soil to increase the acidity. By itself, coffee grounds have an acidity level of around 5.1 and are quite acidic compared to the soil in most gardens. While this soil may be too acidic for some plants, it is ideal for those in need of acidity. Sprinkle a handful of coffee grounds near the plant roots early in the growing season for an acidifying effect. Blueberries, cranberries and citrus fruits respond favorably to the coffee grounds in the soil. Also, coffee is preferred by such plants as camellias, gardenias, rhododendrons and vireas.
   • Some flowering plants in acidic soil bloom in different colors. For example, adding coffee grounds to hydrangeas is beneficial for blue blooms.
3. 3 Try adding lime to balance the acidity of the coffee. As noted above, the natural acidity of the coffee grounds can make it unsuitable for many “temperate” gardens. Add a dash of lime to the thick to soften it. Lime is an alkaline substance (or "base" as opposed to acid) and should reduce the acidity of the coffee grounds so that it can be added directly to the garden as a mulch or soil aid.
   • Lime (commonly marketed as "garden lime" or "lime fertilizer") is a powdery substance. It can usually be found in hardware or gardening stores for a relatively low price.
   • Instead of lime, you can add a little wood ash. Wood ash is considered a limestone material and can neutralize acidity in soil and coffee grounds. It also contains its own nutrients such as potassium and phosphorus.
4. 4 Use coffee grounds to add nutrients to the soil. Acidity isn't the only thing that coffee grounds have to offer. It is packed with nutrients that are critical to plant health - if the plants in your garden lack those nutrients, coffee grounds are a great substitute.
   • Coffee grounds rich:
     • nitrogen;
     • magnesium;
     • potassium.
   • In the coffee grounds few:
     • phosphorus;
     • calcium.
5. 5 Prepare a liquid fertilizer. You do not need to use the coffee grounds themselves - you can make and use a nutritious fertilizer from it. To do this, put a handful of coffee grounds in a bucket of water and put it in a cool, inconspicuous place (in a garage, for example) for one or two days. After this period, the water should take on a distinct amber color. Strain the liquid through a sieve and then use it to water the plants.
   • The water will have the same nutrients and acidity as regular coffee grounds, so use it with care if your plants don't need high acidity, nitrogen, potassium, and other elements.

Method 2 of 2: Using the grounds for other purposes

1. 1 Use coffee grounds to control pests. Slugs and snails may eat your most valuable plants, but they don't like coffee grounds. Sprinkle some coffee grounds around the plants you want to protect. If you are worried about the acidity of the soil, surround the plant with a solid ring of thick, but as far away from it as possible.
   • The caffeine in the coffee grounds is detrimental to these pests.
2. 2 Use grounds to keep cats out of your garden. Coffee grounds are not only suitable for controlling tiny pests, but also for protecting delicate plants from the encroachment of cats and cats. The principle is the same as when scaring away snails - add coffee grounds around the plants you want to protect.Due to the large amount of grounds that you will have to use for this purpose, it is unlikely that it will be possible to avoid the oxidizing effect on the soil.
3. 3 Use coffee grounds as food for worms. If you are growing worms, this is a great opportunity to use coffee grounds. Worms love coffee grounds, so feel free to add them to your basket or compost with worms. It should be noted, however, that the coffee grounds should be part of a balanced diet and should be accompanied by pieces of fruit and vegetables, newspaper sheets or leaves.
4. 4 Use coffee grounds to fight fungal infections. According to some reports, coffee grounds can be used to combat certain types of fungi on plants. A small proportion of coffee grounds can prevent the appearance of fungi such as fusariosis, pitya root rot, and sclerotinia. Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are especially vulnerable to fungal infections, making coffee grounds an excellent remedy for these plants.

Tips

• For access to free coffee grounds, befriend the owner of a local café. Most likely, they will be able to give you coffee grounds for free and in a convenient package. Ask the owner of the cafe to leave you some ground. Typically, coffee grounds are treated as waste, so many catering establishments will be happy to dispose of them.
• Not sure what the pH level is in your garden? Read our article on how to measure soil pH.