Is Coffee A Stimulant For Your Garden?

Coffee is said to make the world run, but it’s a great product to use when looking for something more to add to composting or fertilising. It’s estimated that in the UK we send approximately 500,000 tonnes of coffee to landfills every year. So, composting or fertilising is a great way to use coffee grounds that would end up in a landfill, and get your plants or garden a few more nutrients it needs.

Why Coffee?

It’s widely known people are using coffee grounds in composting or as a fertiliser because it provides a source of nitrogen for the plants. Nitrogen is what helps produce growth and strong stems. It’s also why you find fertilisers rich in nitrogen to use from your local gardening store.

How To Use Coffee In The Garden

The main way to utilise coffee is to incorporate the grounds into your compost box. Used coffee grounds are considered a green compost material, so you’ll want to be sure to balance them out with brown compost material, such as dry leaves or wood chips. It’s recommended if you want to use the grounds as a fertiliser, to go sparingly and also use additional fertiliser. This would be because if you use too much of the grounds, it can become compacted and stunt the growth of the plant.

It might seem strange to use liquid coffee as part of a plant care routine, but it is growing in popularity. You’ll need to dilute it until it looks like a weak tea. A great ratio of dilution is ¼ coffee to ¾ water, but that ratio also depends on how strong you brew your coffee. It’s recommended to water the plants with this mixture at least once a week, but not more due to the acidity coffee can contain.

What Plants Should Coffee Be Used On

Due to the acidity contained in coffee, it’s usually best to use it with plants, fruits, and vegetables which love acidic soil. Plants such as gardenias, begonias, magnolia trees, beechwood trees, and all types of ferns, are good with having acidity in the soil. Vegetables and fruit such as radishes, blueberries, cranberries, potatoes, parsley, currants, and rhubarb love acidic soil, while apples, cabbage, onions, grapes, cucumbers, and strawberries are a few which tolerate acidic soil.

Coffee, composting, and gardening appears to go hand in hand with saving money and producing beautiful plants. It’s a great way to dispose of coffee grounds while looking out for the environment. Start today and reap the rewards of a beautiful garden tomorrow.