Cut through the bad advice and learn how to use coffee grounds properly to help your plants thrive.
Arecoffee groundsgood for your plants?
The idea is that coffee grounds act as a natural fertilizer and organic soil amendment.
But do they really?
We asked an expert to definitively sort out fact from fiction.
Chelsea McKinleyis a plant health care specialist at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, DC.
Using Coffee Grounds for Plants
So are coffee grounds good for plants?
Thats not to say used coffee grounds have no value to a gardener.
They do, just not as fertilizer or asoil amendment.
The best way to use coffee grounds in gardening is tocompost them, McKinley says.
You dont get the full potential out of coffee grounds by mixing them into the soil, she says.
Do Coffee Grounds Acidify Soil?
Thats not true, McKinley says.
Coffee grounds have a pH between 5.5 and 6.5, she says.
Most plants like a soil pH between 5.8 and 6.8, so coffee grounds wont lower the pH significantly.
It works about as well as mulching with pine bark.
If you want tolower your soil pH, use a fertilizer designed to lower soil pH, McKinley says.
Thats a faster way to acidify soil.
Are Coffee Grounds Good for Houseplants?
Plus, it’s easy to overdo it.
Burned roots can lead to dead plants.
I wouldnt put coffee grounds on potted plants.
Do Coffee Grounds Improve Soil?
Its true that coffee grounds can improve soil structure when put directly into garden soil, McKinley says.
Coffee grounds inhibit the germination rates of some seeds while enhancing the germination rates of others.
To stay safe, use compost that contains coffee grounds instead of direct coffee grounds.
