How to Use Coffee Grounds As Plant Food

The fresh coffee grounds many people throw away every day are rich in nitrogen. This means they can be recycled into an excellent plant food. The nitrogen content feeds bacteria in a compost pile, which helps break down organic material for future use as a fertilizer, or it can be absorbed directly by plants.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Used coffee grounds
• Sealable container, like a bucket or garbage bag, to contain odor if composting (optional)

1. Sprinkle used coffee grounds directly around the base of a plant or tree, or onto a lawn. This is easier if the grounds are dry, but it's not necessary to dry the grounds before applying them to soil or borders.

2. Water the area where you've applied coffee grounds immediately and thoroughly.

3. Cover or mix. To prevent mold or pests, either cover the coffee grounds you apply with leaves or mulch, or fold them into the soil with a small rake or trowel. Simply watering the area can accomplish this if only a small amount of grounds is used.

4. Compost remaining grounds. Any grounds that you don't directly apply to your soil or lawn can be stored in an outdoor compost pile. This includes coffee filters and tea bags, which decompose readily. Cover your fresh grounds with leaves and clippings, or apply them to the top of an existing pile and turn the contents at least once per week.

Tips & Warnings

• Though coffee itself is somewhat acidic, used coffee grounds are pH neutral because the acid is water-soluble. Coffee grounds also contain calcium and magnesium, but because they lack significant levels of phosphorus, they are best used on non-flowering plants, grasses and evergreens.

References

• Coffee Grounds Perk Up Compost Pile With Nitrogen
• Using Used Coffee Grounds in Your Garden/Compost
• Coffee and Gardening

Resources

• Coffee Grounds as a Planting Medium
• Recycling Coffee Grounds for Use in Gardens
• 10 Tips for Recycling Coffee Grounds