COFFEE.... Not just your morning buzz..!!
by John
(Hale, Michigan)
But.... there are several other great uses for that savory liguid and the waste products (the grounds). I have grown up using these tips that were passed down from my mother and her mother as well. I never really knew exactly why this worked so well until I started a small nursery operation years ago, when I began doing soil tests with my Ph meter.
1... Water your house plants and container plants occasionally using a weak coffee solution, more often for acid loving plants. The coffee will enhance the nitrogen release in the potting medium and also tend to raise the Ph for the acid-lovers.
2... SAVE THOSE GROUNDS..!!
Mix the grounds into your potting medium and plant beds if you have enough. As stated before, they will enhance the nitrogen release and also help break up heavier soils. Earthworms LOVE coffee grounds and we all want more worms in our beds to aerate the soil.
Add moist grounds to your compost pile, filter and all. They start decomposing almost immediately and will greatly speed up the action of your compost heap. Be sure to turn your pile regularly. My wife worked in the local resturant and would bring home a large pail full every day and it was amazing how much it speeded up the composting action. If you want to see how quickly this works, just put todays grounds in a jar on the counter and take a look at it in 1-2 days. The decomp will be very evident.
Adding grounds will, over time, help modify alkaline soils. This will take some time and quite a lot of grounds, but if you have a resturant or large coffe shop nearby, they will be FREE...!!
If using grounds as a mulch, don't layer them too heavily, just a thin layer. I never put down more than 1/4" at a time. Heavy layers could lead to some mold and rot issues. 1/4" will decompose quickly and then just add some more.
Here's to "Java Joe"....keep on gardening...!!!
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