Used Coffee Grounds How to Use Them to Enhance and Fertilize Your Garden Soil for FREE
Tips, Tricks
Today we are going to talk about using spent coffee grounds in your garden and what benefits are. Lab Report: http://www.albertaurbangarden.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/150208_AlbertaUrbanGardenCertificateofAnalysis-RevistedReport.pdf Programs like Starbucks grounds for your garden provide spent coffee grounds for use in your garden at no cost. These grounds can provide a number of benefits to your garden that help build your soil and feed your plants. Spent coffee grounds are high in nitrogen and also have phosphorus, potassium and a number of other trace elements considered to be beneficial or essential for plant growth. My local Starbucks was kind enough to provide samples of used and unused coffee grounds for analysis to take down to Maxxam Analytics. These samples will tell us the pH, the immediately available N-P-K and the total available and unavailable trace elements. A common concern about using coffee grounds in the garden is that they will change the pH of the soil. Fast changes in pH can negatively impact the nutrient cycle in your soil impeding plants ability to absorb nutrients. The pH of the unused coffee grounds was reported at 5.88 and the used grounds at 5.4. These numbers fall on the lower end of the optimal range for plant growth according to Dr. Perry with the University of Vermont. [1] If used in the creation of compost over time the acid will become neutralized as the material breaks down. [5] When used as mulch generally you are applying small enough quantities that any transfer of acidity to the soil will be neutralized by the soils natural buffering capacity. [7] Now that we know using coffee grounds in the garden don’t change the pH let’s talk about the use of used coffee grounds to add nutrients to the soil. In order to compare used coffee grounds to commercial products and other samples I have run we will present the results in N-P-K and leave the trace elements in mg/kg. The lab results represent what is immediately available to the plants. The lab uses a weak acid wash to replicate soil conditions and isolate the available organic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The N-P-K of used coffee grounds is: 0.00083 -- 0.2016 -- 0.771 And the N-P-K of unused coffee grounds is: 0.00036 -- 0.3208 -- 2.41 References: Optimal pH for plant growth: http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/pubs/oh34.htm Nitrogen Cycle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_cycle Atomic mass: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_atomic_mass The Chemical Composition of exhausted coffee waste: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:0ChFgQV_POYJ:www.researchgate.net/publication/257418689_The_chemical_composition_of_exhausted_coffee_waste/links/00b495253eabc2623c000000.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca The evaluation of coffee grounds in compost: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/255578345_Maturity_Indices_as_an_Index_to_Evaluate_the_Quality_of_Compost_of_Coffee_Waste_Blended_with_Other_Organic_Wastes Unverified Analysis of Grounds for your Garden Results http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/starbucks-coffee-compost-test Do Coffee Grounds Acidify your Soil? http://www.gardenmyths.com/coffee-grounds-acidifies-soil/ Conversion Calculation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labeling_of_fertilizer#Converting_nutrient_analysis_to_composition thumbnail Credit: http://www.brucesbrew.com/coffee-storage.html#axzz3R4wI6QbT
Comments
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I did not see any research on molasses on soil. Do you have any comments on its value?
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Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable.......I like you channel mainly because you actually send out things for getting tested i dont know any other channel that does that thank you and great job man!!.........one question i dont drink coffee can i just buy coffee grounds and directly apply them without using them first?
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so im watching the video and the advertisement is for round-up???? wow man yuck!
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I live in the Dallas area where we have clay soil. I do not have a garden but would be using used coffee grounds from Starbucks mainly for my shrubs i.e. nandinas and hollies along with my lawn. I have been lightly spreading the used coffee grounds on the lawn and around the base of the the shrubs. Do you have any info on the use of used coffee grounds on clay soil and its benefits.
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This is very informative. I was going to use them as a layer in my no dig lasagne garden bed. I think its probably best to compost them first.
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Thanks for this excellent piece of info Stephen. I've been reviewing your archives and what sets your channel apart from other gardening channels on YT is the factual presentation presented well and in a non-intimidating way. I used to throw away the coffee grounds from my coffeemaker and coffeepress but thanks to videos such as yours, I've been putting it into my balcony composting pots, also using it to completely cover banana and fruit peels so as not to attract fruit flies. I've observed that earthworms do like the coffee grounds.
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Hi, I was just wondering how many doses of used coffee grounds did you put to each plants? And I was wondering if you knew which plant grow the fastest, as I am conducting a science experiment and would like to know what plants or herbs can grow within a week to two weeks. Thank you so much!
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Can you mulch acid-loving plants with coffee grounds?
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Well done!
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My experiment was far more simple. I put coffee grounds on my roses as they come out of the pot. They make the roses grow very well.
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So here's a bit of randomness for you. My grandpa always told me that if I wanted to grow massive tomatoe and rose plants that produced like crazy to bury a dead salmon under the roots the day I plant. In central Ab I didn't have easy access to salmon, so I used pike and bass instead (provided by my neighbor after he filleted them) and I also buried a whole bunch of dead magpies that where humanely dispatched. So what I noticed was HUGE I planted several varieties of tomatoes both with fish and without and the plants that had the dead fish and birds under them where easily a full 1/3 larger and produced almost twice as much fruit, there was no difference in taste that either me or my wife could discern. The practice worked well enough that I have continued it and started applying this same idea to other plants to see what would happen, although I have no applied and will not apply this to root veggies as I'm unsure about harmful bacteria physically being on the surface of the veggie.
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Hmmm, very interesting. I've used the grounds for your garden program and I really liked it, I will also continue to use it. Really enjoying these videos and even though I just found you a few days ago you have already started to have an impact upon my garden and compost. Absolutely awesome videos you have, thank you.
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Been subbed for a while, enjoying your vids - first comment, I think. Great vid, here - really enjoy the blend of science & gardening you share. One more thing to offer regarding coffee - which you covered indirectly under "brewing methods" - is the water used, whether it's just tap water, well water, purified water, or what I use, alkaline purified water.
The purifier in which I invested also is able to separate out the acid from alkaline. I use the acid flow in all cleaning processes, but especially enjoy using the alkaline water to make coffee, knowing its typicial acidity. So I wonder what - if any - difference this would make to the used grounds. Probably not widely used enuf to merit any testing - just thought I'd mention it.
Also, glad someone else brought up pine mulch. As I live in a stand of pines, there isn't much of leaf mulch available, here. Have so far stuck to hydrangeas & azaleas, acid-loving plants. Just beginning to test the waters, tho, considering working with compost to enrich my heavy clay Arkansas soil. As I said, enjoying the blessings of your vids as I pluck up my courage to get out there & perhaps start some raised beds :)
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Thank you for this great video. Can you please tell me if it is even better to mix used coffe grounds with eggshells and banana peals? And also, does the used coffee have an expirity date?
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Really interesting, comprehensive and useful information. love your scientific approach.. really gives depth to what is normally a gardening tip without much explanation how and why it works. Bravo. Have subscribed to your channel and started sharing you on twitter @return2earth
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Love your work!
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Very informative video!! Do you think coffee grounds added on top of soil in pots would help lower the pH of the watering? The water out of my hose comes from a well and is between 7.5 and 8.0.
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That is very interesting for coffee drinkers but Here in the UK it can be difficult to find enough coffee Grounds, but I have just read in a book that says used Tea (loose or bagged) has more nutrients than ground coffee, and just wondering if you every thought about this in the garden.
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Thanks for this Stephen!
I have read that used coffee grounds are 1 part nitrogen 25 parts carbon, which means they meet that golden 1:25 N:C ratio for composting. With this in mind, could you really overdose your compost heap or would that be impossible?
The reason that I ask is that after watching one of Patrick Dolan's videos, I went out yesterday and got a largish weekly supply! -
Has anyone tried to use a microwave oven to sterilize them
for use with mushrooms ?
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