This attractive houseplant flowers from December till April. You can then strain this liquid through a cheesecloth and use it to water your plants. Coffee grounds are a very common kitchen waste item, full of nutrients that are just thrown away by most people. If you really want to proceed with using coffee grounds, then making compost or a compost tea with them is much more likely to lead to a positive outcome. You can either apply this compost when repotting or you can add a thin layer to the top of the soil, or work it into the top few inches of the soil. This is thought to be due to the caffeine content of coffee grounds. Using it in the soil helps in reducing plant diseases and pests while improving water retention. However, there are three great options for how your indoor plants can benefit from coffee grounds as a fertilizer. Using coffee grounds to make compost is by far the best option, if you want to use coffee grounds to fertilize indoor plants. Coffee grounds are highly acidic, they note, so they should be reserved for acid-loving plants like azaleas and blueberries. People have been using coffee grounds in their gardens for years with reasonable success so it’s only natural for people to experiment with using coffee grounds to fertilize indoor plants. Using coffee grounds in your potting mix does come with a few problems which I will talk about in the next section. The direct application of the grounds to houseplant soil is detrimental. But it doesn't work that way. Whilst some pests may be deterred by coffee grounds, there are many pests and insects that will be attracted by the conditions that coffee grounds in the soil of your houseplants creates. This beautiful houseplant is an excellent choice to bring a pop of color indoors. Though keep in mind that jade plants dislike overwatering. Jade plants love coffee as they like nitrogen. Enjoy your stay at Smart Garden Guide. Coffee Grounds Can Actually Inhibit The Growth Of Some Plants There have been a number of small scale studies that have shown that coffee grounds added directly to the soil can actually inhibit plant growth, particularly in seedlings and young plants. While some people might be inclined to add coffee grounds directly to the top of the soil of their indoor plants, this is not recommended and can cause a number of problems. smartgardenguide.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and other Amazon stores worldwide. To answer shortly, putting coffee grounds on Christmas cactus is a good idea if you want to promote blooming in the holiday season and is a fantastic Christmas cactus care tip. It helps them to stay dark in color and encourage thick stem growth. Popular for thin, variegated, spider-like foliage, this air-purifying houseplant does well in mild-acidic soil. Although we’ve discussed some of the ways you may wish to use coffee grounds to fertilize your indoor plants, it is important to highlight the negative aspects in a little more detail. Apart from that, you can always side-dress your plants with used coffee grounds. Coffee grounds can be especially beneficial to houseplants when used as a mulch, pesticide, compost, or fertilizer. Benefits of coffee grounds on house plants. The absolute best way to use coffee grounds on your houseplants is to compost! Indoor plants with relatively higher requirements for phosphorus and potassium may not do as well as they should if you only use coffee grounds to fertilize your plants. Coffee grounds ward off slugs! Wait to water until your plants' soil is dry to the touch, and use your diluted leftovers only about once a week. This low-maintenance plant enjoys an occasional coffee treat. They will add the grounds thickly to the top of the potting soil around the plant, water it in, and hope for the best. Whilst you can use coffee grounds to fertilize indoor plants, you need to avoid the problems that come with this. In spite of this, it would be best if you compost them first. Coffee grounds are exceptionally good at retaining moisture. 12 Stunning Calathea Varieties You Will Love. These dry, fresh grounds usually contain more caffeine than your used coffee grounds, which can damage most flowering plants. But this is only true for unwashed coffee grounds. Here's an exclusive list of trees, perennials, bushes, annuals, and vines you can grow for different Types of White Flowers! However, there are some important things to remember when putting coffee grounds on a Christmas cactus – after all you don’t want to give it a caffeine rush! Coffee grounds are about 2 percent nitrogen by volume, nitrogen being an important component for growing plants. The high nitrogen content of coffee grounds (NPK 2.1-0.3-0.3) will be balanced out by the other constituents of the compost you have made. Your old coffee grounds are a great source of nitrogen, a prime nutrient many houseplants require. This not only provides a good source of nutrients, but adds beneficial bacteria, which can improve the health of the soil and your plants. What Do Coffee Grounds Do? Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, which helps eliminate a foul-smelling sulfur gas from the air when it’s combined with carbon (11). This problem can be reduced by ensuring the coffee grounds are worked well into the soil. Below I will share some of her observations about the use of coffee grounds in home gardens and landscapes. Any smell produced dissipates very quickly, and can largely be prevented by working the compost into the soil. If you have a lot of spent coffee grounds, and you’re on a bit of a budget, there is evidence to suggest that coffee grounds are great for soil structure. Just make sure to limit your coffee quantities, as too much caffeine can stunt plant growth and increase the risk of fungal diseases. 2. You might enjoy cream, sugar, and other additives, but your plants won't. Most effective than just throwing the grounds on … The used coffee grounds will also help microorganisms beneficial to plant growth thrive as well as attract earthworms. Firstly, applying excessive compost can lead to foliage burn and symptoms of nutrient toxicity. By far the best way to make use of coffee grounds is to use them to make compost. Most indoor plants originate from tropical climates, where they receive most of their nutrition from decayed organic matter which has been produced by the dense vegetation around and above them. It can lead to unnecessary moisture retention, impair growth of the plants, and even fungal overgrowth. Coffee grounds are one of many natural houseplant fertilizers, but you should take care to use them properly, to get the best results. Once again, this highlights why adding coffee grounds to the surface of the soil is not recommended. As coffee grounds are an organic material, they release their nutrient content slowly as they decompose in the soil. Coffee grounds provide an ideal breeding ground for fungal organisms, and this can lead to fungal disease in your plants. Fresh coffee grounds have a high-acidity and can help acid-loving plants such as blueberries, hydrangeas, roses, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Pour the mixture close to the base of the plants you want to fertilize. Let’s have a look at the Houseplants That Love Coffee. And if your soil is already high in nitrogen, the extra boost from coffee grounds could stunt the growth of fruits and flowers. Yes, the coffee grounds can be used in fertilizing houseplants. Similarly, coffee grounds might attract pests and other insects as well. Used coffee grounds are the leftover remnants from … Secondly, as compost is rich organic matter, it will naturally retain water, which can increase the risk of overwatering. You can aid in dense growth by watering the cyclamen frequently in the flowering season with water and coffee solution. Add coffee grounds in the potting mix or simply sprinkle a solution of coffee and water for lush growth. Work them into the ground around the soil and not onto the plant. Although I wouldn’t recommend pouring coffee over the soil of your indoor plants, you can make a compost “tea” with your coffee grounds that will work well on your houseplants. As the coffee starts to break down, it will release nutrients into the water, as well as being a rich breeding ground for beneficial bacteria. Other options include using a porous pot, and/or a smaller pot. Alternatively, see this article to find out which fertilizer I use on almost all my indoor plants. Grow HUGE plants with coffee grounds! 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