Are coffee grounds "good" to put on all plants?

Question

i have a variety of plants in containers, growing on my balcony.

Answer 1

As long as the plants like an acidic soil the plant will benefit from the coffee grounds (in general with exceptions).  The grounds loosen up the soil and make it slightly acidic.  If the plants you have like alkaline soils they will not benefit and may be harmed by coffee grounds.

Answer 2

I use coffee grounds around my corn, tomatoes and peppers with great success.  The nitrogen in the grounds leaches with each watering, and the grounds help aerate the soil.

I also use some for the blueberries.

Don't use the grounds on cacti, though.

Answer 3

It depends on how much coffee grounds each plant gets, as well as what the individual plants are.

Your grounds will provide a mulch, that will help conserve mositure, as well as release nutrients as it decays.  They could be a little overwhelming in large mass, as well as affect the soil condition for plants that prefer an alkaline soil - this is where we're unsure, as we don't know what plants you have in your tubs.

If you have enough space,  you could compost the coffee grounds, mixed in with other produce and, preferably, some worms - though I realise that a balcony doesn't necessarily provide everything that you'd like, including space as well as ready access to worms etc.   It's also beneficial to layer compost with a mix of green and brown material - green includes plant stuff such as fresh green growth, brown would be other dead material, such as dried leaves, coffee grounds etc.  If you do compost, you can make a 'tea' from it, which is from steeping some of the well rotted matter in water, and diluting, usually 1 part to 10 into water.  This will feed and strengthen your plants too.

Hope this helps.  Good luck!  Rob

Answer 4

i hear the same thing all the time. I have tried it and i dont believe it.

Better to change the soil say every year with new potting soil like i do.

Get a name brand like Scotts,,a lot of the others i suspect are just anything thrown in a bag.

Answer 5

I use my coffee grounds to make "potting soil amendment" ... take a large coffee canister (I use the brand that is packaged in a plastic can with a lid that closes fairly securely); drill several holes in the bottom and up the sides for drainage. I place this close to my back door where it receives a good deal of sun through the day. The first addition to your mini-composter is a scoop or two of potting soil or soil from your garden, then I add coffee grounds, trimmings from suppertime veg, whatever. You can pick up the can and agitate it from time to time, or roll it back and forth to stir up the rotting material. From time to time open the lid, stir the contents with a stick or whatever is handy. Don't let it get too wet, and don't let it dry out. The stuff inside breaks down nicely; after a few months you have about half a can of nutrient rich supplement for your potted plants.

If you include other veg scraps with your coffee grounds, your mini compost will not be too acidic for most houseplants. I make most of my potting soil from the clay soil in my yard, which tends to be alkaline, so the acidic amendment from my coffee habit really balances the soil composition. If you check the wikipedia entries for most of your houseplants, you can determine which ones prefer a higher acid content. If you wish to limit your scrap collection to your coffee grounds, then use the resulting soil for those plants that prefer the acidic soil.