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Coffee grounds, too late to add?
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Posted by kentstar 5b, NE Ohio (My Page) on Thu, Oct 29, 09 at 17:22
| Do you toss coffee grounds on your beds all year long, or do you stop when it gets too late to fertilize? I stop fertilizing around mid August to give my plants a chance to slow down for the winter coming. I saved up coffee grounds all summer long and would toss them around my beds. What I am wondering is, since they give off (I think)nitrogen, should I also be stopping adding coffee grounds to my beds in August or so, or just keep tossing them on even into winter? They wouldn't promote new growth would they? I drink a lot of coffee, so I have an ample supply :) and my work place may give me their spent grounds too if I want them. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Coffee grounds, too late to add?
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As plants are going dormant now,i think that the coffee will not do much now except break down and improve the soil. Perhaps other botany-educated GWers(not me,sigh) will have more to say.
best,
mindy |
RE: Coffee grounds, too late to add?
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From what I understand; what the grounds do is decrease the ph by adding available hydrogen ions to the soil, not nitrogen. This is a benefit to acid loving plants. I agree with arbo that to add the grounds in the winter will cause no adverse effects.
---Keith |
RE: Coffee grounds, too late to add?
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| if you are concerned... just wait until snow cover.. and add it on top of the snow.. and let it all melt in ... you have ground freeze in your zone.. and all plants are totally dormant... nothing you put on top will have an impact in winter ... but dont go overboard with heavyweight stuff ... or they may activate strong lush growth too early .... a little of this or that.. should not make a difference .. in regard to active ingredients .... a 50 pound bag of 49-0-0 is not recommended ... ken PS: ph adjusting is a .... and i always forget the math term ... so i will keep typing.. exponential function ... let me suggest.. and i am sure that gal will correct me. ... that to adjust pH with coffee grounds.. in a substantial manner.. you would probably have to add 12 feet per square foot .... [is that an exaggeration for impact gal??? ...lol] ... personally i wouldnt worry about what you want to do.. short of you bringing in truck loads .... i would consider such more of a soil amendment than a fertilizer or pH adjuster... its wet compost in other words .... or was wet.. so then the decision is simply.. would composting with well rotted compost hurt at this time of year.. and the answer is no .... PS: i am drinking my coffee.. throwing the grounds away.. and composting with ground up leaves right now.. i see no difference regarding your question ... |
RE: Coffee grounds, too late to add?
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| I put the coffee grounds into the compost pile all year long, and then use the compost as I need it. Don't throw the grounds away. Use them in, or in addition to, your compost. It's another source of organic matter for use as a soil amendment. |
RE: Coffee grounds, too late to add?
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| Go ahead. Not an issue. I should know since for 3 years I brought home 250 to 300 lbs. of UCGs per week. I expanded my repetoire of compost bins from 1 to 4 and still had to find other ways of using it so I began to throw it in the gardens and on the lawn at any and every time of year. The result was wonderful since the soil here was very poor when we bought the property in 2001. Worms love UCGs and are attracted to your gardens to munch and in return leave you with their wonderful castings. It also will not raise the PH unless applied in rather large quantities - and I mean LARGE. :O) The only thing is not to apply it too thick or as a mulch since it will repel water like dry peat moss. I just throw it from a distance and it lands where it lands. Applying it just before a heavy rain in the fall is ideal or on the snow in the winter. Good stuff!! |
Here is a link that might be useful: NPK of stuff
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