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| A friend here just forwarded this article from GardensAlive that disputes a LOT that I've read about using used coffee grounds.
http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=793 I've been getting large amounts of grounds for the last 6 months, using it whenever and wherever the spirit moves me. My soil needs much improving, was pastureland until 10 years ago. Poor fertility. Have used lots of cardboard on the ground, topping with grounds and leaves and anything I can lay my aging hands on. Please don't suggest a compost pile, at least not a hot one. I can't get enough materials to where I could site it and don't think I could turn it adequately. Back to the UCGs - whatcha think about this article. Looking forward to reading your thoughts. Rosie, Sugar Hill, GA (Atlanta metro north) |
Here is a link that might be useful: Differing findings on used coffee grounds - ugh
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hmm, that article has its own problems. Someone needs to catch up with the times. (Couldn't find a publication date on it.) For one, coffee grounds aren't *very* acidic. According to the Sunset article (below) "The pH or reaction of the coffee grounds is considered slightly acidic and in a favorable range at 6.2 on the pH scale." The Sunset posted the lab report & interpretation at http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/starbucks-coffee-compost-t est-00400000016986/ |
Here is a link that might be useful: lab report
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- Posted by s.s.tupperware 9b (My Page) on Wed, Jun 1, 11 at 19:49
| I call BS I put them by the bucket fulls around my peppers and maters with excellent results... so I beg to differ, but hey thats me... |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Thu, Jun 2, 11 at 0:16
| It can be confusing :-) UCG's have become such a popular gardening additive, they are bound to generate a lot of misinformation......it's the nature of the beast. I'd also agree that the referenced article is less than fully accurate. And concerns regarding the acidity of UCG's have been around for awhile and conform to the same concerns and misbeliefs other "acidic" soil amendments generate. Much like other sources of acidic organic matter, that acidic contribution to the soil is limited. Just like pine straw, oak leaves, etc., the high acidic content of UCG's is present only when very fresh, leaches insignificantly into the soil when used as a mulch and if incorporated into the soil or added to compost, is rapidly neutralized. In short, any acidic content is highly unstable if it exists at all and cannot be considered a significant contributor to altering soil pH. |
Here is a link that might be useful: the myth of coffee grounds
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| Keeping in mind that those people have a vestged interest in discourtaging your use of coffee grounds in your garden (if you do then you may not need to buy their products) anything they print as garden "advice" needs to be suspect. Much of what I saw in that article is untrue anyway. Although much paper is bleached with chlorine there are no dioxins in the paper since the bleach is washed out before the paper is made. The University of Washington, at the request of Starbucks, tested coffee grounds and found results different then the people at Woods Hole apparently did. Coffee grounds can be a part of the total organic matter addition to your garden but they are not a magic elixar as some might suggest. Linda Chalker-Smith is a much better source of information then Gardens Alive. |
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- Posted by trivedi_south (My Page) on Thu, Jun 2, 11 at 8:39
| Thank you Rosie for posting...I was going to post this myself to find out what are personal experiences of other gardeners who have used UCG DIRECTLY on plants, without decomposting or composting it beforehand. So far I have been using it for past 6 weeks in my flower bed (zinnia) which has grown really tall and also have flowered (unlike the article that says it will make plants grow bigger but won't allow it to flower e.g. too much nitrogen). However I have also used miracle gro on zinnia, so my results can be skewed. Here is cut and paste from "The myth of coffee grounds" article above: "Therefore, I recommend against |
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- Posted by trivedi_south (My Page) on Thu, Jun 2, 11 at 14:14
| People who had similar concerns covered below on threads: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0319052120635.html http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg1115160520145.html |
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| I am tired of studies that say anything, bad about the use of coffee waste as compost or mulch. I have used it for 5 years & composted it in a cold pile , a hot compost pile & sheet compost that is turned under to rot. I have never had a problem with coffee & tea waste. I mix it in the soil, then mulch with it & use used burlap coffee bags as mulch. All my crops & fruit trees are mulched with coffee compost & grass clippings. |
Here is a link that might be useful: My coffee compost pile
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| When I used to drink coffee, I'd take the used filter and grounds and just throw them in my flower beds. Then when I started composting, I threw them in the pile. I never saw any ill effects. I suppose dumping a bunch of fresh grounds on new plantings may have some detrimental effect, but used in moderation they should be ok. I had to quit drinking coffee because of the acid, so it is acidic. But so are pine needles and I don't see anyone ranting about pine straw as a bad mulch. |
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- Posted by rosiew 7 GA (rosemarywalsh@bellsouth.net) on Sat, Jun 4, 11 at 13:27
| To clarify what I understand to be true, brewed coffee is acidic but the brewed grounds are not. There is a wide-spread misconception about this. |
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| From what I've read/seen, worms love this stuff. If worms love 'em, that's good enough for me. (Keeping in mind moderation) I don't need to have an analysis to the nth degree on some issues and this is one of those issues IMO. Lloyd |
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| If UCG are as acidic as that link claimed, my maple tree would not be chlorotic. |
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- Posted by Shane_Genziuk (My Page) on Tue, Jun 7, 11 at 8:29
| My site has more articles on using coffee grounds than anything out there, and I can report that they are fantastic as a compost and worm farm additive, as a nitrogen rich fertilizer added straight onto lawn and garden beds, and as a pest deterrent. Over 2 tonnes of the stuff has been added to my garden in the past year, and have the healthiest and most productive soil I have ever seen. I also run a volunteer group that collects used coffee grounds from cafes and offices to use for gardening, so all in all, I reckon they are all good and no bad! |
Here is a link that might be useful: The Ground to Ground website
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