Author Topic: coffee grounds again  (Read 3496 times)

lezelle

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coffee grounds again
« on: December 16, 2019, 15:55:24 »
Hi Ya, I have been getting coffee grounds from the coffee shop for quite a while and was told they are a good slug deterrent. I have never used them direct and always put them in the compost heap. Adding some to the compost bin today, 3 big bags from a motorway services, a fellow plotter told me they use them as a feed for plants as they are rich in nitrogen. I have done a search and see some have said use them on blueberries, blueberries like acid conditions so does this mean the grounds re acidic or nitrogenous? I am somewhat torn now in have been using them wrongly or should I use them as feed? Any information from those that use them will be most welcome. Cheers all.

ancellsfarmer

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2019, 17:57:50 »
Freelance cultivator qualified within the University of Life.

BarriedaleNick

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2019, 18:26:23 »
In the heap for me too.
They aren't that high in nutrients but are a good addition to the heap counting as a green..

I have seen slugs and snails head right over coffee grounds so I am not convinced they are that useful as a deterrent - maybe if they are really dry they might work but they suck up moisture quickly..
Moved to Portugal - ain't going back!

gray1720

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #3 on: December 16, 2019, 22:35:47 »
I'm not sure they harm slugs and snails, but don't you just want to see what they get up to when the caffeine wears off and they get a hangover?

Adrian
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InfraDig

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2019, 09:59:24 »
Have a look at gardenmyths.com and search for slugs, there is an article for slugs and coffee grounds. Also search for coffee grounds, there is an article about uses. They make interesting reading if nothing else.
Happy Christmas!

InfraDig

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2019, 09:59:39 »
Have a look at gardenmyths.com and search for slugs, there is an article for slugs and coffee grounds. Also search for coffee grounds, there is an article about uses. They make interesting reading if nothing else.
Happy Christmas!

Vinlander

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2019, 11:55:43 »
I once used coffee grounds to "revive" some old peat-based growbag compost that had been used several times so the peat grains & fibres were getting smaller to the point where it was becoming claggy. I could have used sharp sand or grit but that's not free...

The result was perfectly OK for potting up tomatoes (which are thugs) and quite successful, but it killed off my chopsuey greens in a day or two.

Caffeine is one of those interesting compounds that is poisonous to a wide range of animals and plants - nearly everything except us and the plants that make it as a deterrent.

A nice simple poison - utterly predictable once you know it is a poison, but only experience can tell what thrives and what dies.

See https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/23/coffee-grounds-are-not-good-for-plants-its-a-myth - implies it's at its worst as A)  seed compost and B) as a mulch. Though I'd say it's worth trying as a ring around plants that attract slugs.

Cheers.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2019, 11:57:45 by Vinlander »
With a microholding you always get too much or bugger-all. (I'm fed up calling it an allotment garden - it just encourages the tidy-police).

The simple/complex split is more & more important: Simple fertilisers Poor, complex ones Good. Simple (old) poisons predictable, others (new) the opposite.

BarriedaleNick

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2019, 12:52:01 »
Quote
Coffee grounds are of course a rich source of caffeine – in fact they can be richer than coffee itself.

Am I being dense today - how can coffee grounds gain caffeine by being brewed?

Anyway I think the overall consensus is to bung it in the compost bin and not apply direct to the soil in large quantities..

Moved to Portugal - ain't going back!

Obelixx

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #8 on: December 17, 2019, 16:13:11 »
Coffee made by filtering water thru coffee grounds presumably leaves behind more caffeine than it takes with it when picking up the coffee flavour.

We just bung all ours in the compost heap, both leaded and unleaded.
Obxx - Vendée France

Tiny Clanger

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #9 on: December 29, 2019, 14:12:10 »
I have been using coffee grounds in the garden, and also now I have the allotment for 20 years.  The Roses love it.
I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

Susiebelle

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2020, 11:50:19 »
Sorry know this is old'ish thread but really interested in the question of 'is it any good for Blueberries'? anyone tried it ?

galina

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Re: coffee grounds again
« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2020, 14:21:45 »
Sorry know this is old'ish thread but really interested in the question of 'is it any good for Blueberries'? anyone tried it ?

They are ph value about 6.5 which is just slightly acidic.  Blueberries need acidic soil, but just using coffee grounds to achieve this is probably not enough.  Coffee grounds and ericaceous compost mixed
should do the trick nicely.  :wave:

 

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