Coffee Grounds for Hydrangeas, Roses and Camellias – A Natural Fertilizer

Using left over coffee grounds for roses and other plants that like a boost in nitrogen is a natural way to add fertilizer to your garden plants without the use of harsh chemicals.

Don’t throw out those used coffee grounds.  There are lots of ways to put them use in your garden.  And more to the point, there are certain plants, such as hydrangeas, camellias and roses that just love them!

Put your Used Coffee Grounds to use in the garden.

So you have brewed yourself a big ole cup of Joe and have a pile of used coffee grounds. What do you do with them.

Well, you know me, I just don’t seem to be able to throw away  kitchen refuse, if it can be used in a compost pile, so that is the least that you can do with them.

Old coffee grounds combined with egg shells also makes a great compost tea when combined with rain water. It can be used to fertilize your plants.

See how to make compost tea and also home made miracle grow here.

But there is no need to wait for them to compost.  Used coffee grounds work great right away but just digging them into the soil near your nitrogen loving plants for some extra nourishment.

This works especially well camellias, hydrangeas, and roses. Not only will you have healthier plants, but you will also save money on garden fertilizer, and know that you are being “green” as a gardener.

Blueberries, cranberries and other citrus fruit like used coffee (and tea) grounds added to their soil since they help to bring it closer to the 3.0 -5.0 PH that these plants need.

It is not just nourishment that used grounds bring to the soil though. There are a lot of other benefits:

Deter bugs.  Coffee grounds are also known to deter slugs and snails, so sprinkle them around plants that these pests love, such as hostas and broccoli and Brussels sprouts.  They are the perfect organic DIY snail deterrents.Liquid feeder. Coffee grounds make a great liquid feeder.  Place a handful of coffee grounds into a bucket of water and leave them for a day or two.  This will create a nice amber-colored liquid that you can use to feed house plants as needed.

Greens for the compost pile. I also throw my coffee grounds, filter and all into my compost pile.  They are considered a “Green” component.  Coffee grounds an excellent garden source in this regard, as are many vegetable scraps, egg shells and other kitchen refuse items.   The coffee grounds have a 20 to 1 ratio of nitrogen to carbon, which makes them ideal for helping grow plants such as tomatoes.Mulch for plants.  If you have acid loving plants, some gardeners say to forget the mulch.  Just pile up the grounds around the plant to keep the weeds away. (I would add them to other lawn refuse such as grass clippings or leaves.).

Where to get used coffee grounds.  Some coffee places such as Starbucks will give away their used coffee grounds if you just ask.  So make friends at your local coffee house if you need more than you have at home.

Vermicomposting. Do you vermi-compost with a worm bin?  If you do, worms LOVE used coffee grounds for their food.

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Have you tried other green tips for your gardens?  Please leave your comments below.

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