{"id":2147,"date":"2017-05-20T14:58:06","date_gmt":"2017-05-20T18:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/burgerfarms.com\/?p=2147"},"modified":"2022-08-31T22:08:57","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T02:08:57","slug":"ask-mr-burger-can-coffee-grounds-be-used-in-my-garden-and-lawn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/burgerfarms.com\/ask-mr-burger-can-coffee-grounds-be-used-in-my-garden-and-lawn\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask Mr. Burger – Can coffee grounds be used in my garden and lawn?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ask Mr. Burger \u2013 Can used coffee grounds be beneficial for my garden or lawn?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This question typically comes up this time of year when people are looking for ways to feed their plants more organically and be environmentally friendly. While we can\u2019t say for sure how much benefit you actually get from the grounds; we can say that they offer some benefits to your garden and your lawn.\u00a0 We\u2019ve included a couple articles on using coffee grounds by Amy Grant and Heather Rhoades for your reference.<\/p>\n

Coffee Grounds As Lawn Fertilizer \u2013 How To Apply Coffee Grounds On Lawn<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Amy Grant<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just as the aroma and caffeine of a cup of Joe in the morning stimulates many of us, using coffee ground on grass can also stimulate healthier turf. It isn\u2019t the caffeine that stimulates healthy grass growth, but rather the nitrogen<\/u>, phosphorus<\/a> and trace minerals that coffee grounds contain. These nutrients are released slowly, which is a big benefit over quick release synthetic fertilizers. The nutrients in coffee grounds are slowly broken down, allowing the turf to have a longer period of time to absorb them ensuring stronger turf for longer.<\/p>\n

Using coffee grounds as lawn fertilizer is also good for the worms. They love coffee almost as much as we do. The earthworms<\/a> eat the grounds and in return aerate the lawn with their castings, which breaks up the soil (aerates) and facilitates beneficial microbial activity, further stimulating lawn growth.<\/p>\n

Improper synthetic fertilizer applications often result in lawn burn as well as contaminating our water via ground run off. Using coffee grounds as lawn fertilizer is an eco-friendly method for nourishing the lawn and it can be free or darn near so.<\/p>\n

How to Apply Coffee Grounds on Lawns<\/strong><\/p>\n

When using coffee grounds on the grass you can save your own or hit up one of the multitude of coffee houses. Starbucks does indeed offer grounds gratis, but I am sure smaller coffee shops would be more than willing to save the grounds for you as well.<\/p>\n

So how do you go about feeding lawns with coffee grounds? You can be super lazy and simply throw the grounds out onto the lawn and let the earthworms dig it into the soil. Don\u2019t let the grounds completely cover up grass sprigs. Rake or sweep it out lightly so there aren\u2019t any deep piles atop the grass. You can also use a bucket with holes punched through the bottom or a spreader to broadcast the grounds. Voila, can\u2019t get much simpler than that.\u00a0 Reapply the coffee ground lawn fertilizer every month or two thereafter to promote a thick, green turf.<\/p>\n

Composting With Coffee Grounds \u2013 Used Coffee Grounds For Gardening<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Heather Rhoades<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you make your cup of coffee daily or you have noticed your local coffee house has started to put out bags of used coffee, you may be wondering about composting with coffee grounds. Are coffee grounds as fertilizer a good idea? And how do coffee grounds used for gardens help or hurt?<\/p>\n

Composting Coffee Grounds<\/strong><\/p>\n

Composting with coffee is a great way to make use of something that would otherwise end up taking up space in a landfill. Composting coffee grounds helps to add nitrogen to your compost pile. Composting coffee grounds is as easy as throwing the used coffee grounds onto your compost pile. Used coffee filters can be composted as well.\u00a0 If you will be adding used coffee grounds to your compost pile, keep in mind that they are considered green compost material<\/a> and will need to be balanced with the addition of some brown compost material<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Coffee Grounds as Fertilizer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Used coffee grounds for gardening does not end with compost. Many people choose to place coffee grounds straight onto the soil and use it as a fertilizer. The thing to keep in mind is while coffee grounds add nitrogen to your compost, they will not immediately add nitrogen to your soil. The benefit of using coffee grounds as a fertilizer is that it adds organic material to the soil, which improves drainage, water retention and aeration in the soil. The used coffee grounds will also help microorganisms beneficial to plant growth thrive as well as attract earthworms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many people feel that coffee grounds\u00a0lower the pH (or raise the acid level) of soil<\/a>,\u00a0which is good for acid loving plants<\/a>.\u00a0 But this is only true for unwashed coffee grounds. \u201cFresh coffee grounds are acidic. Used coffee grounds are neutral.\u201d If you rinse your used coffee grounds, they will have a near neutral pH of 6.5 and will not affect the acid levels of the soil.<\/p>\n

To use coffee grounds as fertilizer, work the coffee grounds into the soil around your plants. Leftover diluted coffee<\/a> works well like this too.<\/p>\n

Coffee grounds can also be used in your garden for other things –<\/strong><\/p>\n