I love to go to Starbucks, armed with two large pales and let them fill with coffee grounds. Some of the branches even have pre-packed bags with the brown garden wonder. I don't want to let them do extra work, so I insist to leave the coffee filter paper in the grounds. They are so busy that I don't want to make them extra work. I can easily pick the filters out myself at home. It doesn't take me even a minute to do this. During my ride home and for the next couple of days I have a lovely coffee smell in my car.
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Don't Discard Your Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are strewn every morning in millions of compost bins (in the best case), but mostly in garbage cans. Did you know? They still contain a lot of valuable ingredients: potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, tannic acid and antioxidants. The very same nutrients that are also found in expensive fertilizer products. In the garden, coffee grounds can be used in many ways. A basic prerequisite for all applications is that it is always well cooled and dry, as moist coffee grounds easily mould. Place the coffee grounds in an open, wide container and allow it to air dry.
Coffee Grounds Are Perfect Around Hydrangeas, Azaleas, and Evergreens
Cucumber, tomatoes and zucchini love caffeine too. The phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium in the coffee ground are supporting pretty much any other plant as well - keep it only away from young sprouts.
- The Nitrogen in the coffee grounds supports healthy growth and reproduction. While native plants are better adapted to their surroundings and oftentimes less affected by nitrogen deficiency, in plants such as vegetable crops, supplemental nitrogen may be required.
- Phosphorus plays a role in photosynthesis, root growth, respiration, energy storage and transfer, cell division, cell enlargement etc.
- Potassium is one of three primary nutrients required by plants
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Coffee grounds protect even somewhat against snails
Unlike vegetables, most snails do not like caffeine. The coffee grounds are therefore wonderful as a barrier, which can be spread around the salad. However, this does not apply to all types of slugs. But it’s definitely worth a try.
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Coffee grounds scare away wasps
This measure against wasps should only be used outside: If the coffee grounds have dried well, light them on a fireproof base and let them smoke a bit. The smell reminds only remotely of coffee, but the wasps then avoid the garden table.
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Coffee grounds stop cats
No one likes the legacy of cats in the sandpit or basement: What works for most slugs is also true for cats. Just sprinkle around the sandbox and the cats make a turn around it.
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Coffee grounds improve compost, potting soil and irrigation water
What is good for the plants also helps the compost: coffee grounds on the compost is the best reason why you should not simply dispose of coffee grounds in the trash.
In compost, coffee accelerates rotting, and earthworms like caffeine kick. This also means that leached potting soil can be revived quickly. Mix the potting soil in equal parts with compost and fold in the coffee grounds in small quantities. Too much coffee in the soil can easily form mould. For very basic soils and calcareous water, one, two spoonfuls of coffee grounds in the irrigation water can work wonders. It neutralizes the irrigation water and fertilizes the soil.
Coffee is a favorite drink. What’s leftover is plenty of coffee grounds, which ends up in the garbage quickly. Coffee grounds are too good to throw away - same for tea leaves.
https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/56/417/1943/484407
https://www.pthorticulture.com/en/training-center/role-of-potassium-in-plant-culture/
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/understanding-nitrogen-requirements-for-plants.htm
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