Adding coffee grounds directly to the soil as a fertiliser can be a good option. Coffee grounds are rich in nutrients, especially nitrogen. They also have some amount of other nutrients like potassium and phosphorous. Overall, this means that adding coffee grounds to your garden can work fairly well as a fertiliser.
Lewis Spencer adds: 'To use coffee compost, simply sprinkle the grounds directly onto your soil and lightly rake it in. Coffee grounds add organic material to the soil, helping water retention, aeration, and drainage. 'Leftover diluted coffee can create a liquid plant fertilizer, too.
To use coffee grounds as a fertilizer sprinkle them thinly onto your soil, or add them to your compost heap. Despite their color, for the purposes of composting they're a 'green', or nitrogen-rich organic material.
In most cases, the grounds are too acidic to be used directly on soil, even for acid-loving plants like blueberries, azaleas and hollies. Coffee grounds inhibit the growth of some plants, including geranium, asparagus fern, Chinese mustard and Italian ryegrass.
Coffee grounds can be used when planting perennials, shrubs and bushes, or added to the soil around those growing throughout the year. Adding a few tablespoons when planting perennials helps add nutrients and soil structure for long-term growth.
She recommends that grounds make up no more than 15 to 20% of the total compost volume. Because they are acidic, coffee grounds make good acid mulch. Of course, too much of anything is just too much, so apply coffee grounds in limited amounts.
Since coffee grounds have such a pungent and intense smell, mosquitoes do not like to come near it. Mosquitoes are repulsed by all types of coffee, whether it is fresh, used, or burnt. The most effective way to use coffee grounds for mosquito control is by burning them, as it creates a stronger aroma.
Coffee grounds are very potent and even more potent once they are burned. The strong scent and “smoldering effect” will fight off pests and keep them away. Additionally, smoke is generally associated with danger, so bugs will look elsewhere for shelter.
Coffee Grounds to Deter Pests
Coffee grounds are commonly used to keep animals including slugs, snails, rabbits and fire ants from eating plants in the garden, and to keep cats from treating garden beds like litter boxes.
Coffee grounds contain around 2% nitrogen as well as varying amounts of phosphorus and potassium which are all very important for the growth of tomato plants.
You may love your morning coffee, but ants could do without it. Another natural way to deter ants, sprinkle coffee grounds outside and around your garden. The smell repels them and they'll be looking for a less caffeinated place to hang out. Want to keep your home clean and clear of ants?
Coffee grounds take three to four months or more to decompose, depending on the soil microbial activity and health. The more microbial activity of the soil, the more quickly coffee grounds decompose.
Sprinkling dry, fresh grounds around plants (and on top of soil) helps deter some pests same as with used coffee grounds. While it doesn't fully eliminate them, it does seem to help with keeping cats, rabbits, and slugs at bay, minimizing their damage in the garden.
Coffee grounds are highly acidic, they note, so they should be reserved for acid-loving plants like azaleas and blueberries. And if your soil is already high in nitrogen, the extra boost from coffee grounds could stunt the growth of fruits and flowers.
There are a select few plants that can benefit from fresh grounds—including acidity-loving Hydrangeas, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Lily of the Valley, blueberries, carrots, and radishes—but generally, most common houseplants will prefer low to no acidity.
Coffee's bitter compounds are responsible for its repelling effects. These compounds make the coffee unpalatable to rats and mice. They will avoid areas where there is the use of coffee grounds.
Roaches are repelled by ground coffee. In fact, putting some ground coffee down in the corners or windowsills of your kitchen can actually help keep them insects away.
These things are great for nutrient poor lawns and lawns on clay or sandy soil. However, coffee grounds still contain some residual caffeine, which can cause harm to the micro fauna in your soil, and that's why it is not recommended to apply coffee waste directly to your lawn.
Coffee beans, grounds and brewed coffee contain caffeine, a very dangerous and toxic chemical to cats and dogs. Ingestion can be life threatening. According to the Pet Poison Helpline, a moderate amount of coffee can easily cause death in small dogs or cats.
– Coffee. Coffee has been shown to keep raccoons away from visiting human settlements. So, you can sprinkle coffee grounds into the soil. Ensure that, when you throw coffee grounds into the soil, the surrounding plants can tolerate the acidity of the coffee grounds.
Fact: Fruit flies are attracted to and feed on decaying fruits and vegetables, drinks (including beer and wine), spills, coffee grounds, drains, trash cans, dirty mops, towels, damp clothing, moist pet food and indoor houseplants. If it's damp and remotely edible, fruit flies and their larvae will use it.
Coffee grounds will keep squirrels away from your garden because they do not like the smell. Simply sprinkle some fresh grounds on the soil surrounding your plants every two weeks. You can also try spraying your plants with a hot pepper spray for the same effect.
Mosquitoes hate the smell of lavender, citronella, clove, peppermint, basil, cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass and rosemary. They also hate smells such as smoke, for further insight, see our exploration on, does smoke keep mosquitoes away?
Coffee is a great bug repellent: Along with keeping your sleep away, coffee is known to keep many types of insects and bugs away. Bugs don't like the smell: Bugs tend to stay away from coffee grounds because of the strong smell. Compounds in coffee grounds: The compounds in coffee grounds are not liked by most bugs.