MOLDY COFFEE GRINDS

Gymgirl SE Houston (Hobby), TX(Zone 9a) Jun 19, 2007

Is mold on used coffee grinds harmful in ANY way to the garden environment or compost piles? Please respond ASAP, because I've been collecting 5-gallon buckets of grinds for a plant swap in July and don't want to haul an unacceptable product all the way there with no takers...Thanks.

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Yuska San Antonio, TX(Zone 8b) Jun 19, 2007

IMO it would be next to impossible to know with certainty without a lab analysis. Some molds can be beneficial and others possibly harmful. And some molds that might harm one plant type might boost another one. At different times in the past I have added moldy grounds to compost bins, but I think the heat of decompostion possibly altered the chemical structure. Odds are the stuff is okay, but no guarantees.

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crashbandiscoot Springfield, OH(Zone 6a) Jun 19, 2007

Gee, I have moldy grinds in my houseplants, they don't seem to mind. I hope it's not bad.

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Gymgirl SE Houston (Hobby), TX(Zone 9a) Jun 19, 2007

The use would be for outdoor garden beds and compost bins. No indoor plants would receive these moldy grinds.

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Brent_In_NoVa Sterling, VA(Zone 6b) Jun 21, 2007

I think you will find that damp coffee grounds that have been sitting around for a month in a closed bucket are going to be pretty disgusting. If the coffee grounds are dry (or you can dry them out) and provide some ventilation then they might be okay.

- Brent