Coffee Grounds

I'm widening the discussion here that started on another forum because I'd like to get a variety of opinions.

Starbucks (and some other coffee shops) gladly give used coffee grounds away free. Apparently they are good to use around the plants even if you have an acidic soil. Who has used them and what is your experience? How often and how thickly do you apply and what positive (or negative!) results have you seen?

Up-to-date, I have only used my own grounds which I throw in the compost.

I put coffee grounds and crushed egg shells arround my hostas for the slugs and it helps. I have put grounds and left over coffee on my one azalia and my hyderangia for about a year but cannot tell yet. I think the big Ice storm last year may have hurt them. Bev

well I started a thread on the Hibiscus forum about used coffee grounds... here's the link

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/737714/

the most important info I got out of it was this comment: "...If coffee grounds are used as mulch directly - without being degradated before in the compost bin - it can cause fungi to appear around the plant..."

So I would mulch those coffee grounds before amending the soil. Just my $.02.

I like that eggshell idea, except we have so many ants around, wonder how many ants would be attracted to the traces of egg left on the shell fragments?

Rinse the eggshells and put them up to dry good.

Good idea for the eggshells - which I rinse and put in the compost but they take forever to decompose.

I crush mine up good for the compost but leave them a little bigger for the slugs to crawl over. They do not like that. Bev

I've been very curious about the coffee grounds thing, too. I started saving them in the kitchen...just lifting the used paper filter out and laying them in a dish.

After two or three days, they develop an orange mold growing on them, so I've been hesitant about putting them around my plants.

Anyone else experience this???

it's prolly that fungi that was mentioned previously. better to mulch and let it decompose before putting on plants.

fungi and mold spores are everywhere. some are good some not so good. that's why food or anything organic decays. if not nothing would rot or decompose.

I use coffee grounds, banana peels, and egg shells in my rose garden. My dad always did this and had beautiful roses.

kyjoy - do you lay these items directly on top of the soil as they are or do you break them down or bury them?

I use coffee grounds and have benefited from handouts from Starbucks (wowza... they gave me a trash bag FULL of grounds).
I tilled the Starbucks grounds in my garden when I was prepping it for vegies. My tomatoes look like they're on steroids.

I use them in the mulch and they have great water holding capacity
not too close to stems thats all....it seems to keep the bugs off too.

the soil and compost forum also has some great threads on coffee grounds.

I use them too -- i save them from the kitchen and use them around my plants, plus my son works for starbucks, so i could get 50# a day if i wanted/needed it... but when he brings home the big bags... those go in the composter.

I've read worms love coffee grounds - but i have not seen that for myself yet.

Thank you - wasn't even aware there was a soil and compost forum :-) Definately useful info there.

no prob.... i'm still amazed how many forums there are on Daves. i forget to check the main "tabs" sometimes when trying to find something -- not thinking there may actually be a forum for it.

if I have the time, I put all in the blender and mix before adding to the soil. After adding, I cover with dirt.

I can also vouch for banana peels too...High potasium=good flowers and fruit...all of the banana skins go out into the garden ...we are told to bake them in the oven and crumble...but I just lay them into the mulch .

I throw my coffee grounds on compost but never have much to contribute since I'm the only coffee drinker in my family. Years ago I used them in a container compost to keep my fishing worms in. Sorry if that sounds disgusting but the coffee grounds were composted right up!

Cuckoo

I dump grounds and filters into compost bin. Amazing how the filters totally (quickly) disappear too.

I use both coffee grounds and tea bags...some go into the compost, but I save some coffee grounds to amend soil or add a little bit under plants. The earthworms just love it. I'm gradually improving my soil...what topsoil I have, anyway. The hillside I live on is pretty much caliche and rock. I've added raised beds in the yard and amended here and there with coffee grounds and compost. So I have a Starbucks yard, you might say.