If you are looking for an easy way to acidify your soil to give acid-loving plants such as blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons a little boost this growing season, grab the coffee grounds.
By adding a little bit of coffee grounds to your soil every month, you’ll help keep the pH of the soil on the acidic side. Your plants won’t thrive unless they’ve got the nutrients they need.
If you don’t drink coffee and you don’t have a bunch of coffee grounds laying around, no problem. Starbucks bags up their used coffee grounds as they go and gives them away for free. The Starbucks closest to me sets them by the front door in a bucket with a sign that says “Free Coffee Grounds for your Garden.”
I also tested my soil back in April and was surprised to find out my soil was pretty neutral. I guess all that fresh chicken fertilizer I use really does keep my soil in check. Who knew?
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I save egg shells, coffee grounds and banana peels in the spring in my freezer starting in the spring and toss some of each in the holes I did before placing in my tomato plants. I have no proof this performs miracles but out of all the things I grow, by far my BIGGEST success is in the t’mater department.
KK
Tisha says
Coffee grounds are a great soil additive, but unfortunately do not acidify they soil. They have been tested in labs and it turned out that the acid is water soluble, so it goes into the coffee. However, they are great source or organic matter, and the size is darn well perfect for incorporating into the soil. If there is coffee leftover in the pot, we dump that on our plants that like more acid.