Can You Water Plants With Coffee?
With the leftovers of your morning coffee, you might start to wonder… Can you water plants with coffee? No, surely not, right?
Well, you can! Like most things in life, coffee can have more than one use, and it just so happens to be a handy tool in gardening. As odd as it sounds, it really works – you just need to be mindful of the rules you need to follow.
You can water your plants with black, unflavoured coffee no more than once a week to use as a fertiliser. If you want to find out the details and measurements, stick around to find out what you need to know!
Is Coffee Good for Plants?
Coffee can be fantastic for plants, but too much of anything can be bad. Follow the rules we’re going to go through below, and your plant will love you for it.
There are many plants that will love being watered with diluted coffee occasionally. These include potatoes, carrots, beans, blueberries, cucumbers, and more. For houseplants, consider using coffee on Norfolk Island pines, African violets, and Nerve plants.
Why Water Plants With Coffee?
In order for plants to grow, they need nitrogen (among other things). As luck would have it, coffee and coffee grounds are a fantastic source of nitrogen – so it just makes sense. Not only that, but your coffee will also have magnesium and calcium in it, which are very beneficial to plants in the right doses.
You might notice that your plants grow faster when you use coffee on them. It might be tempting to want to water your plants with coffee every time, but this would only harm your plant. It might grow faster, but it will be much weaker and susceptible to damage.
So, limit how frequently you use coffee on your plants, and you will reap the rewards.
Rules to Remember
The most important thing to remember is that you should only use coffee on your plants once a week at most. For some, even this might be too much.
Another crucial thing to remember is that you need to water your coffee down a lot – so that it looks like weak tea. While you might enjoy coffee strong enough to make you bounce off the walls and taste colours, your plants definitely won’t appreciate it.
Finally, you must only use black, unflavoured coffee if you intend to use it with your plants. No sugar is needed, and certainly no flavourings that could have a negative impact on health and growth. Keep it simple, and your plants will love you for it.
How to Water Plants With Coffee
The process for watering your plants with coffee is very complex, so put your studying hats on and take notes. We’ll talk you through the step-by-step process so that you can get the best results when watering your plants.
One wrong move, and your plants will shrivel up and die before your eyes.
Ready?
Step 1 – get your diluted black, unflavoured liquid coffee (it should look like gross weak tea), and water your plant how you usually would.
Wipe the sweat from your brow and take a deep breath.
There’s no real trick to it. You can do top-down watering or bottom-up watering – whichever you and your plants prefer!
Are There Any Plants That Don’t Respond Well to Being Watered With Coffee?
Generally speaking, you should avoid using coffee and coffee grounds on plants that do well in alkaline soils, like lilacs, geraniums, and lavender, to name a few. If your plant doesn’t like acidity in their soil, avoid using coffee grounds or coffee water – or alternatively, you just need to be very careful with it.
You can dilute the coffee even further if your plants are sensitive to acid, and use coffee to water them less frequently. Whatever your plants need, you should pay special attention to it and cater your watering method to suit them.
How Often Should You Water Your Plants With Coffee?
Aim to water your plants with coffee no more than once a week, even if you have very thirsty plants that want watering every day. The purpose of watering your plants using coffee isn’t only to give them the water, but also fertilise them with the nutrients in the coffee.
The same applies if you want to use coffee grounds for your plants. Sprinkle some around the base of your chosen plant when the plant needs fertilising, and that’s it.
Using Coffee Grounds in Gardening
Beyond sprinkling your coffee grounds over the top of the soil, you can also add them to compost or use them as mulch.
If you want to use coffee grounds as mulch, we would recommend mixing them in with other organic materials rather than using them on their own. This is because the acidity of the grounds on their own isn’t always good for plants – especially plants that are more sensitive than others.
Some Things to Know
If you are worried about fungal growth on your plants, especially the ones that are prone to those issues (like squash and roses), you will want to be very cautious when using coffee, too. Using coffee grounds can create the perfect habitat for fungal growth.
Are You Going to Water Your Plants With Coffee?
If you have been wondering if you can water plants with coffee, now you know! Depending on the type of plant you have, we would even recommend that you try it out.
Looking for more information on gardening? We have posts on which vegetable plants have the greatest yield, if companion planting really works, and information on different gardening types.
We also have articles on how to debone chicken thighs, how to make your own rice flour, and for all those baking lovers – making your own extract! You can also learn how to make your own stock cubes and milkshakes, and learn about how long foods last in the freezer.
Everything you learn brings you one step closer to becoming that bit more self-sufficient. With everything that’s happening in the world, we all know we need it.