Roses & Coffee grounds, don’t make this common mistake. (2024)

FAQs

Roses & Coffee grounds, don’t make this common mistake.? ›

Roses do like coffee grounds, but too much too close can give them a nasty nitrogen burn and can kill your roses. Never sprinkle coffee grounds right next to the plant.

Roses need phosphorus to bloom, and coffee grounds are not a significant source of phosphorus—but rather, they contain high amounts of nitrogen. Therefore, coffee grounds are not comparable to a complete fertilizer (organic or inorganic), which has all three macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Though gardeners most often use grounds that have been brewed, fresh coffee grounds can also be used. Only composted coffee grounds should be mixed into the soil, as fresh grounds will have a higher acid and caffeine content which may burn plant roots. Make sure that grounds aren't too wet to discourage possible mold.

Eggshells are popular among gardeners for their calcium content, but their impact on rose growth is unproven. Let's face it, gardeners love tips and hacks. Rose gardeners will often times use Epsom salt as a soil additive or mix used coffee grounds into the soil in an effort to get beautiful blooms.

Instead, sprinkle no more than half an inch of coffee grounds into the soil and cover with a layer of organic compost or wood chips. This will help preserve moisture (roses are thirsty plants), and keep the ground from becoming compacted.

Coffee grounds can be sprinkled around the base of rose bushes at any time during the growing season for a boost of nitrogen. Coffee is acidic, so soil pH may need to be adjusted with lime or other alkaline source.

But some plants really do love this sustainable method. Griffin shares that their list of coffee-grounds-friendly “green gurls” includes roses, azaleas, blueberries, tomatoes, hydrangeas, ferns, peonies, African violets, rhododendrons, and camellias.

If you're growing hydrangeas, use coffee grounds to affect their color. Coffee grounds add extra acidity to the soil around hydrangeas. On a chemical level, this increased acidity makes it easier for the plant to absorb naturally occurring aluminum in the dirt. The effect is pretty blue clusters of flowers.

Some plants do not benefit from adding coffee grounds to their soil. Plants like lilacs and lavender prefer alkaline soil, so the slight acidity may harm them. The caffeine in coffee grounds can also harm some herbs and geraniums.

Should coffee grounds be wet or dry for plants? ›

Ensuring a balanced mix of 'wet' and 'dry' materials is the best way to achieve good compost. The nutrients contained in coffee grounds will be recycled back into the soil when finished compost is used as a mulch or dug into the soil. Also add any un-drunk coffee to dry material in a compost bin.

Banana peels have potassium which is an essential nutrient for promoting more flowers and fruit on plants. Prioritize your dried banana peel fertilizer on your flowering plants such as Pumpkin, squash, capsicum, and fruit trees. Promoting flowers will offer more chances of fruit!

The shell of a chicken egg is comprised of about 96% calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Calcium is an essential plant nutrient and moderates soil acidity. Fast-growing plants deplete the soil of calcium very quickly so egg shells are an ideal supplement and feed for outdoor flowers, vegetables and fruit trees in your garden.

Banana peels buried around rose bushes help produce strong stems and better blooms. But, the National Garden Bureau warns not to use more than 3 peels per bush at one time. Banana peels are 3.25% phosphorus and 41.75% potash.

Is used tea leaves (tea bag) a good fertilizer for rose? Yes. The used tea leaves is a good manure for roses.

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.

But some plants really do love this sustainable method. Griffin shares that their list of coffee-grounds-friendly “green gurls” includes roses, azaleas, blueberries, tomatoes, hydrangeas, ferns, peonies, African violets, rhododendrons, and camellias.