Benefits Of Coffee Grounds – Do Roses Like Them – When Should You Use It – Using It As Fertilizer – Other Fertilizers – Negatives – Saving Coffee Grounds – FAQ
There seems to be a trend nowadays to be adding coffee grounds to the soil. Most Likely because people are still drinking coffee regularly and want to make some use of the grounds somehow. As roses are a rather popular plant to grow at home, more and more gardeners are wondering whether you should add coffee grounds.
We can definitely say that there are benefits to adding coffee grounds to the soil. They can help fertilize the soil as it is decomposing. But we need to use it in moderation as there are things in coffee grounds that can in surplus have a negative impact.
Benefits Of Using Coffee Grounds With Roses
There are benefits to adding coffee grounds to the soil like we said before. There is a large amount of nitrogen and aven potash in the grounds. These are really beneficial to the rose plant in terms of making it grow better and larger.
Nitrogen is in fact one of the most important things for a rose plant in terms of keeping it healthy and still growing. It helps the rose plant basically be more protected against disease and other things that could harm the plant.
On top of benefiting the plant’s immune system it also helps keep the roots more healthy. If the roots have a hard time then the rest of the plant will too. There is a risk however when you add too much coffee grounds. It will burn the roots of the plant because of the nitrogen content.
But besides the nitrogen content in the coffee grounds there are also a lot of minerals that get added to the soil too. Some of these minerals are copper, potassium and phosphorus.
Do Roses Actually Like Coffee Grounds
Roses can actually get a lot of benefits from coffee grounds. So you can definitely say that roses actually like coffee grounds. When you add it to the soil you are boosting the level of nitrogen in the soil.
This addition of nitrogen can really help rose plants be able to more easily dispel diseases and sickness. But too much will instead start harming the roots as they are basically getting burnt. So keeping it in moderation while fertilizing the soil is very important. Just like anything really.
Organic material coffee grounds also help improve the soil drainage. Raw and organic material like coffee grounds makes it easier for water to drain down and not stay and suffocate the roots. A healthy and nutritional ecosystem in the soil is also very important. Coffee grounds help with improving the diversity of nutrition.
When Should You Use Coffee Grounds
The best time to use coffee grounds is during the spring and the summer. It’s often used to help boost the immune system of the rose plant. But since the growing season will be during the summer mostly that is also when you want to fertilize the soil.
Adding it about once a month or so to the soil will be plenty enough. Nitrogen and potash are things that will stick with the soil for a long time. We mentioned that if we were to add too much then you will harm the roots quite severely. They will begin to burn from the too high amount of nitrogen in the soil.
How To Add Coffee Grounds As A Fertilizer
The best way to add the coffee ground to the soil is by diluting it with some soil. It will make it easier to disperse the coffee grounds evenly and not over concentrate some parts of the soil.
We normally do about 2 parts coffee grounds and 1 part soil. Then you basically lay it on the top part around the rose bushes. Dig around and turn the soil to let the coffee grounds get beneath the surface.
Other Fertilizers For Roses
There are a lot of other fertilizers as well that are available for rose plants. We like to use ornamental fertilizer for flower fertilizers that are found in most gardening stores. But if you are lucky you can also get some specific rose fertilizers.
Don’t add these too much either as that will instead just harm the roots too. We recommend fertilizing the soil about once a month, just like with coffee grounds.
Negatives Of Using Coffee Grounds
The most noticeable negative about using coffee grounds is that too much nitrogen in the soil can have a really bad impact on the roots of the plant. It will begin to burn the roots and basically make them useless to draining and passing on nutrients.
The same thing can happen when adding too much regular fertilizers as well. It makes the soil too overly rich in some nutrients that will create an imbalance.
Saving Coffee Grounds
You can’t save the coffee grounds for too long. But up to a week or so they will keep rather well. If you are brewing coffee once a day then saving a week’s worth of coffee grounds will be a good amount to add to the soil.
The reason we don’t want to save them longer than a week is that it will start decomposing really badly and begin to smell. If you don’t have the option of storing it outside your house then you shouldn’t save it for too long.
FAQ
What Plants Do Not Like Coffee Grounds
There are a number of different plants that will not enjoy coffee grounds. Some of the most commonly grown plants are geranium, asparagus fern, Chinese mustard and even Italian ryegrass. These plants will begin to start looking worse and worse if you add coffee grounds. The leaves might turn yellow for example.
Do Roses Like Eggshells
Since eggshells are really rich in calcium, they can really help boost the immune system of the rose plant. The eggshells help boost the walls of the plants cells tissue. For the long term this is very beneficial. It will lessen the risk you see your plant begin to wilt or grow smaller and slimmer.
Do Roses Like Banana Peels
Banana peels are rich in a lot of nutrients that can help roses to grow more and more. You can throw the banana peels in a compost and let it be processed there, or you can dig the peels down around the rose plant. It will quickly begin decomposing and releasing the nutrients in the peels.
