User Login
User login
Navigation
Recent comments
- Insurance is needed by an
1 week 1 day ago - You can always use vinegar
2 weeks 2 days ago - Well some doesn't have any
7 weeks 3 days ago - Im one of the enthusiast
9 weeks 2 days ago - You can have them treated ,
10 weeks 3 days ago - Polycarbonate is the best
11 weeks 3 days ago - Good to have it on the
12 weeks 3 days ago - Correct. Just take time, and
12 weeks 3 days ago - Indeed. Now i know how to
13 weeks 3 days ago - I am looking forward to see
13 weeks 3 days ago
Book navigation
Who's online
There are currently 0 users and 1 guest online.
Poll
Who's new
Coffee Grounds
Posted on: Wed, 10/22/2008 - 4:31pm
Coffee Grounds
My roommate and I make quite a bit of coffee at home, and Ive got a couple potted plants outside (a fern and a bouganvillea), so Im just curious as to what would happen if I put used coffee grounds directly into the soil for those plants.
I know compost is the best thing to add like that, but would this method be beneficial at all? Would it be harmful? Or would it make no real difference as to make it worth it?
Coffee grounds are one of the most recyclable kitchen waste products. They can be put into your composter, worm composter or just added to the soil. Keep in mind that coffee is very acidic, and if the plant you want to put them in is not an acid soil lover, it will cause and imbalance that will prevent the plant from taking up the nutrients it needs from the soil. Plants are pretty picky like that. That is the beauty of composting kitchen waste. The process of decomposition nuetralizes and balances the pH factor of everything, producing a proper pH balance that all plants can benefit from. Coffee grounds are the perfect size to feed to worms in a factory. Even a household made up of 2 bachelors in an apartment can go green by recycling coffee grounds and junk mail to feed worms in a factory that can sit indoors (mine is indoors). It's easier than learning a new video game or computer program! And the houseplants will love the end product from the worm factory.
Final analysis is, coffee grounds may harm the plant, but worm castings will improve the plant.
I have a compact Compostumbler. I loaded it up with all of the stored-up kitchen scraps that I had saved over the winter. Last week we had some lovely warm weather I started it up and the compost pile quickly heated up to 140 degrees after three days. It stayed at that temperature for a day or so and then dropped to 60 degrees.
At your suggestion, I added 1/4 cup blood meal and a shovel-full of soil to heat things up and it did work a bit. But now it only runs about 10 degrees above ambient temperature, which is about 65 in the day, and 40 at night.
I turn every day, the moisture is perfect, it has reduced in volume, and it is composting, albeit slowly.
Is there something I can do to get it humming again or are the days just too cold still and I need to wait?
Dear cbstjohn,
You say your composter material is reducing, which means it is working. Composting material will heat up more in the center than around the outer areas. This is why we tumble it, to get the heat and the action into every part of the material, which is the main advantage of tumblers over piles in making compost. Yes, the outdoor temperature will effect the ability of your compost to heat up if it is outdoors. But just as soon as the temperature gets warm enough, your compost will start cooking again. So-keep turning it and keep it moist and watch it work. If you want to give it a shot in the arm, add some fresh cut green grass or fresh manure like horse or cow. These will heat up the pile, but will not really replace the warm temperatures that the microbes need to do their job of breaking down the material over a period of 14 days.
If you are waiting for your compost to start your planting, you can add it when it is done instead of prior to planting. Just work it into the soil around your plants.
A word about compost activators. Activators are available to add to your compost pile or maker to speed up the process of decomposition. It contains the microbes needed to start the pile heating up, which is in fact the act of breaking down the material. Since you says your pile is shrinking, I would say you do not need to add an 'activator'. If the temperature is not warm enough, it won't work anyway.
One thing you may want to do is to purchase a compost thermometer from 4seasongreenhouse.com that will enable you to check the interior temperature of your material. You should check it before you tumble it.
Actually, it's one of my process to put coffee directly to the soil. Makes the soil healthy for the plants.
scottsdale pest control
I guess it will not react at all. But it's better also if you will continue the experiment, who knows your potted plants will be helpful enough for your plants. Anyways, when a recession hits, people usually tighten their belts and cut back on unnecessary expenditures. This apparently doesn't register with our President – apparently anyone can go to Harvard Law – because his answer to the recession is to give raises to federal employees, and the federal pay raises benefited those workers making over $100,000 more than anyone else. I seem to recall that he said he was going to make CUTS to the federal budget, and create jobs for the people looking for work and money now – but then again, living up to promises is never the strong suit of any President.