GO GREEN - Recycle Your Coffee Grounds as Fertiliser

What do you do with your coffee grounds after you have brewed and enjoyed your cup of nice aromatic coffee beverage?

Don't throw them away after you have squeezed the essence out of them coffee beans. They can still serve a purpose other than perking you up during the day. After being of service to us humans, they can be of service to our plants and vegetation. We can use the coffee grounds as fertiliser which is a natural and environmental friendly.

Tests have proven that the coffee grounds contains useful  amounts of phosphorus and potassium, are a low-level source of nitrogen and also contain minor amounts of calcium, magnesium, copper, and other trace minerals, carbohydrates, sugars, some vitamins, and some caffeine.

Plants such as tomatoes, roses, and some other fruit trees thrive on high acidity level that coffee grounds produces when applied to soil. Coffee grounds can either be mixed as compost or mix in water to be watered on the plants.

Methods in preparing coffee grounds fertiliser:

• Mix 250g ( half a pound) of damp grounds in a five-gallon bucket of water; let sit outdoors to get to air temperature and you have a liquid fertilizer.
• Dry in an oven and apart from getting that great coffee smell around the house you get a fertilizer you can sprinkle around the base of plants.
• Dig it in damp into heavy alkali soil to break it down and encourage earthworms who then aerates the soil as well. Avoid dumping them in clumps as the can get a bit mouldy sitting in lumps on the top.

I have tried using coffee grounds as my fertiliser that I put on all my plants around the house. Apart from the lovely smell of coffee that I get, my plants are thriving and blooming nicely especially my flower plants. This is much better than those store bought fertilisers which I am not sure what is in it. At least by using coffee grounds, I know it is safe for my plants and environment.

You can approach any cafe around your place and request for their coffee grounds since they will be disposing them. Some may give you a weird look but after explaining to them on the environmental benefits, they will understand. Some cafe put them aside for customers to bring home for free. Try it out and notice the difference in your plants.