Exploring 4 Plants That Love Coffee Grounds & 3 Plants That Don’t

Find out which plants love coffee grounds and which plants don’t to keep your plants alive and thriving.

Guest Post By: Tony Manhart, founder & editor-in-chief at Gardening Dream

• Adding coffee grounds to your indoor or outdoor plants can have benefits, but only for certain plants.
• Some plants do not do well with coffee grounds due to the acidity the grounds can add to the soil.
• Roses and carrots love coffee grounds, whereas lavender does not.
• Read on to find out which other plants like and dislike coffee grounds in their soil.

Coffee Grounds

To promote porousness and lower soil pH levels, rake coffee grounds into the substrate or compost (including vermicompost). They deter pesky insects and snails while organically enriching the soil. 

Coffee grounds are an excellent source of nitrogen and micronutrients. They are also ideal for indoor plants. They deliver essential nutrients and serve as compost, pesticide, fertilizer, and mulch.

4 Plants That Like Coffee Grounds

You may be aware that putting coffee grounds in your garden is a gardening tip; however, you should utilize this practice only in certain situations. You can change the pH of your soil by adding coffee grounds to plants that require acidity.

This post includes a list of four plants that like coffee grounds. They are:

Roses

Many Roses types may benefit from fertilizing with coffee grounds since plants like organic matter-rich soils. The nutrients offered by the grounds can aid in improving the overall quality of the soil and fortify and accelerate plant growth. When used in moderation, they also improve the acidity profile of the substrate and attract beneficial worms.

If you plan to fertilize your roses with coffee grounds, do it at the start of their peak growth period (spring).

Philodendron

Philodendrons, which can grow epiphytically or terrestrially, require slightly acidic pH levels between 6.0 and 6.5. Coffee grounds can be a natural supply of growth nutrients. However, before introducing acidic grounds, ensure the soil pH is close to neutral.

Carrots

Carrots thrive best in soil that is slightly acidic to neutral in pH. You should plant them in sandy loam for their taproot to grow into a pleasing shape and produce a high ratio of the cortex to the core.

Coffee grounds should boost seeds and seedlings’ nutrients, promoting plant growth and increasing harvest rates. The somewhat acidic grounds should also help keep pests away from your growing carrots! Other acid-loving companion plants should help these root crops thrive as well.

Radishes

Radishes grow best in areas with somewhat warmer temperatures. The crop may take several weeks longer to mature and achieve harvest size in locations with significantly cool or excessively warm weather. 

A loamy substrate, full sun exposure, and a slightly acidic to neutral pH level are ideal circumstances for taproot growth. Coffee grounds should enhance the growth of radish seedlings in the same way they can increase carrot harvest rates and speed up germination.

3 Plants That Don’t Like Coffee Grounds

Let us now look at some plants that do not benefit from the addition of coffee grounds:

Lavender

Lavender plants prefer full light and soil that is hot, dry, sandy, and non-acidic. As a result, adding coffee grounds to this lovely plant may affect it. Growing lavenders in acidic soil will stunt their growth.

If you discover that your lavender soil is acidic, add lime to reduce the acidity and improve the alkalinity of the soil. Lavender grows well on alkaline soil.

If you like lavender, you may want to try out our recipe for a lavender iced latte here.

Rosemary 

Rosemary dislikes acidic soil and may not benefit from adding coffee grounds to its potting soil. You can, however, lessen the acidity of coffee grounds by diluting them with water before watering your Rosemary.

Rosemary benefits from coffee grounds because they offer crucial elements that promote healthy growth and development. On the other hand, the high acidity of the grounds can be a limiting factor.

Cactus 

Cactus is a desert plant that requires well-drained soil with a balanced combination of organic and inorganic components. Coffee grounds can easily change this balanced combination, slowing your cactus plant’s development pace.

Other Uses of Coffee

Did you know you can eat coffee cherries? In essence, the fruit of the coffee tree is the coffee cherry. Similar to other fruits, it comprises a skin, flesh, and seed, which is the coffee bean. Despite their petite size, they are consumable, though their taste may not be appealing to everyone. One can make juice, preserve them as jam, or simply eat them as they are.

While some plants benefit from coffee grounds, how you use them will affect their growth. Composting coffee grounds is the most beneficial usage of coffee grounds. You should mix coffee grounds and compost in a 1:3 or 1:2 ratio for coffee composts. You can also use an online compost calculator to discover the ideal ratio.

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