# Coffee Grounds for Fertiliser



## Buffalolawny (Nov 24, 2018)

Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBhtGoZ9vc
Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssgJFPEVJz0
Part 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kklTyIxjZFo
Part 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opZlUV83uCU

Any opinions?


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

Seems like a lot of messy dirty work for what will ultimately be a pretty uneven fertilization. I use them in the garden and in the compost pile, but the lawn seems sub optimal to me.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

I would like to know the effect coffee grounds have on soil pH. I put coffee grounds into my compost bin. I guess if you have a local Starbucks nearby, this could be free fertilizer.


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## tneicna (May 6, 2019)

Deadlawn said:


> I would like to know the effect coffee grounds have on soil pH. I put coffee grounds into my compost bin. I guess if you have a local Starbucks nearby, this could be free fertilizer.


Biochemist here.

Looking over the literature, Coffee Grounds are neutral pH and won't affect your soil profile much. However, some(?)/most(?) coffee grounds contain quinic acid derivatives, phenol, chlorogenic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, which will be toxic to microorganisms et al.

See;

Kim, M.S., Koo, N., Kim, J.G.: Characteristics and recycling of spent coffee grounds. Life Sci. Nat. Res. 20, 59-69 (2012)


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## hammerhead (May 14, 2019)

What about putting it in a bucket with water and let it sit for a few days to disvolve it as much as possible, then filter and use the coffee-water with a hose end sprayer? Not sure...probably it would be too much work recharging your hose end sprayer container all the time.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

My wife laugh's at me every morning I throw the used coffee grinds on the back lawn


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## SOLARSUPLEX (Aug 4, 2020)

M32075 said:


> My wife laugh's at me every morning I throw the used coffee grinds on the back lawn


Started doing this when my knockbox gets full as well. Its a small amount but i figure its not going to kill anything and helps keep it out of a landfill.


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## mobiledynamics (Aug 9, 2020)

I've break up my pucks and -fling- my UEG (used espresso grounds) pretty wide....as I don't want the superfine ground to land concentrated....I find that it they happen to land in one area a bit more concentrated, it tends to get hydrophobic as it's super-fine.


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## Rooster (Aug 19, 2019)

I save my spent grounds in an old coffee container and when it starts getting full, I fling them here and there among the flower beds and the lawn. It's free OM, free nitrogen, and one less thing going to the landfill. But I make no effort to source additional grounds.


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

I always put my own grounds in my compost but a few months back I started getting grounds from a nearby coffee shop. After about 20 gallons worth I stopped getting more because the amount was getting away from me. I did dry out and spread one 5 gallon bucket's worth on the lawn and it worked ok. It was a decent amount of effort though. I am back to just adding it to my compost and veg garden.


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## Never Winter Farms (Jun 10, 2021)

I have three worm bins that I add about 40lbs of coffee grounds to each week. I pickup grounds from Starbucks every Friday. So far I have been pretty impressed with the worm castings.

I do need to scope the finished products and see if one food input is better than others?


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## Rook (9 mo ago)

For the effort, I would use the grounds in combination with other organic matter/compost in a compost spreader. I've been fertilizing my lawn for the past few years this way including chicken manure from our backyard flock. It seems to work well, but is slower to show results like you would get from a commercial product.


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