Pages

Friday, January 13, 2012

Organic Fertilizers: Coffee Grounds


Coffee Grounds are a common additive to compost.

What is it?
Coffee Grounds are what is left over after making coffee.  Coffee beans are ground and then steeped in water to make coffee.  Old coffee seeds or ground coffee that has not been steeped can be used as well.

What is the primary benefit?
Coffee Grounds are a good source of nitrogen.  It is not amazing, but with the ready supply that most people in the U.S. have to coffee grounds, it is a good way to recycle/repurpose with a great benefit. Remember, Permaculture Principle Six tells us to Produce No Waste!  If we can't find a use for the things that others would call "waste", then maybe we need to rethink our use of that item.

Composting Coffee Grounds is a great way to "produce no waste".

How is it used?
The primary use of Coffee Grounds is as an additive to compost.  If you use a lot of it in your compost, be forewarned.  Coffee Grounds are acidic.  The way to combat acidifying your compost is by adding lime or limestone to your compost. This is a tricky thing. How acidic is your compost? How much compost do you have? If you have a whole lot of Coffee Grounds (your friend works at Starbucks or Caribou Coffee), and you don't want to worry too much about it, then let your compost age for 1-2 years before you use it.  That seems like a long time, but if you have a steady supply, setting up some piles in an out of the way place is fairly easy.  The time will go by faster than you know it.  Sadly, it always does.

Application:
Added to the compost and not typically directly to the soil.  If you add it to the soil directly, then do so in moderation around acid loving, high nitrogen-utilizing plants such as fruit trees and fruiting shrubs (blueberries come quickly to mind).

Composition:
NPK Ratio:  2-0.3-0.2    Dried Coffee Grounds have an NPK Ratio of 2-0.3-0.7.  Not drastically different, but interesting nonetheless.


A GENERAL NOTE ABOUT FERTILIZERS:
Always test your soil before adding any fertilizers.  We can easily damage our plants and the soil by indiscriminately adding soil amendments.


5 comments:

  1. You forgot to mention that coffee grounds are a "green" additive to compost, much like grass clippings. I live in Michigan, and during the growing season I add 4 gallons of wet grounds to my compost every day, 7 days a week, collected from a local coffee shop. I also add fresh grass clippings once a week, which means that I need to offset all that nitrogen with loads of carbon materials["browns"]. For that I use shredded paper, cardboard, wood shavings, shredded leaves and small twigs. After creating 2 - 3 layers of all these ingredients, I run my tiller through the whole pile to get everything evenly blended. This brings air to the bacteria, and bacteria to the newer materials. I water the pile when needed. By the following spring I have at least 8 heaping wheelbarrow loads of finished compost ready to use.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous from Michigan didn't have room to add that he appreciates all the great info on your site. Keep up the good work!
    Also, I'm going to be trying some biointensive gardening[BIG] techniques this year. I want to share a greater amount of produce with others this year, and increase my compost production by at least twofold.
    Thanks for letting me lend my voice!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Used coffee grounds are not acidic. The acid in fresh coffee grounds is water soluble and gets left behind in the coffee itself. The used grounds are almost pH neutral (6.5-6.9 pH).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kutil kelamin menjadi salah satu jenis yang paling umum dari infeksi menular seksual. Orang yang aktif melakukan hubungan seksual dapat terinfeksi human papillomavirus (HPV). Akibatnya, kutil kelamin tumbuh di beberapa titik dalam organ intim mereka. Pada wanita, kutil kelamin dapat tumbuh pada vulva, dinding vagina, leher rahim, dan pada daerah yang berada diantara alat kelamin eksternal dan anus. Kondiloma akuminata bagaimana mengatasi kondiloma akuminata atau kutil kelamin..? selengkapnya silahkan kunjungi sekarang

    Terdapat beberapa macam teknik pengobatan berbagai jenis penyakit kanker termasuk kanker payudara yang menyerang wanita. Teknik pengoabatan tersebut adalah teknik pengobatan medis dan teknik pengobatan alternative.Sayangnya teknik pengobatan medis sering sekali digunakan oleh sebagian besar penderita kanker. Namun hasil dari pengobatan ini tak seperti yang diharapkan. Sebaliknya, efek samping dari teknik pengobatan medis ini justru menambah parah kondisi kesehatan tubuh si penderita. Radioterapi, kemoterapi, dan pembedahan ternyata tak seefektif apa yang anda harapkan. Namun semua akan membaik jika anda mengkombinasikan teknik pengobatan medis ini dengan teknik pengobatan alternative. Teknik pengobatan alternative sangat membantu anda untuk sembuh dari penyakit kanker payudara dan kanker lainnya secara efektif dan ampuh. Obat herbal ini adalah satu-satunya solusi terbaik bagi anda untuk mendapatkan teknik pengobatan yang manjur untuk anda. http://obatkankerpayudaraampuh.com/2014/10/pengobatan-kanker-payudara-stadium-1-2-3-4.html bagaimana mengatasi penyakit kanker payudara..? selengkapnya silahkan baca selengkapnya

    Gejala penyakit gonore yang paling umum terjadi pada pria biasanya dengan keluarnya nanah dari bagian alat kelamin yang diikuti dengan rasa sakit dan perih seperti terbakar. Penyakit tersebut juga bisa menular kepada orang yang melakukan kontak seksual atau hubungan seksual dengan penderita. Itulah sebabnya penyakit gonore tidak boleh dibiarkan begitu saja karena bisa menyebabkan penyebaran ke bagian tubuh lain dan mengakibatkan rasa sakit. Obat Kencing Nanah Gonore De nature bagaimana mengatasi Gonore atau kencing nanah..? selengkapnya silahkan kunjungi blog kami
    Jika penderita penyakit ini adalah wanita, gejala kutil kelamin mungkin tidak terlihat karena biasanya kutil berada di dalam vagina dan tidak terdeteksi. Namun, luka yang paling umum terjadi pada labia minora dan sekitar pembukaan vagina. Dalam kasus yang jarang terjadi, wanita juga mungkin mengalami pendarahan ketika melakukan hubungan seksual dengan orang yang terinfeksi HPV. obat kutil di bagian batang kemaluan pria untuk mengetahui info tentang penyakit Kutil kelamin atau kutil di kemluan silahkan kunjungi halaman web

    ReplyDelete