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Florida Gardening

Mulch from coffee grounds?; free soil conditioners?

14 years ago

I heard that Starbucks gives away coffee grounds. Does that make a decent mulch? Read somewhere on the Internet that if you want to neutral the pH, add 1 tablespoon of lime to 5 pounds of coffee grounds.

I've been conditioning soil that seriously needs it and always looking for free mulch, soil conditioners, slow release fertilizers. Best free finds so far are the pine shavings horse litter at the local extension center; manure from the horse farms; haven't used yet but have heard about cow manure from the dairy in Anthony; and the usual leaves and grass clippings people throw away.

I noticed that the plants in better conditioned soil survived much better during this last freeze.

Sheila

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Comments (6)

corar4gw
14 years ago
Starbucks does indeed give away their used coffee grounds. If you don't see a bag inside the door, ask. More often than not, they will bag up what they have at the moment, and in one case, even carried them to the car for me. They are great for your Sagos and I also stir them into the compost pile. I don't use them for mulch because they are too fine and can become compacted and defeat the purpose.
cora
annafl
14 years ago
Sheila,

I have been collecting coffee grounds for years. I used to get them from SB, but now I get them from my local Coffee and Tea. He saves all his grounds for me and one other person and I buy all my coffee from him. I use them all over the yard, never adding lime. They are actually almost neutral, as most of the acid is brewed out of them in the coffee. I don't spread them too thick, but I spread them thinly under plants. I am a big gatherer of organic materials for the yard. Glad to hear you are also!

Anna
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strawberry hill, your post is so interesting. I've never tested my soil but knowing that it's basically decomposed granite (in some places solid granite just 1 1/2 feet down) is a good clue. Growing the right roses for your area, as has been emphasized on this forum over and over, is in my opinion the most important lesson to learn. Having once chosen the right ones, there are still steps that can be taken, as you point out, to fine-tune the results. A lot depends on how much you can or are willing to do. I've found that coffee grounds from my husband's coffee consumption, alfalfa meal and adequate water are the simplest way for me to have good-looking roses. Judicious pruning also has its place. Poisons never will; I'd give up roses first. It's part art, part science and part the will of the roses to live and thrive. It's a little different for everyone, and it is endlessly fascinating. Ingrid
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Yes, it is a company policy to make used coffee grounds available for gardeners. Sometimes you have to call ahead. Some places just put out their grounds in a bucket for anyone to stop by and pick up. Caffeinated UCG will repel slugs. UCG is a good organic fert, but where it really shines is when you put it on a compost pile. A source high in nitrogen, it will really heat up a pile and speed up the decomposition process. Read the Composting and Soils Forum for more info. Steve
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I mulched around rhodos with a thin layer of newspaper topped with about two inches of wood chips I got free from an arborist and it worked. I would not mulch rhodos much deeper than that. I can't say exactly why but I would be hesitant to use rock mulch on rhodos - maybe because I've never seen it and that's not what they get in the wild. Leaves and pine needles also make a good mulch for rhodos. FYI, don't let the baby chew on rhodos or azaleas. Don't use English Ivy as a ground cover as it will overtake your other plants. I do have some sort of wild strawberry (not necessarily edible, I don't know) volunteering under some rhodos and azaleas and they seem to coexist nicely.
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I'd be less worried about pH and more concerned about the "fluff" that these companies include in the bag as a "conditioner". Forest products are in the forest for a reason and don't belong in a garden, yard, or in a planter. My answer is simple, pH will not be your problem. My question will most likely be more complex: what do the small bark nuggets and pine needle fines provide your pots that is useful? If you are interested in testing the soil, conditioner or the combined result, then let me know. I use an incredible lab based in the midwest that can help you find out for sure if your pH is an issue but its not going to be. Refocus on what nutrients your plants are being provided or not provided from soil microbes and the organic matter. Also, focus on creating an ideal texture for proper drainage and the health of your organic matter digesting microbes. The pH discussion is overdone all over the world to this day because a researcher found that sulphur helped high pH soils and calcium helped low pH soils. In reality, the improvement came from the increased availability and texture benefits of the calcium. Also, those soluble fertilizers are only providing your plant with N and burning up any beneficial compost and the corresponding microbes.
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saldut
14 years ago
I keep a coffe can in the corner of my sink, and dump kitchen waste init, banana peels, egg shells, coffe grounds, tea bags, potato peels, etc., and then I take it out in the garden and dig a hole and bury it, all over the garden.. in a few weeks it is perfect compost.. I have to cover the area with a board because coons and possums will dig it up... sally
sharbear50
14 years ago
I wonder if you can just dump them in the compost stuff, filter and all? Would this be a bad idea?
saldut
14 years ago
I dump everything, filter and all.. it adds to the compost.... even old newspapers shredded a bit, egg shells, apple scraps, everything except meat , or bones.. it's amazing how fasr ir all turns to rich soil, I keep an old shovel in the garden, and cover the last 'dump' with a board to keep the coons and possums from digging it up... space it all over the garden and that way all the plants can tap into it... I use an old plastic Folgers coffee-can so it doesn't rust in the sink, it has a lid, and is unobtrusive, takes me abt. 3 days to fill it and then out it goes, give it a rinse and put it back in it's corner in the sink.... works for me.... sally
gardencraze
14 years ago
I do the same thing Sally does. I have a huge planter that an orange grower gave it's about 3" wide 3" deep it's always full of wonderful compost.
That's funny Sally my can takes about three days to fill too.

Thats intersting about Star Bucks I'll have to go to mine and see.

Oh I just had an idea...I should go to my local vegie stand
I'm sure they'l give me the scraps.

Thanx, Carmen

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