How to Fertilize with Spent Coffee Grounds

What's the Deal

What's one of the most consumed beverages on this plant?  Coffee!

And the spent grounds contain phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and copper.  How do I know?  Well, Sunset sent a batch over to a soil lab for testing and confirmed it for me and you! Sunsets claim

You can either top dress these organic bits of goodness around the drip line of your plant or till them, a.k.a. work them, into the soil 4-8" deep.

Where To Get Spent Coffee

The first step is to brew your coffee and save the filter!

The second step is to grab a container and dump those bits of organic glory into the bottom.

Now look at that black gold and imagine how lush your garden will grow once you amend your soil with this stuff.

The next step is to put a cover on it and add to it daily until you are ready to amend your soil!

Ready to Amend?

Grab a spoon or just use your fingers and sprinkles that "fairy dust" all around the base of the plant.  This is called "Top Dressing".

Here I've just top dressed below an Alcea Rosa 'Nigra'.  That's a Hollyhock to those in the know!

Here I'm working the grounds into the soil via my spoon!

This Lupine will be doing fine once it's the microorganisms and it's roots begin the process of using these spent coffee grounds.

And finally, I'm adding some grounds to this potted Salvia to help boost the growth.  I purchased it as Lowe's on sale for $1.  Now that's a deal!

The last step is clean up!  Here I'm rinsing my container with warm water and washing my hands with Meyer's soap.  As the suds splash into the container I'm getting a two for one cleaning deal.  And the soap fragance rocks!













That's it!

Good luck with your spent coffee grind amendments and let me know how it goes.  I love seeing other gardeners experiment!