Do not throw this waste in the trash anymore, it is a precious ally for the garden and the house.
Every morning, many French people start the day with a cup of coffee. But once the caffeine dose is swallowed, many throw the coffee grounds in the trash. Wrongly! These brown residues, often considered useless waste, can become a precious treasure and one of your best allies for sustainable and natural gardening.
Its uses are numerous. Used as fertilizer, pest control, valuable addition to compost, environmentally friendly weedkiller or even as an acidity regulator, coffee grounds have benefits that are as numerous as they are surprising. Coffee grounds are therefore a natural fertilizer rich in essential nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, key elements for plant growth.
Nitrogen promotes leaf growth, potassium strengthens the roots while phosphorus stimulates flowering and fruiting. Coffee grounds also contribute to soil acidification, which is beneficial for certain plants such as roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, and blueberries, which prefer a more acidic pH. Simply spread it around your plants to improve the quality of the soil and stimulate the growth of your plants.
Coffee grounds are not just used as fertilizer. It can also act as a natural repellent against certain pests. Snails and slugs, for example, don’t like the abrasive texture of coffee grounds. By dispersing the latter around your plants, you can create a barrier and thus reduce the presence of these pests without resorting to chemicals. In addition, the smell of coffee can keep other undesirables such as ants and certain types of beetles away from the garden, as well as the house.
Coffee grounds are also great for your compost and can speed up the decomposition process and enrich the soil with organic matter. This “super ingredient” also stimulates the activity of earthworms, which are valuable allies in the garden.
For some plants it can also act as a natural weedkiller. Sprinkled on the ground, it inhibits the growth of weeds. Good to know: this may take some time.