Which plants do not like coffee grounds? What home plants and vegetables do not accept this soil amendment? Avoid use this fertilizer to compost it!
Coffee grounds has gained popularity as an organic fertilizer in gardening due to its nutrient-rich composition. It’s famous as a valuable source of organic matter, nitrogen, potassium, and other essential nutrients. This rich in substances amendment can improve soil structure, promote microbial activity, and enhance nutrient availability. So, why after having such a valuable composition there are plants that don’t like it? The answers to this and other questions can be found on this page. You’ll reveal what are the vegetables and flowers, which respond unfavorably to the addition of this natural fertilizer in their soil. Understanding which plants do not like coffee grounds is essential for maintaining a thriving garden. Let’s delve into the topic and explore this fertilizer’s effect on plants growth.
Are Coffee Grounds Bad for Certain Plants?
Coffee grounds fertilizer can slightly acidify the soil due to its pH level, making it beneficial for acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, and camellias. However, let’s explore which plants do not like it, and why don’t they appreciate the presence of this valuable fertilizer in the soil? The primary reason behind this is its pH level, as excessive acidity can hinder the growth and nutrient uptake of many plants. Therefore, it should be used in moderation as a fertilizer, as excessive amounts can lead to nutrient imbalances and worsen plants health.
What Vegetable Plants Do Not Like Coffee Grounds?
While this inestimable fertilizer benefit most of the greenery in your garden, there are some vegetables that don’t tend to thrive when it’s added to the soil. Here are a few examples of which plants do not like coffee grounds, among vegetables:
Broccoli, cabbage, and kale: While they generally prefer slightly alkaline soil conditions, the acidity of coffee grounds can interfere with nutrient availability and overall plant condition, affecting the growth and productivity of cabbage, broccoli, and kale.
Root vegetables: It’s known that root crops such as carrots, radishes, and beets generally prefer a neutral pH range. That’s why, the acidity of coffee grounds can hinder their development and result in misshapen or stunted roots growth. So, it is recommended to avoid using this natural nutrition around these vegetables.
Legumes and beans: These groups of plants are famous for their unique symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots. The role of bacteria is to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that is easily taken by the roots. But the rich in nitrogen coffee grounds fertilizer can easily disrupt this delicate balance and inhibit the plants’ ability to fix the nutrient from bacteria.
Which Plants Do Not Like Coffee Grounds Apart from Vegetables?
It’s worth mentioning that coffee grounds can be beneficial even for those plants in the garden, which do not appreciate their direct application. They can be composted along with other organic materials to create a nutrient-rich compost, which is suitable for a wide range of plants. The composting approach helps to neutralize the acidity of this useful soil amendment, and allows for a more balanced release of nutrients over time. While certain plants, including acid-loving species, can benefit from its properties, others may not appreciate the acidity and can experience growth issues. Plants that prefer neutral or alkaline soil conditions, such as succulents, cacti, root vegetables, legumes, and cabbage, may not be the best candidates for direct application of this rich in nutrients fertilizer. However, composting or using it in small quantities can still provide benefits to plants that do not like its direct application.
Do All Houseplants Like Coffee or Not?
Houseplants can vary in their preferences for coffee grounds as a fertilizer. Some of them can benefit from its nutrients and organic matter, while others may not respond as positively. Let you take in mind a few considerations when using coffee grounds on houseplants:
African violets, ferns, and orchids. These acid-loving houseplants like the slightly acidic soil conditions. Therefore, they are more likely to benefit from the use of coffee grounds. This natural soil amendment also contributes to the high nutrition content in the soil, and help these plants to thrive and develop healthily.
Succulents, cacti, and spider plants. These groups of alkaline-loving houseplants may not be suitable candidates for coffee grounds as a fertilizer. They thrive in soils with a pH closer to neutral, and excessive acidity from this natural fertilizer can disrupt their nutrient uptake and lead to unfavorable conditions for their development.
If a plant shows signs of stress, such as leaf discoloration or stunted growth, consider that these are maybe signals that coffee grounds are not suitable as a fertilizer in this particular case.
Read also: Homemade Fertilizer for Indoor Plants: Make Cheap, Eco and Nutritious Food for Your Green “Pets”