Fertilizing is a big part of plant care, but can be tricky for those growing succulents. These little plants are easy to burn out with chemical fertilizers, which is why many people turn to more natural options. One such option is coffee grounds, an easily accessible natural fertilizer that many gardeners use in their compost pile. The question, and what we’ll be looking at today, is whether coffee grounds are good for succulents. Read on to find out.
In this article we’ll look at why coffee grounds are used as a fertilizer and the benefit it provides. After, we’ll look at whether those benefits extend to succulents, and how you can apply it to your plants safely.
Why Is Coffee Grounds a Good Fertilizer?
Coffee grounds make a great fertilizer for two main reasons; they have a variety of nutrients your plant’s need, and also help improve the acidity of your soil. Both of these benefits together can help improve the health of your plant.
Coffee grounds are a great source of nitrogen, but also contain some amounts of potassium and magnesium. These are all great for your plants, and succulents are no exceptions. Giving them an environment rich in these nutrients can help lead to strong blooms and healthy leaves.
This is especially important for potted plants as their soil will naturally lose nutrients over time. Being confined to a container also means they have no means to naturally replenish those lost nutrients. That’s why it’s important to fertilize them, otherwise they slowly wither due to lack of nutrients.
Coffee grounds are also slightly acidic, and naturally add that acidity to your soil. Many plants grow better in soil that is slightly acidic, and that includes succulents. Succulents like acidic soil, so using coffee grounds as a fertilizer can help provide that. It also helps to offset tap water which is typically slightly alkaline.
Overall, coffee grounds provide needed nutrients and acidity, and do so naturally without chemicals. This is important as it means the risk of adding too much to the soil and burning out your plants is lessened. While still possible, it takes a lot more than chemical based fertilizers to do so.
Are Coffee Grounds Good For Succulents?
In general, yes! It’s not only safe, but beneficial to use your old coffee grounds as a fertilizer for your succulents. This can help provide nutrients to your plants without the risk of burning them out that comes with chemical based fertilizers.
There are two big things to keep in mind though to ensure that you don’t inadvertently damage your plants.
First, always use coffee grounds that have been brewed. You don’t want to use fresh coffee grounds as the caffeine in them is too high for your plants. Brewed coffee beans naturally lose their caffeine, and become safe to use as fertilizer.
Secondly, you want to avoid using too many coffee grounds, especially for plants grown in containers. If you’re growing outdoors you can apply every other day safely, but inside should limit this to about 1 cup per week. You should also dilute the coffee down with water, do about 1 part coffee to 1 part water.
This prevents burning out your plants as containers will trap the nutrients. Too much of a good thing can be harmful to your plants.
Final Thoughts
Applied correctly, coffee grounds make a great fertilizer for your succulents. They naturally add nutrients and help the acidity of your soil. Best of all, they come with a far lower risk of accidentally hurting your plant than chemical fertilizers do.
Hopefully the above quick article has answered all your questions on coffee ground and succulents. If not, don’t hesitate to reach out to us, we love answering questions from our readers. Feel free to reach out to us through our email here on the site, or send us a message on our social media.
Coffee Ground Fertilizer Tips
- Always use brewed coffee beans, un-brewed have too much caffeine that can harm your plants.
- If using potted plants, make sure to dilute the grounds down with water.
- Don’t put used grounds in your plants container everyday. Generally, about a cup per week is more than enough for container bound plants.
- Outdoor plants can be safely fertilized more often as microbes in the soil will naturally break down the beans faster.
- Excess coffee grounds can be added to your compost pile.
