Indoor Plants

How to Use Coffee Grounds to Fertilize Your Houseplants

Coffee grounds are everywhere! At least in my morning kitchen. Throughout coffee-drinking history, people have taken this aromatic waste and fed it to their plants. 

This byproduct of brewing a cup of joe contains valuable nutrients, including nitrogen-rich proteins, triglycerides, and fatty acids. The grounds also contain substances that may suppress plant diseases and ward off pests. 

Recently, there has been a wave of garden myths surrounding them. These include their being acidic, adding nitrogen as fresh grounds, or caffeine-killing your plants. After you sift through this mumbo jumbo, you’ll find that coffee grounds are actually quite easy and effective

As useful and plentiful as coffee grounds are, there are a few steps you should follow before using them with your houseplants. Below is a step-by-step guide to using them to feed your houseplants. 

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Step 1: Brew Good Quality Coffee!

Person pouring hot water into a dripper with a glass carafe, surrounded by a wooden grinder and jar of organic material.Person pouring hot water into a dripper with a glass carafe, surrounded by a wooden grinder and jar of organic material.
After brewing, collect the grounds.

This step is easy, or is it? Most Americans love to buy flavored coffee, but for our purposes, plain black grounds are best for fertilizing your garden, including houseplants. Plain roasted beans don’t have additives which can include chemicals and flavorings. 

After brewing, collect the grounds. You can use any type, as long as it’s pure, without creamers or flavorings

Keep a container near your coffee pot or by the trash. When you finish brewing, throw your grounds in the container. 

What If I Don’t Drink Coffee?

Close-up of dark, loose organic matter filling a white container, ready for use.Close-up of dark, loose organic matter filling a white container, ready for use.
Ask your local café for used grounds.

If you don’t drink coffee, fear not. Ask your local café for used grounds. Even restaurants may have them available if you contact them ahead of time. They should have plenty on hand. 

Step 2: Prepare Them in Compost

Hand holding a small amount of compost with mushrooms and dandelions visible in the background.Hand holding a small amount of compost with mushrooms and dandelions visible in the background.
This process helps break down their nutrients for microbes and other helpful creatures.

One of the most effective ways of using coffee grounds to fertilize houseplants is with compost. When you add them directly, you’re not getting their full benefits. On their own, used grinds only add minor amounts of nutrients to your soil. 

Composting helps break down their nutrients for microbes and other helpful creatures. They become green material and add a ton of beneficial nutrients and oils when they’re broken down. Critters like earthworms can’t get enough of them. 

When you have your spent grounds and materials ready, it’s time to start decomposing. Below are the steps to prepare your grinds to break them down the right way. 

Add to your Compost Bin or Outdoor Pile

Person pouring a mix of vegetable and fruit scraps from a glass container into a compost bin.Person pouring a mix of vegetable and fruit scraps from a glass container into a compost bin.
Try adding equal parts of grounds, leaves, grass, and food scraps for the perfect balance.

After collecting your grounds, add them to your compost bin or pile before using them as houseplant fertilizer. They are typically composed of 2% nitrogen by volume, so you’ll have to balance them with brown waste. This includes carbon-rich leaves, paper, twigs, and cardboard. 

Try adding equal parts of grounds, leaves, grass, and food scraps for the perfect balance. This will create an amendment with balanced nutritional value. No more than 20% of the pile should be composed of grounds, as this will negatively affect the overall nutrient profile of the pile.

Use Them in A Worm Bag

Banana peel and organic material with a small worm on a brown surface.Banana peel and organic material with a small worm on a brown surface.
Worms find them extra delicious. 

Worm bags use the power of earthworms to break down organic waste. Although coffee grounds are repulsive to many pests such as slugs, worms find them extra delicious. 

If you’re using a worm bag, add your spent grinds slowly. This will give the worms enough time to get used to them. After a few days, start adding a little more at a time. Again, it’s important to avoid making your worm food primarily coffee. Keep it at about 1/5 of your overall feed.

Stir Your Compost

Person adding material to a green compost bin surrounded by trees with yellow leaves.Person adding material to a green compost bin surrounded by trees with yellow leaves.
This keeps it aerobic and helps everything to break down evenly. 

Keep adding the scraps, leaves, and waste. Only use organic materials and avoid any chemicals. Mix the waste well every time you add new material. This keeps it aerobic and helps everything to break down evenly. 

Wait Until It’s Ready

Male hands holding fresh, finely sifted compost soil with a rich, dark texture above a larger compost pile in a garden setting.Male hands holding fresh, finely sifted compost soil with a rich, dark texture above a larger compost pile in a garden setting.
Keep adding waste and mixing until you see a rich, darkly colored organic compost. 

If you’re using a small bin, like the Bokashi Kitchen Composter, you can have beautiful plant food ready within four to six weeks. Keep adding waste and mixing until you see a rich, darkly colored organic compost. 

Step 3: Determine Which Houseplants to Feed

Wooden spoon adding fine organic material to a clear pot containing orchid roots and bark.Wooden spoon adding fine organic material to a clear pot containing orchid roots and bark.
Orchids thrive on huge amounts of nutrient-rich fertilizer.

Not all houseplants are big feeders. Some, like orchids, thrive on huge amounts of nutrient-rich fertilizer. Others prefer to feed once in a blue moon. 

Indoor flowers such as peace lilies and kalanchoe do well with a lot of plant food. Other flowering houseplants that benefit from used grinds include: azaleas, African violets, and bromeliads. 

Some houseplants that aren’t grown for their blooms, such as spider plants and jade plants also benefit from light amounts of used grind compost. As with any houseplant, go easy on feeding to see how they respond. 

Step 4: Add the Compost to Your Houseplants

Hands holding dark material, placing it into a pot with the trunk of a Ficus tree.Hands holding dark material, placing it into a pot with the trunk of a Ficus tree.
Add them a little at a time once every week or two, depending on your houseplant variety.

Once your compost is ready, you can now add it to your houseplants. Add them a little at a time once every week or two, depending on your houseplant variety. As mentioned before, some plants are heavy feeders, while others prefer to be fed sparingly. 

Add the compost around the edges of the soil during watering. The moisture will evenly distribute the nutrients into the soil. Make sure you don’t leave clumps around your plants. 

Prioritize feeding your plants in spring and summer. Some houseplants go dormant in winter and don’t need extra nutrients. However, after the cold season ends, your houseplants can benefit from having extra nutrients. 

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Step 5: Check on Your Plants

Person standing near a row of planters on a balcony filled with green plants and a vertical compost bin.Person standing near a row of planters on a balcony filled with green plants and a vertical compost bin.
You should see your houseplants put on vigorous new growth during the late spring and summer.

After feeding your houseplants, check in on them frequently. See how they respond to the compost fertilizer. You should see your houseplants put on vigorous new growth during the late spring and summer. Some houseplants are slow growers, so be patient. 

Most houseplants love a solid feeding schedule. Take notes on the amount you’re feeding your plants. This helps you keep track of which plants respond well to used grind compost and which do not. 

Step 6: Watch for Signs of Overfeeding

A close-up of tomato vine showcasing its distinctive lobed leaves, with intricate vein patterns. Amidst the greenery, a few leaves stand out in a yellow hue, adding a pop of color to the lush foliage.A close-up of tomato vine showcasing its distinctive lobed leaves, with intricate vein patterns. Amidst the greenery, a few leaves stand out in a yellow hue, adding a pop of color to the lush foliage.
Yellow leaves can be a sign of overfeeding.

Sometimes, too much of a good thing can be harmful. You may have to reduce the amount of coffee ground compost you’re using to fertilize your houseplants. 

Watch for signs of overfeeding. These signs include fertilizer burn which is caused by nitrogen toxicity. This is more common in chemical fertilizers but can happen if you add way too much organic compost. 

Some houseplants are extra sensitive to overfeeding. Watch for these common signs of over-fertilization.

  • Yellow leaves
  • Wilted leaves
  • Brown leaf tips
  • Slow or no growth
  • Defoliation

Step 7: Add them Directly to the Soil

Person tipping organic matter into a pot with green leaves and a visible stem.Person tipping organic matter into a pot with green leaves and a visible stem.
Add very small amounts around the edges of the plant.

If you don’t have a compost bin, try fertilizing by adding the coffee grounds directly to your houseplant’s soil. Add very small amounts around the edges of the plant. Sprinkle them a little at a time, in a thin layer and rake them evenly over the soil surface. 

Once coffee is brewed, the caffeine and acidity are absorbed into the hot water. What’s left is organic material. Although grounds are organic and full of nutrients, they can form a matted material on the soil surface. This can be harmful to your plants over time. 

Just like compost, watch your plants to see how they react. If you see signs of overfeeding, stop feeding them immediately. 

One of the downsides of using grinds directly is that they change the consistency of the soil. For delicate species, it can be harmful. Overfeeding with used grinds can harm even easy-to-maintain houseplants like aloe vera

Step 8: Use Grinds to Keep out Pests

Close-up of a large slug on green grass which features a slimy, elongated body with a mottled brown coloration.Close-up of a large slug on green grass which features a slimy, elongated body with a mottled brown coloration.
Pests such as slugs and ants are easily deterred by a simple application of used grinds.

Besides fertilizing your houseplants, used coffee grounds will help keep away insects. Some of the compounds that make the roasted beans so appealing to humans repel insects. These compounds include caffeine and diterpenes. 

Coffee has potent aromas that many insects can’t stand. Pests such as slugs and ants are easily deterred by a simple application of used grinds. 

You can apply coffee grinds around the soil perimeter of your pots. Your plants will benefit from light fertilization and a natural insecticide. 

Key Takeaways

Coffee is enjoyed all around the world and finding used grounds is exceptionally easy. Using them for fertilizer is an economical way to feed indoor plants. 

The best way to use coffee grinds is by composting them first. This process lets microorganisms break the organic matter down so it’s easier for your plants to use.

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