Want to cut down on food waste and help your flowers grow? These three gorgeous blooms are ubiquitous in British gardens and absolutely love one popular ingredient
If you’re a fan of brewing a morning coffee you’re probably sick of throwing away piles of grounds – luckily, there are three plants which will slurp them right up.
It may surprise you, but coffee grounds are a great resource for your garden. Coffee makes a fantastic fertiliser, as it is high in elements like nitrogen, which is crucial for plant growth. Nitrogen helps form chlorophyll, which is the compound that allows plants to photosynthesise and absorb necessary nutrients.
On top of that, it also contains key nutrients like potassium and phosphorus, which help with processes like photosynthesis and nutrient transport. They can also make your plant more resistant to disease.
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Even better, coffee grounds are incredibly versatile. They can either be added directly to the soil or onto your compost pile.
Although, it’s important to remember that not all plants will benefit from coffee grounds. Since coffee can make the soil more acidic, it’s best to use it on acid-loving plants.
Luckily for those with coffee grounds to spare, there are many common plants that will benefit. According to Ideal Home, are three popular plants that you can fertilise with coffee grounds:
Hydrangeas
These bright flowers bloom best in acidic soil conditions. Even better, adding coffee grounds to the soil is also a popular gardening hack that can turn hydrangeas from pink to blue, completely brightening your blooms.
“Just note that coffee grounds shouldn’t be used as a replacement for fertiliser,” Graham Smith MCIHort, a horticultural expert from LBS Horticulture told Ideal Home. Instead, he recommended using a “balanced fertiliser”.
Camellias
An evergreen plant, camellias produce delicate blossoms in pink, white and red. They benefit from the addition of coffee grounds in their soil thanks to the acidic pH and boost of nitrogen.
According to Ideal Home, camellia shrubs prefer rich, organic matter in their soil. As such, the coffee grounds serve to mimic the natural leaf debris they would receive in their native woodland habitat.
Rhododendrons
These well-loved flowers enjoy a low pH as well as receiving an extra flow of nitrogen. Adding coffee grounds to their soil may even see them produce bigger blooms.
However, Ideal Home suggests mixing the grounds with another ingredient first for optimal results. They write: “Mix your coffee grounds with organic mulch around the rhododendrons’ root zone for maximum benefit.”