Have you heard that coffee grounds are good for peace lilies and started to wonder if it’s really true? If so you’ve come to the right article. In this article, you’ll learn what makes coffee grounds so great for peace lilies, the benefits your peace lilies will gain from coffee grounds, problems that coffee grounds can cause, and how to use them effectively!
So keep reading to find out everything you want to know!
Are Coffee Grounds Good For Peace Lilies?
Coffee grounds are great for your peace lily, so you should definitely consider adding them to your peace lilies pot if you can! They contain a lot of nitrogen which is one of the essential building blocks for any plant, and they’re also going to lower the pH of the soil, which is ideal for peace lilies too!
What Makes Coffee Grounds So Good For Peace Lilies?
There are actually a few different things that make coffee grounds so great for peace lilies! Here are all the different reasons!
The Nutrients
As previously mentioned, coffee grounds are a great source of nitrogen for peace lilies. And Nitrogen is one of the essential nutrients needed for all plants!
Lowers Acidity
Peace lilies like soil with pH between 5.8 – 6.5. So adding coffee grounds to your soil can help to increase the acidity if it needs to be.
However, to get the most out of this, make sure you’re only adding unwashed coffee grounds to the pot, as washed coffee grounds aren’t going to be as effective. You should also use fresh coffee grounds, as the older coffee grounds get, the less effect it will have as well!
Adds More Organic Matter To The Soil
Having organic matter in the soil is one of the key staples to helping your peace lily grow and bloom as best as it can. Organic matter can help aerate the soil and boost water retention while simultaneously improving drainage.
They Can Feed Microorganisms
Obviously, there are also benefits to having microorganisms such as worms in your pot as well, and coffee grounds can help sustain them for longer! However, this last tip isn’t for everybody, as some people can think of nothing worse than having a worm burrowing around in their home.
They Can Keep Pets Away
Unfortunately, peace lilies are poisonous, so you’re going to want to do everything you can to make sure that your pets stay away from them. Coffee grounds are known to repel certain indoor pets, so it may be worth testing this theory to see if yourdog/cat will stay away.
However, be careful. Coffee grounds are toxic to dogs, so before you blindly add them to your plant pot, make sure you check that your own pet will be repelled by it first!
Can Reverse Leaf Browning
As well as all of the above, if you add coffee grounds to your peace lilies pots, then it can also reverse leaf browning in your plant. Brown and yellow leaves most often occur due to overwatering, so by adding coffee grounds, you’re going to improve the drainage overall, thus reducing the chances of your peace lily becoming overwatered!
Reduce The Chances Of Certain Fungi
Lastly, studies have shown that coffee grounds have been shown to reduce the chances of certain rots and wilts that affect plants from growing in your soil as well as bacterial pathogens!
(Source)
The Downside Of Using Coffee Grounds
However, it’s not all benefits. Of course, with anything, there are also going to be some downsides as well. Here are the downsides of using coffee grounds.
They Can Attract Pests
First of all, coffee grounds are likely to attract certain pests to your peace lily. Roaches for example, like the smell of coffee grounds. So if you’re going to add coffee grounds to your soil, make sure you’re using them like compost and spreading them through the soil.
They Might Cause Too Much Water Retention
Although coffee grounds are great for boosting water retention when your peace lily needs it, sometimes they can cause too much water to be retained. Once this happens, you may notice that your peace lily will start to turn brown. So once again, if you’re going to use coffee grounds, make sure you’re spreading them evenly through the soil.
They Can Stunt Growth
In cases, where soil is already quite acidic, adding more coffee grounds is going to be detrimental and will end up stunting the growth of your peace lily. The soil should only be slightly acidic, so it may be worth checking before you begin to add the grounds.
They Can Attract Fungus
You may be wondering how coffee grounds can simultaneously stop prevent fungus growing, and promote fungus growing. Well while they can stop rots and wilts, they can also cause mold to form. So if you’re going to use coffee grounds make sure you’re using them like compost, rather than just leaving them on the soil.
What Are The Different Ways You Can Use Coffee Grounds?
A lot of people end up just dumping coffee grounds in their pot and hoping that will be enough. Unfortunately, this simple isn’t the case. You should add coffee grounds in specific way for the best results.
Here are the 3 different ways:
Creating Liquid Fertilizer
The first thing you can try is creating liquid fertilizer out of your coffee grounds. Liquid fertilizer only needs to be used once or twice a month, and it will drastically improve the soil quality, as well as spreading the coffee grounds evenly.
To make liquid fertilizer do the following:
First of all, fill a container with water and let it boil. Once it’s started to boil let it simmer for 5 minutes then add your coffee grounds. Once you’ve done this, you just have to leave the mixture for a few days making sure to stir it occasionally.
Then all you have to do after a few days is strain it and you can then just spray the soil as and when you need to and the coffee grounds will slowly be released.
Creating Compost
You can also try to create compost out of coffee grounds as well. To create compost though, you won’t be relying solely on coffee grounds but a mixture of household waste. So to make compost, all you have to do is add the standard household waste like you normally would, but top it up so that 20% of it is coffee grounds.
Then once that’s done just add the compost to your soil every couple of months.
Try Mulching
Lastly, you can also try mulching your coffee grounds as well. To mulch with coffee grounds all you have to do is add the coffee grounds to the top of your soil. Just make sure you’re breaking your coffee grounds up and spreading them across the soil first.
And remember that you should check the pH before adding coffee as it could make the soil to acidic.
How Much Coffee Should You Add To Your Peace Lily?
If you’re not sure how much coffee grounds you should add, just whatever’s left from your morning coffee should be more than sufficient. If your peace lily is used to it you can put it all in at once, and if it’s the first time you may be better spreading it out over time.
How Often Should You Use Coffee Grounds?
Generally speaking, you can add coffee grounds to your peace lily every one or two months. Of course all of this depends on a lot of factors, such as the environment, soil they’re growing in, what other fertilizers you’ve added etc.
It may also be worth going to once a month during the spring and summer when your peace lily is going to be doing the most growth!
Recap
As you can see, when used in moderation, coffee grounds can be a great addition to your peace lilies soil, and can be used as excellent fertilizer! So if you have some lying about, why not try the advice listed above.
If you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website. Otherwise have a great day!
