In our first episode of “Does It Work”, we are evaluating coffee grounds as a soil amendment and the results are surprising! #soil #coffee #garden Grab a soil test! www.mysoiltest...
I have a degree in microbiology and studied invertebrate zoology including oligochaeta (earthworms). My understanding is that coffee grounds do not add much in nutrients to the soil but earthworms use the grounds to line their intestinal tracts to help break down organic matter. I only add my coffee grounds to my compost bin where it gets mixed with alfalfa meal, neem seed meal, and ground oyster shell flour. No eggshells. I cut the coffee filters into small pieces and add that as well. I have a bucket of water with pieces of rusty rebar and washers that supplies direct iron. I use Tiger Bloom liquid fertilizer which contains over 2% nitrate. Most liquid fertilizers only contain ammonium (NH4) which requires two bacterial cycles over a 30-day period to be converted to nitrate (NO3) which is what plants need. Human blood uses magnesium to carry hemoglobin, but plants use iron to carry chlorophyll. Good luck people!
I don’t have your degree but as soon as I started adding coffee grounds from the local brew shop I noticed that the earthworm population boomed. For whatever reason, they appear to absolutely love the coffee, the little freaks! I allow them to have their way with the spent grounds. I’ve noticed that my garden seems appreciative because the earthworm population in the beds is doing well.
Great initial results. The only issue from here is the assumption that the Nitrogen will return in time. These two week trials are initially informative but we really need the 8-16 week data to see when and how the soil has stabilized. Any chance of getting these longer term data in the future? Especially for something like green amendments like kelp and biochar that actually benefit positively with time.
I would be interested in a study of using brewed liquid coffee as a nitorgen/iron source and to help lower soil ph. I used left over brewed coffee around a stunted tree and the leaves turn dark green and the tree started to grow. We have 7.4 ph soil and city water. We also have hard compact clay loam soil. Everything struggles to grow here.
Great series. Can you also add a video on the effectiveness of Alfalfa pellets or Alfalfa meal as a soil amendment? it is widely recommended in gardening community, but I’d like to understand the short term and long term effects of alfalfa on the soil
soil test comparisons are all well and good, but the "proof is in the pudding". run a test growing a variety of plants in each soil then measure compare the size, healthiness, yield of each
I've read articles and seen multiple videos about using coffee grounds in the garden and they nearly all state that it takes time for the grounds to break down enough for the nitrogen to become available, but that wasn't addressed in this video. All we are told is that the grounds actually take nitrogen out of the soil when it's first added, so is there a follow up video telling us if more nitrogen is available later, because on it's own, this video tells us nothing.
I’m curious to know the impact when earthworms and vegetation are part of the equation. I have really hard dense clay in spots. It seems like if I toss some coffee grounds down on the ground they are gone really fast. Supposed the worms love it. My hope is help kick start their contribution to improve soil health.
Would you consider doing an episode on crab meal? I hear it is similar to insect frass (Chitin) but it is more available where I am located. Thanks for all you do!
Is this important enough for a video? I've been adding coffee grounds for 30 years without a problem (I use the permanent "gold" filter). I added gallons to my peppers this year and had perhaps the best crop ever. Not a powerful "additive" but great for worms and making the soil more "growable".
I've looked at Azomite as well. Many of these products will not return immediate short term results, which we see in this series a bit, but do promote long term soil health and fertility. Hope this helps and thanks for watching!
I've been using coffee grounds for years. Seems to help with the Oklahoma clay. I also use my kitchen scraps (lettuce, vegetables, fruits). Don't know how well they work. But curious! Thanks for the test! Crushing it!
One thing that's worth noting, is that coffee grounds have a slight allelopathic trait. The oils and other compounds in the grounds slightly reduce germination, and may affect some sensitive plant roots
I started top dressing/ broadcasting coffee grounds on the lawn during the last few weeks of winter and about every 3-4 weeks after that. The lawn looks great. My thought process was that the grounds would be broken down by the time the grass needed N and also help break down the thatch layer. Go for it dude.
this is super valuable information, actual tested data, rather then believing some folks who promote all kinds of mumbo jumbo and get millions of views
Would be interesting to look at the caffeine content of the grounds, and how - if any - the residual caffeine affects plant growth. Thanks for the vid, Matt!
In Australia we have the "Black Soldier fly'. It does not touch you food. When it becomes a fly its only job is the lay maggots, they are usually darker than the one we see in spoilt food etc and are segmented. These break down food scraps better, faster, than worms. Can you tell me if they can handle coffee grounds please?
I've read articles and seen multiple videos about using coffee grounds in the garden and they nearly all state that it takes time for the grounds to break down enough for the nitrogen to become available, but that wasn't addressed in this video. All we are told is that the grounds actually take nitrogen out of the soil when it's first added, so is there a follow up video telling us if more nitrogen is available later, because on it's own, this video tells us nothing.
