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 used a mixture of peat moss, top soil, and coffee grounds for about 30 years now and my raised beds now have great soil and whenever I dig into it, it's full of earthworms. I have also had great harvests. So, in my garden world, coffee grounds are a must. I also add coffee grounds to my compost, and have had great results--had the best squash harvest ever with a bed that was simply amended with compost that included coffee grounds.
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 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.
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 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.
You might be correct, BUT, I'm using them and I got 100% germination and I have beautiful plants currently growing. However, I went a step further. I use unused grounds in my beds but I also use used ones. Also, I soak them in water and use the liquid as well. The combo of both is working wonderfully for me. I only use the grounds on top of the soil so that when I wanted, it washes the nutrients into the soil from the top, down. They also seem to biodegrade faster. I also have zero pests in my garden.
@SoiLab ain't it something 120f yesterday and I believe it cooled from the day before. I wish I could afford a thermometer but I'm the mean time my neighbor will come check it for me every couple weeks
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
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!
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.
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!
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
@@miltonwelch8619 easiest was is to soak in water for a week. Then use or to compost but it'll do fine. Give it a stir every day or two grounds r n coffee
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 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!
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!
I've had a lot of success adding coffee grounds to my compost pile as well as to my vermicompost bins. It looks like several of the other comments below see the benefit to earthworms as well! Thanks for watching!
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
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".
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?
Ohhhh my goodness! We have an outhouse which the local soldier flies deal with a lot and through winter when they are less active we get it pumped out. As soon as we start using it they start making a return. I have recently bought a coffee machine and have been sprinkling grounds on the bald spots on our lawn which is sandy loam..without much loam 😂 it's growing in nicely already. I am going to start putting spent grounds in the toilet as I am sure it will also help reduce any smells better than sawdust
I use huge amounts of coffee grounds both directly added to the soil and through my compost system. I am also just beginning to try and get them to grow mushrooms with spent mushroom substrate so I can add the mycelium on a continuous basis to my soil additions. Your study confirms some things that seem to happen when I use coffee grounds but I would have liked you to monitor the moisture both in retention and overall use to maintain an ideal moisture level. And also how the additions of spent grounds affect soil vitality. We are now well on our way to understanding the importance of the microbial network and how that improves soils and thereby plant growth. It would be interesting to know it coffee grounds are helping on that front by creating the condition for a heathy microbial network. I would speculate that the earthworm brought to the soil and their castings are a major contributor to improving the microbial network. But I would take great interest in a study of this matter.
Thank you for the input and thank you for watching! Although I didn't measure water retention, it seems whether in this demonstration or others using an organic amendment or fertilizer (ex. feather meal) water retention is increased, even with relatively small additions. Thanks again!
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'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 have used a mixture of peat moss, top soil, and coffee grounds for about 30 years now and my raised beds now have great soil and whenever I dig into it, it's full of earthworms. I have also had great harvests. So, in my garden world, coffee grounds are a must. I also add coffee grounds to my compost, and have had great results--had the best squash harvest ever with a bed that was simply amended with compost that included coffee grounds.
Thank you for watching and commenting! I love hearing of success, especially these long-term stories!
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 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.
Flip that. Mag is plants, iron animals
Why no eggshells? and are you worried about your coffee filters being bleached?
@@dr.froghopper6711 worms needs a good caffeine fix too.
@@UnseemlyGenie00 i use unbleached filters but they disappear so quick I never thought about shredding them
I like this guy. Even I understand his explanations. Keep this going. I learn a lot with every episode.
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 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.
I add them to the compost heap.
I was kinda surprised by the lack of change in the pH. Great experiment Matt. Thanks for sharing!
This was surprising to us as well. Thanks Pacific Northwest Lawns!
Seriously my new favorite channel. Thank you for this content!
You might be correct, BUT, I'm using them and I got 100% germination and I have beautiful plants currently growing. However, I went a step further. I use unused grounds in my beds but I also use used ones. Also, I soak them in water and use the liquid as well. The combo of both is working wonderfully for me. I only use the grounds on top of the soil so that when I wanted, it washes the nutrients into the soil from the top, down. They also seem to biodegrade faster. I also have zero pests in my garden.
Thank you for watching and for the information! I'm glad to hear that you are having such great success, and are pest free!
Thank you for doing these tests! Love the real data you provide😊
Coldest time of the year. Im new to compost. Couple shovels of grounds and 2gal water has my piles unbelievably hot
I always love seeing the compost pile steaming this time of year!
@SoiLab ain't it something 120f yesterday and I believe it cooled from the day before. I wish I could afford a thermometer but I'm the mean time my neighbor will come check it for me every couple weeks
@@randystanton1224 That's great!
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
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!
Thank you!
i love your videos., thank you
You are very welcome! Thank you for watching!
Man I’m adding coffee grounds to the lawn. Can get it free from Starbucks. Great series can’t wait to see the rest of them
Thanks Jose! We should have the next videos dropping soon!
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.
If some sort of vegetation had been planted in the two soils and allowed to grow, that would have been very interesting and possibly revealing.
This is a great idea for a future video!
Hey friend should I use Azomite in the garden if it does very little results?
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!
Very interesting. Do coffee grounds work? They mainly increase iron.
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
How long does it take to break down and for the nitrate depression to go away, resulting in increased available nitrogen?
@@miltonwelch8619 easiest was is to soak in water for a week. Then use or to compost but it'll do fine. Give it a stir every day or two grounds r n coffee
good video want to add to water then spray on how much 50 gals of water coffee and coffee grounds
Thanks. Very informative.
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.
I've not used coffee grounds directly that way, but always add the grounds and filters to my vermicompost bin and they seem to love it!
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!
There is a bacteria that actually lives off caffeine and it is used by a bug that eats coffee 😮🤔 while other bugs can't.👍✌️
Nice partial experiment.
Is used coffee grounds good for grass?
Very good 👍🏻
What can i use to boost the nitrogen ir does thw egg shells and other thongs posted last to look at will be something for that?
Any chance of a 4, 6, or 8 week test of nitrogen levels to see if/when the nitrogen depression balances out or turns into a boost?
Suggestion - if it's possible to have a pre-composted coffee (such as 50/50 grounds and paper) and seeing the post N dip action?
That would be a good topic for a future video to evaluate.
@@SoiLab Thank you for considering it! It would be amazing to see the sequestration and release, if there is a curve etc. Cheers!
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!
It is!
I usually add the coffee grounds to my compost, but don’t put them directly on the growing plants
So--would you suggest it be part of the compost elements to give it enough time to rebuild the N?
I've had a lot of success adding coffee grounds to my compost pile as well as to my vermicompost bins. It looks like several of the other comments below see the benefit to earthworms as well! Thanks for watching!
Are these used coffee grounds or new grounds? I have only ever seen people recommend used grounds not fresh coffee grounds
I'm wondering same thing
Looks like urine would be good to mix with coffee to add extra nitrogen.
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
Is there a source stating that plants prefer NO3- to NH4+? I feel like energetically ammonium uptake would be preferred.
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".
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?
Not scientific but have tested with coffee grounds in a tub and the soldier flies went to town on them. Never seen so many maggots around.
@@meepmeep7165 Thank you, now must find a way to attract them.
Ohhhh my goodness! We have an outhouse which the local soldier flies deal with a lot and through winter when they are less active we get it pumped out. As soon as we start using it they start making a return. I have recently bought a coffee machine and have been sprinkling grounds on the bald spots on our lawn which is sandy loam..without much loam 😂 it's growing in nicely already.
I am going to start putting spent grounds in the toilet as I am sure it will also help reduce any smells better than sawdust
Interesting, but would be better with the same subjects plus two more with identical plants from a nursery.
I use huge amounts of coffee grounds both directly added to the soil and through my compost system. I am also just beginning to try and get them to grow mushrooms with spent mushroom substrate so I can add the mycelium on a continuous basis to my soil additions. Your study confirms some things that seem to happen when I use coffee grounds but I would have liked you to monitor the moisture both in retention and overall use to maintain an ideal moisture level. And also how the additions of spent grounds affect soil vitality. We are now well on our way to understanding the importance of the microbial network and how that improves soils and thereby plant growth. It would be interesting to know it coffee grounds are helping on that front by creating the condition for a heathy microbial network. I would speculate that the earthworm brought to the soil and their castings are a major contributor to improving the microbial network. But I would take great interest in a study of this matter.
Thank you for the input and thank you for watching! Although I didn't measure water retention, it seems whether in this demonstration or others using an organic amendment or fertilizer (ex. feather meal) water retention is increased, even with relatively small additions. Thanks again!
Here is another take on this question, advising against using the grounds in a seed bed:
th-cam.com/video/UkjM10L9Nik/w-d-xo.htmlsi=vraIcxlTWDCT_85q
Bananapeels next please. Dry them and make powder
I feed my worms and compost heap coffee grinds
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'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.
4:26 specifically 5:26 and 10:24.
@@SoiLab by later, I mean after a few months, not just two weeks, and what are the numbers?
I use it for my maryjane plants and it's good keeps the bugs away nd makes the buds sticky smells like mocahino weed .gets me every morning