Strawberries & Used Coffee & Tea Grounds - Ask Extension (2024)

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Strawberries & Used Coffee & Tea Grounds - Ask Extension? ›

Expert Response. In a nutshell, coffee grounds are acidic, so sprinkle around lemon trees and all acid loving plants, such as berries (strawberries, blueberries etc), spuds, and some of the ornamentals like roses, camellias and azaleas.

Because coffee grounds are slightly acidic, they are ideal for strawberries and other plants that prefer a slightly acidic soil. Although coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, they should not be used as the only fertiliser for strawberries, as they contain hardly any other nutrients.

Coffee grounds also contain needed plant macro and micronutrients, such as phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, while tea leaves contain a decent level of nitrogen, a macro-nutrient that encourages leaf growth.

Feeding. In early spring, feed strawberry plants growing in the ground with a high potassium general fertiliser, such as Vitax Q4 or blood, fish and bonemeal. Scatter half a handful per square metre/yard around the plants.

The high carbon content in coffee grounds helps to feed soil, and when mixed with other organic matter, such as manures or organic garden waste, they can make a fantastic compost mix for use in your garden at home. Tea leaves are also full of nutrients and tannins that help plants grow.

Because tea grounds are natural, organic matter, they increase nutrient levels and improve soil quality as they decompose. Both are high in nitrogen content, which will definitely benefit your berries.

Avoid using coffee grounds on alkaline-loving trees, such as linden, ironwood, red chestnut and arborvitae. Coffee grounds used as mulch or compost inhibit plant growth on geranium, asparagus fern, Chinese mustard and Italian ryegrass.

Excess coffee grounds, if applied to the soil before composting, have multiple effects on the soil system. In addition to microorganisms tying up nitrogen temporarily, the caffeine residues in the spent coffee grounds can suppress germination and slow the growth of some plants.

Coffee grounds are packed with nutrients that tomato plants love, like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. They help improve soil structure and promote microbial activity, which can lead to healthier, more robust tomato plants. Plus, they may even help deter certain pests.

The key to using used coffee grounds as a liquid fertilizer is dilution! Too much of a good thing is possible, particularly for plants potted in containers. We recommend using about a teaspoon of coffee grounds per gallon of water.

Should you water strawberry plants everyday? ›

During normal weather conditions, strawberries need water equal to 1 to 1.5 inches of rain each week. During hot, dry periods, water as needed to prevent shallow roots from drying out. Plants in containers may need daily watering.

Apply straw mulch over strawberry plants in the late fall to prevent winter injury. Mulch saves the plants from drying out or being killed by cold winter temperatures. It also retains soil moisture the following spring and summer.

Strawberries can be grown in a variety of ways, but make sure they get 8 or more hours of sun and are planted in slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.8. Give your native soil a boost by mixing in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter.

Add 2 cups of used coffee grounds to a 5-gallon bucket of water. Let the "tea" steep for a few hours or overnight. You can use this concoction as a liquid fertilizer for garden and container plants. It also makes a great foliar feed you can spray directly on the leaves and stems of your plants.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne determined through experimentation that even limited amounts of coffee grounds in soil had a detrimental effect on the growth of broccoli, leek, radish, violas, and sunflowers.

Fresh Coffee Grounds for Acid-Loving Plants

While used coffee grounds are only slightly acidic, fresh (unbrewed) coffee grounds are much more acidic. Acid-loving plants like hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas, lily-of-the-valley, blueberries, carrots, and radishes get a boost from fresh grounds.

Coffee grounds are neutral to slightly acidic (pH can range from about 6.2 to 6.8), with fresh grounds containing more acid, which can affect soil pH. Acidic-loving plants such as azaleas, blueberries, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and roses will benefit from a sprinkling of coffee grounds around the base of plants.

You can, but it should not be more than a thin sprinkling. If you add too much, the coffee grounds will form a dense layer on the surface of the potting soil that is impenetrable to water.

The best fertilizer for strawberries is usually a 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 balanced fertilizer. If you keep an organic garden, choose from all-natural fertilizers, including blood meal, kelp meal, soybean meal, and alfalfa meal.