Using Coffee As a Plant Fertilizer

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mel_Chan]Mel Chan
People around the world drink coffee and this means that every day millions of pots of coffee are brewed and millions of wet grounds, filters and bags trashed. Many people did not know that coffee by-products have many uses in the garden and in the farm.
Are you wondering how the coffee by-products have so many uses? If you have a garden at home, sprinkle the coffee wet grounds around the plants before it rains or before watering them. This creates a slow-release of nitrogen into the soil. Nitrogen is the most important element for plant development and required in large amounts. It is essential for the chlorophyll in plants, making photosynthesis possible and the green color of plants. Plants lacking nitrogen show stunted growth and yellowish leaves. Just as too little nitrogen causes problems, too much nitrogen can also cause problems.
If there is too much nitrogen, it will produce plants with weak stems. Quality of the produced fruits, such as peaches and apples will be lower and the sugar content in fruits such as beetroot will be lower. In addition, it can lead to nitrate accumulation in edible foliage of plants. Ingesting such high nitrate foods can pose possible health risks for animals and humans.
Though nitrogen is abundant in our atmosphere, plants cannot use it directly, unless processed naturally in the soil. Therefore, by adding the coffee by-product to the soil, results in slow release of nitrogen. This is a perfect gift to your soil and plants. It is like adding fertilizer to the soil. The coffee by-product releases the nitrogen slowly into the soil that makes it so perfect. It is because quick release of nitrogen may cause harm such as burning of the leaf tissue and plant death.
Most people with a garden and a farm tend to forget about their houseplants. I hope that you are not one of them. You can mix the wet grounds into the soil of the houseplants too.
If you prefer to use fast-acting liquid fertilizer, you can mix the wet grounds in water. You can use about half pound can of wet grounds in a five-gallon bucket of water. However, remember to leave it to stand before use for an ambient temperature. Once usable, you can water the plants with this homemade, gentle liquid fertilizer.
Personally, I prefer to place the coffee by-products directly in the soil, as I find it rather cumbersome to make the fast-acting fertilizer.
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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Using-Coffee-As-a-Plant-Fertilizer&id=6639389] Using Coffee As a Plant Fertilizer