The caffeine in your morning cup of coffee is 100% responsible for keeping you upbeat and energized throughout the day. And it turns out it helps your plants stay happy and healthy, too.
According to Washington State University, the 700+ million cups of coffee Americans drink every day results in a lot of coffee ground waste. You don’t need to toss them in the garbage, though—you can use them in your garden. Not only can coffee grounds help your plants grow, but they do so without harming any critters. There’s no research that shows coffee grounds kill slugs and other common garden dwellers. Plus, earthworms actually like to eat it.
So how exactly should you go about using used coffee grounds in your garden? The Spruce says the nitrogen in coffee grounds can give plants a boost, and you can either sprinkle them on top or mix them in with the top couple inches of soil. Using coffee grounds with indoor houseplants, on the other hand, could do more harm than good: SFGate cautions that they could trap moisture and lead to fungal overgrowth.
If you’re a backyard garden goddess, test out the tactic and see if your plants thrive. You could be bettering your blooms and saving the planet at the same time.