🎙️
28

My neighbor told me to use coffee grounds on my hydrangeas and now they're a mess

My neighbor Frank, who grows roses, swore by putting used coffee grounds around my blue hydrangeas to 'boost the acidity'. I did it for about three weeks, just sprinkling them on the soil. Now the leaves are all yellow and crispy, and the blooms look sad. I looked it up and it turns out you have to compost them first or they can mess with the soil. Has anyone else had a plant tip from a friend totally backfire?
2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
2 Comments
harper693
harper6935d ago
Frank grows roses, not hydrangeas, that's the first red flag. Coffee grounds straight from the pot are way too strong and they can form a crust that blocks water. I tried that once on my azaleas and it basically fried the roots. You gotta let that stuff break down in a compost pile for months first.
2
mary_martin22
See, I get what harper693 is saying about the crust thing, but I've been dumping my leftover coffee grounds around my roses for years with no issues. I mean, I just sprinkle them thin and mix them into the top soil a little, never had roots fry. Maybe it depends on your soil type? Mine's pretty sandy so water gets through easy.
0