# Coffee Grounds as a Grass Fertilizer



## Mmiller741 (Oct 31, 2012)

Hi there,

I've searched and searched and can't seem to find an answer. Can I use my used coffee grounds on my grass ( where my tortoise lives) as a fertilizer?

As you can see in the picture, the grass in the actual enclosure is looking pretty bad. I just set the green fence pen yesterday. Hopefully he will graze more in the greener area and let the other grass come back. His indoor pen is in the background so he needs access to the grass where I am planning to put the coffee grounds on.

He is mainly a grass grazer and we give him some other greens about 2-3 times a week. The grass is really his main diet source so I want to make sure he doesn't kill the grass in his pen. I really don't want to have this green fence up all the time.

Thanks for your help.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 31, 2012)

From a web search:

"Lab tests show that the grounds contain useful amounts of phosphorus and potassium, are a low-level source of nitrogen and also contain minor amounts of calcium, magnesium, copper, and other trace minerals, carbohydrates, sugars, some vitamins, and some caffeine.
Coffee grounds are particularly good for acid-loving plants, like tomatoes, roses, azaleas & blueberries, evergreens, camellias, avocados, and some fruit trees.
But you can use coffee grounds for most plants as the acid level is not as high as you would think as a substantial amount of the â€˜acidâ€™ is cooked out of the coffee and drunk. Just reduce the amount used for other plants.
Mix 250g ( half a pound) of damp grounds in a five-gallon bucket of water; let sit outdoors to get to air temperature and you have a liquid fertilizer.
Dry in an oven and apart from getting that great coffee smell around the house you get a fertilizer you can sprinkle around the base of plants.
Or dig it in damp into heavy alkali soil to break it down and encourage earthworms who then aerates the soil as well. Avoid dumping them in clumps as the can get a bit moldy sitting in lumps on the top.
Finally mix them into your compost heap or add crushed eggshells to deter slugs. My grandfather use to use eggshells to change the colour of his rhododendrons, but that is another story.
Like any type of fertilizer, just donâ€™t overdo it.
As a home experiment, sprinkle some around some of your tomato plants, and taste the difference between the tomatoes from the treated and those from the untreated plants.
Old coffee grounds have been found by farmers to produce some of the biggest melons, tomatoes and carrots. Vegetables are healthier and less prone to insect infestation.â€

Hi Mmiller741, and welcome to the Forum!!

You should probably dig the grounds into the soil, and not just leave them on top. A little aeration is helpful in bare grass areas, as more oxygen and looser soil helps the grass to grow.


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## Mmiller741 (Oct 31, 2012)

Thanks Emesemys,

That's the research that I've been seeing. Are any of those ingredients in the coffee grounds dangerous to a tortoise? I figured I would spread the grounds, rake them deep into the grass, and then water. I don't see the tortoise eating any of the grounds, but he will be eating the grass that the grounds were spread on.

Thanks again.


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## Spn785 (Oct 31, 2012)

So what happens if your tort eats the coffee grounds? Does s/he get hyper? Will s/he becom addicted to caffeine?


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## Yvonne G (Oct 31, 2012)

I imagine the caffeine probably wouldn't be good, but if you dig the grounds into the dirt, the tortoise shouldn't be able to eat them. Its just like any fertilizer. You put it on the grass then keep the tortoise off it until its been watered in for a couple weeks.


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## DesertGrandma (Oct 31, 2012)

emysemys said:


> From a web search:
> 
> "Lab tests show that the grounds contain useful amounts of phosphorus and potassium, are a low-level source of nitrogen and also contain minor amounts of calcium, magnesium, copper, and other trace minerals, carbohydrates, sugars, some vitamins, and some caffeine.
> Coffee grounds are particularly good for acid-loving plants, like tomatoes, roses, azaleas & blueberries, evergreens, camellias, avocados, and some fruit trees.
> ...





This is good information. I have been wondering about the same thing as I throw out a lot of coffee grounds. My grandmother used to put coffee grounds and eggs shells around her plants too on their farm but I didn't know why.


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## Mmiller741 (Oct 31, 2012)

Spn785 said:


> So what happens if your tort eats the coffee grounds? Does s/he get hyper? Will s/he becom addicted to caffeine?



Addicted to caffeine? I hope not. I don't need a tortoise begging me to satisfy his Starbucks craving everyday.


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