Lawn improvements can be carried out throughout most of the year, but spring is generally considered the optimal time, as the soil temperature remains warm enough to promote healthy grass growth. One crucial lawn care task is fertilising the grass. Although numerous chemical lawn fertilisers are available on the market, a common kitchen item can be utilised as a substitute: coffee grounds.
Incorporating coffee grounds into your garden is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of adding essential nutrients to the soil. While using coffee grounds for gardening purposes is not a novel concept, it is often underutilised, with many individuals unaware of the benefits of adding this waste material to their gardens, particularly when it comes to lawn care. Gardening experts at Backyard Boss explained the effectiveness of coffee grounds for “making your grass extra green”.
They stated: “Grass loves coffee grounds and it will make your lawn look extra green, thicker and stronger.”
Lawn specialists at Turf Technologies agreed, suggesting that the caffeine in coffee grounds “works like magic” by “revitalising lawns”, as it contains the minerals nitrogen and phosphorus.
They explained: “They’re a slow-release fertiliser, the opposite of most synthetic products. This allows your lawn to benefit from the nutrients for a longer period of time, ensuring stronger turf for longer.”
Unlike synthetic fertiliser, which can cause damage such as burning the lawn or contaminating water through runoff if applied incorrectly, coffee grounds pose no such risks.
What’s more, earthworms are quite fond of coffee grounds — they consume them and, in return, aerate your lawn and promote beneficial microbial activity.
The experts suggest that the “easiest way” to distribute the coffee grounds is to do so whilst watering your grass.
Combine approximately half a pound of coffee grounds with five gallons of water, and you’ve got yourself an “inexpensive and easy lawn fertiliser”.
This method ensures that you won’t have to worry about clumps of coffee grounds scattered haphazardly across your lawn, and by using a watering can to sprinkle the lawn, you’ll ensure it spreads evenly.
Alternatively, you could manually spread the leftover material and then use a rake to evenly distribute the clumps of coffee, but make sure it falls down between the grass and onto the soil itself to ensure it adds nutrients rather than just sitting on the top.