Dragon trees (Dracaena) are popular indoor plants because of their palm-like growth and the slender, often variegated leaves. So that you can enjoy the plants for a long time, you should supply them with nutrients regularly. Are coffee grounds suitable for fertilizing your dragon tree?
In a nutshell
- Coffee grounds are well suited as fertilizer for dragon trees
- Dry well before use to avoid mold growth
- Dosage: one to two teaspoons depending on the size of the plant
- do not use as sole fertilizer, only as a supplement
- only fertilize once in spring and once in autumn with coffee grounds
Table of contents
- Coffee grounds as fertilizer
- Dry before use
- Fertilize with coffee grounds
- Do not use as sole fertilizer
- frequently asked Questions
Coffee grounds as fertilizer
Do you like drinking coffee? Then don't throw the coffee grounds from your cup or coffee machine in the trash! In fact, the crumbly coffee ground contains many nutrients that are valuable for plants, such as
- Nitrogen
- phosphorus
- potassium
- and tannic acids
- and antioxidants
Coffee grounds also have important micronutrients such as copper, zinc and manganese. The ecological household remedy is also particularly well suited for dragon trees because these Houseplants prefer a slightly acidic pH value and the coffee grounds, which are also acidic, prefer it delivers. In principle, you can use all types of coffee for fertilization, but you should use organically grown varieties if possible due to the lower level of pollution.
A notice: There are around 50 different ones dragon tree species, but only a few of them can be cultivated as houseplants. The is particularly popular Fringed dragon tree (Dracaena marginata). You can fertilize any dragon tree with coffee grounds.
Dry before use
If you want to fertilize your dragon tree with coffee grounds, you should dry it thoroughly beforehand. Otherwise, the material will mold quickly, which in turn has harmful effects on your plants. The best way to dry it is as follows:
- Spread the fresh coffee base loosely on baking paper or newspaper
- dry in an airy, dry and warm place
- if possible outdoors and if possible for several hours
- alternative drying in the oven for about. one hour at 80 °C
- Meanwhile, leave the oven door ajar
After drying, the coffee grounds should be finely crumbly and no longer contain any traces of moisture. It can also be stored in a screw-top jar or something similar.
Tip: So that you don't have to turn on the oven to dry the coffee base and waste energy unnecessarily waste, use the remaining one after baking a cake or preparing a casserole, for example residual heat.
Fertilize with coffee grounds
If you want to fertilize your dragon tree with coffee grounds, the best way to do this is as follows:
- one teaspoon of dried coffee grounds for smaller plants, two for large dragon trees
- spread loosely on the substrate surface
- possibly. incorporate easily
- pour
You can also work the specified amounts of coffee grounds into the plant substrate when repotting and repotting the dragon trees. In this way, you ensure the right pH value right from the start and supply the plants with important nutrients.
Tip: Incidentally, the leftovers of freshly brewed coffee that have cooled down are ideal for making Liquid fertilizer: Mix the cold coffee with water in a ratio of 1:1 and pour the dragon trees with it.
Do not use as sole fertilizer
But beware: Coffee grounds are not suitable as the sole fertilizer for various reasons! On the one hand, fertilizing with coffee grounds alone threatens to over-acidify the substrate, but on the other hand there is also an undersupply of nutrients. After all, the nutrient content in the coffee grounds is not guaranteed and can be significantly lower than expected. In order to ensure a good supply of all main and trace nutrients, you should
- supply the dragon tree regularly with a suitable main fertilizer
- e.g. B. a green plant and palm fertilizer
- In spring and autumn add some coffee grounds as described
Tip: Is the pH already too acidic or do you fear acidification? Then you can crush some of the dried coffee grounds eggshell add. These neutralize the acidity, but are not suitable for lime-sensitive plants.
frequently asked Questions
As the main fertilizer for dragon trees, you should use a green plant fertilizer, if possible on a biological basis. A high-quality universal fertilizer is also suitable, only flowering plant fertilizers are unsuitable - these simply have the wrong ones for the dragon trees that usually do not bloom in indoor culture nutrient composition. An organic-based fertilizer also ensures that the nutrients are released continuously and over-fertilization is practically impossible. Fertilize the dragon tree once a week between April and October, and only once a month during the winter months.
Cacti and other succulents as well as the sensitive orchids should never be fertilized with coffee grounds. The same applies to all plants that have a high lime requirement and/or cannot tolerate an acidic pH value. These include many herbs such as parsley, thyme, lavender or sage, many vegetables and deciduous trees such as maple and linden. You can fertilize these species with crushed eggshells instead of coffee grounds. But the rule also applies here: not suitable as the sole fertilizer!
Coffee grounds, on the other hand, are ideal for all plantsthat prefer an acidic pH. In addition to the dragon trees, these include, for example, azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, begonias, lilies, petunias, geraniums, roses, lemon plants (eg. B. lemon, tangerine and orange trees) and others. For most indoor plants, coffee grounds are well suited as an occasional supplementary fertilizer and also ensure that flowering plants develop a particularly lush bloom.