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JoAnn749

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
Do any of you use coffee grounds for your figs?  I just started throwing them into the garden a few weeks ago, and into my Meyers lemon tree pot.  I read earthworms love them too!
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Jo-Ann DFW TX, Zone 7b-8a Wish List: Black Madeira,, Kathleen's Black, Malta Black, Marseille VS Black, White Paradisio, LSU Scott's Black, Conadria, White Trianna, Marttineca Rimada, Excel, Peter's Honey, Bebera Preta (Abebereira), Strawberry Verte
bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
someone on the forum once said that it gets the ants away, so now and then, i put my coffee grinds on the container for my figs. but ants came back anyway :)
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
WillsC

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Coffee is PH 5 and while the grounds are not nearly that acidic after the brewing process some can be depending on grind size and the coffee brewing method.  Finer ground coffee grounds like espresso or coffee grounds from a french press are closer to neutral.  If you are dealing with acidic soil and it is making your figs less happy it might not be a good idea.  Grounds are an awesome soil amendment for a lot of plants.  I grow 130+ blueberries and they love them.  
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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
caffeinated blueberry :)
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
WillsC

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
That would be awesome:)   The grounds make a nice addition to the potting mix for BB as well.   It is one of those items you can get if you have a coffee house in your area most will save the grounds for you.  
ascpete

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
I had placed the coffee grounds on my potted figs this summer. The ants disappeared within a week after it was applied. the used coffee grounds were added weekly. I also applied a cup of Dolemite Limestone monthly for each 5 gallons of potting mix. The only other regular application (other than fertilizer) to the figs was a regular (weekly) dusting of Diatomaceous Earth. In my opinion it worked to deter the ants.
garden_whisperer

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
throw the grinds in the compost and let them juice down with everythingelse
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DesertDance

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
I don't use grounds on my figs much because they do have acid which my citrus and roses love, so the grounds go there.  Speaking of which....... Gotta go dump some grounds and make a fresh pot of coffee!

Suzi
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bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
my ants much be like my aunt. can't function without that first cup of joe.
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
Alan1631

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
I would not put coffee grounds on figs...pH too high.  However, they work great on all other acid loving plants.  I put them around azaleas, camelias, gardenias, blackberries and pineapple guava.  I don't have blueberries but have neighbors that grow them in containers and they use the coffee grounds to lower the pH for them as well.
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Alan
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will

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
My buddy has a 12 foot fig tree and his parents have been giving the tree coffee grounds for 25 years and they swear by it!
Centurion

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Quote:
Originally Posted by garden_whisperer
throw the grinds in the compost and let them juice down with everythingelse

My local gas station/convieniencestore/coffee shop has my 5 gal bucket located on the floor  right where they brew their coffee.   They dump their filter/grounds...whatever into my bucket as they brew coffee. I switch the bucket out every few days.  It all goes into the compost pile and it all eventually goes onto the figs and into my potting mix. 

Here are some pic of the very happy tree that grows right next to the pile of mostly coffee grounds.  When I dig down into the compost sometimes I see it's roots.   

(Compost pile is to the left along the wall, just outside of view in pic #1.  Pic #3 three shows the pile just in front of the tree at top.  If you zoom in and look real hard you can see a couple of filters sticking out near the top).  :-)


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Dave
Verde Valley, AZ
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ascpete

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
One or two table spoons of coffee grinds sprinkled around the base of the fig tree will not change the PH of the potting mix or soil. The coffee was used as an insect deterrent not as mulch or soil amendment. If the grounds are composted they become compost/ humus and may not be effective as a deterrent.
bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
how about unused grinds? i have a bag of coffee that my wife and i don't like too much of.
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
springlakenj

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
I don't put them on the figs but throw the coffee grinds on the acid loving plants- anything that Holly Tone is recommended for, Holly, azalea, hydrangea, and evergreen.
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John G. Spring Lake Hts, NJ Zone 7A

WillsC

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Sure but unused coffee is highly acidic......it is all about volume though.  A little no problem a lot maybe a problem but then only if you are dealing with native soil that tends toward the acidic.  If you are on soil that is naturally alkaline you can put whatever acid bearing items you want and it will have no effect.  It takes a LOT to change the native soils PH in any measurable way for any length of time. If you are putting the grounds near the trunk it will not have any effect on PH anyway as that is not where the feeder roots are.  
BronxFigs

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
I can't remember exactly where or when, but I think that Al (tapla) mentioned that coffee grounds are not good for fig trees.  Some chemical or alkaloid in the coffee, rubs the fig trees the wrong way.  How's that for a technical explanation?

Frank

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EDIT....... 6:06 AM   Saturday 12/1/2012

Do a search on the Garden Web Forum for:  "RE: Coffee and Potatoe Water?"   and note Al (tapla) comments about coffee grounds and caffeine toxicity...root growth inhibitors, etc.



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musillid

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Posted Reply with quote  #18 
I don't know about figs, but my grandma (Swiss/German side) grew raspberries right outside the door of her house and that's where the grounds went. They sure made the raspberries happy . . . and me indirectly.
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Dale
non compost mentis in Zone 6a
garden_whisperer

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Posted Reply with quote  #19 
I have praying mantis eggs i put all over the yard to keep the pest out. they do a good job too. need to go see if there are any egg cases to harvest for next spring. it can wait until morning though.
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Dave Zone 6b Illinois

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Centurion

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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
Quote:
Originally Posted by garden_whisperer
I have praying mantis eggs i put all over the yard to keep the pest out. they do a good job too. need to go see if there are any egg cases to harvest for next spring. it can wait until morning though.


I see those big beautiful green guys around here from time to time. I would love to help them multiply.  What's their egg cases look like?   And how do you protect them through the winter?  
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Dave
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leon_edmond

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Posted Reply with quote  #21 
Pete- do you see an increase in fig production using the Dolomitic lime?
ascpete

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Posted Reply with quote  #22 
Leon,
This is my first year with figs, but of the 34 older fig plants (in 5 gallon buckets, 31 varieties in all) that I grew this year, They all produced at least one fig at each leaf node. I have loosely followed the Mittleider method of gardening with Dolemite limestone (Limestone/Magnesium/boron mix) monthly feedings and fertilizer with micro-nutrients (Espoma garden-tone). It has worked to increase my garden production, plant health and overall soil condition. Because I started my fig adventure in late spring with young plants, most of the figs were pinched, though I did have a few figs from each of the different varieties, next season will be the tell.

I found the reference to using coffee grounds for ant population reduction on the web, and in my opinion it worked. The area ( approximately 10ft by 50ft) that was treated (sprinkled) with the coffee grounds remained ant free. My garden ( approximately 1/2 acre), which was not treated, still had the usual amount of ants (they have never been a problem). Typically I promote a healthy diverse amount of beneficial insects and plants (cover crops/weeds) in my gardens, the coffee grounds was to keep the ants off the figs, since it was posted that they were attracted to the ripening figs. I will also be using coffee grounds in my fruit tree orchard next year.

Edit: 12/01/12; Dale, The 5 gallon Buckets were Blue (Walmart) for additional solar heat. Lighter colored buckets would help to keep the roots cooler in warmer zones, black pots provide too much (solar) heat at the roots.
musillid

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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
Nice little nuggest in yoru posting Pete. Thanks. Did you pick a particular color of bucket for any reason?
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Dale
non compost mentis in Zone 6a
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