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Coffee Treatment Results

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Sashoke

Sashoke

So 2 weeks ago I gave my Ventricosa the coffee treatment by watering it with cold coffee and then flushing the pot out the next morning. Now 2 weeks later there are some very obvious growth increases.

The first thing Ive noticed is insane moss growth:
Quc7w8c.jpg



The first pitcher its produced since the coffee is is about 1/4 larger than all the others:
FsHNt7b.jpg

New pitcher on the right:
s8hMcBb.jpg


However the most astounding growth differences is the newest leaf its put out. It is almost twice the size of the other leaves.
1ouxePL.jpg

This leaf is also producing a pitcher right now, and Im hoping its gonna be a big one!

Anyway thats my 2 week mark, Ill be watering it with coffee again in another 2 weeks, so Ill post a new update then.
 
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hey, i first saw the coffee treatment from nepenthesis. What's your recipe and how long do you wait before the flush? I'd really like to try this on my nepenthes.
 
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ps3isawesome said:
hey, i first saw the coffee treatment from nepenthesis. What's your recipe and how long do you wait before the flush? I'd really like to try this on my nepenthes.
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Recipe is just a regular pot of Folgers dark roast. I just wait for it to get cold (Its absolutely imperative that you drink some while its still warm! ;D) then water the plant regularlly. I cofee'd in the afternoon and flushed it the next morning.
 
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Im really excited to try this myself. I wonder if this would work for seedlings as well..
 
Using darker roasts like the one mentioned might be better as they are like a reduced version of the coffee (less caffeine etc.) it sounds counter intuitive, but cooking the bean longer results in a more broken down material.

Coffee is often used to supplement nitrogen in mushroom cultures, it also provides a boost of acidic properties. Your results seem good, but I think a much larger sample size with clearly defined variables and controls would tell us a lot more.
 
ps3isawesome said:
can i just go to starbucks and get like 2 or 3 large dark roast black coffee? i don't drink coffee so don't have a coffee maker.
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Star bucks will generally hand you all their grounds if you ask, but make sure it has no flavoring/artificials in it.
 
The problem with starbucks coffee grounds (per experience using it to grow oyster mushrooms)

Is it's high contamination rate. If you feed those coffee grounds or treat the soil, you are likely introducing Trich, and other molds into the soil directly.
 
I have done it on and off for a few years. I have only done it will my more established plants though. I typically water like normal with coffee every 2 to 3 months and there are some noticeable increases in growth. I wish I had taken pictures but after a small stoppage in application I put a little extra on my lowii x boschiana and the leaves went from about 4 inches long to about 14 in span of 5 months(guestimating). The pitchers for me however seemed to be less colorful and smaller overall after it has one of these growth spurts, however, if I don't water with coffee it produces its normal pitchers again. The moss also goes crazy for me as well which is nice since I don't have to much of it to start with. I usually just take left over grounds and throw them in some water and let it sit for a day. Before use I will shake it up and water as normal. I have never been very diligent with flushing the pots though but have noticed no real issues (I would still recommend it if possible).

It'll be interesting to see what it looks like in a few months though! Keep us updated. I also know there are a few threads out and about if you have any other questions.
 
I wonder if anyone has tried this on plants other than Nepenthes. It would be very interesting to see how coffee affects the growth of other carnivorous plants, particularly ones that aren't generally fed (terrestrial utrics, etc).
 
David F said:
Using darker roasts like the one mentioned might be better as they are like a reduced version of the coffee (less caffeine etc.) it sounds counter intuitive, but cooking the bean longer results in a more broken down material.

Coffee is often used to supplement nitrogen in mushroom cultures, it also provides a boost of acidic properties. Your results seem good, but I think a much larger sample size with clearly defined variables and controls would tell us a lot more.
Click to expand...

Im going to be giving 2 of my other Nepenthes the coffee treatment today, theyre both identical in age and size, so I think that will also help with the sample size. Ill take before and after photos, so we can see just how big of a difference it makes.
 
Another thing I've done is get 5 gal. Buckets full of old/used coffee from gas stations or Starbucks and spread that on the garden and compost pile.. filters and all.....
 
I did coffee treatment since last spring. I did it around once a month. My nepenthes are great after treatment. The most significant improvement was observed after first treatment. I can't tell it is only due to coffee or spring weather also take part.
 
fredg said:
Could you show photos of the coffee fed plant against the control plants please?
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If you mean control plants, being plants that werent given the coffee treatment I have plenty but none are the same size, age or species of the Ventricosa, so their results are irrelevant.
 
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