Coffee WORKS as a fertilizer.

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Thanks for the clarification Davy.

I wonder what it is about it that makes it such a positive factor for growth? Maybe the caffeine has some sort of effect on the rate of growth. Typical plants that show this result are resulting from Nitrogen supplements. Potassium and magnesium dont seem to have that drastic of an effect.

 

[EdaxFlamma]

DO NOT USE INSTANT COFFEE!

Phew had to get that out haha. I used it on my plants and it turned the media into a black tar mess. I do however use coffee grinds as a top dressing and that seems to work equally well. I use cold coffee for iced coffee so I'm greedy and keep it for myself haha. But coffee grinds 1/4" thick as a top dressing does great for me. They get a little taste each time you water!

-J.P.

 

[chloroplast]

DavyJones,

I've heard anecdotal reports of this.

You may want to try watering only half of your plants with coffee, and the other half treat as you normally would. This would better enable you to determine whether it's the coffee, something else, or chance that produces whatever effects you observe. It's also good just in case the treatment ends up being detrimental--that way, only half of your collection is affected instead of it all!

Ken

 

[Adam]

hmm... ill have to try this on a ventricosa soon, i tried the fish pellet food on the ventricosa, and two days later the pitcher was snapped off by a bird, but in a week, this small(to me) was medium sized like my other

 

[jimscott]

I'm thinking that Mexican butterworts may not respond as well, being they tend to like a more alkaline media.

 

[Fryster]

Aren't decaffeinated and decaf the same thing?

DOH‼ Sometimes spell check isn't so trust-worthy...........

 

[The Griffin]

Ever drank the plant's coffee instead of yours?

yup, coffee works. What ive done recently is added 1/4 tbs. of epiphytes delight, seaweed extract, and superthrive to the coffee my neps are getting. Talk about improvements! its incredible what its done for them!

 

[justjack]

If you use a fresh pot you may want to dilute it first. I personally have seen good results using "spent" grounds still in the coffee maker. The resulting brew tastes like crap but is still darker than tea usually, but lighter than the blackness I personally drink.

It's an acidic nitrogen boost.

Also: http://pitcherplants.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=6288

 

[watnazn]

Well, I tried it, and it attracts bees like crazy. for me.

 

[Metranisome]

Has anyone tried tea yet?

 

[dvg]

I first got this idea of the coffee fertilizer from Dave Evans from a thread he had posted on the Carnivorous Plants in the Tropics website. I decided to try it out for myself and actually gave all of my Neps one coffee treatment. My results were posted on the OCPS website on this thread:

http://ocps.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=nepenthes&action=display&thread=2396&page=1

From Feb 5, 2009

From May 2, 2009

Recently from Aug 3, 2009

I took pics, from left to right, of N. macrophylla, N. villosa and N. rajah. They were fed coffee in January of 2009. I took pics of them on Feb 5, May 2, and finally on Aug 3. 2009. The rajah was removed from the tank because it was getting too big, so I just substituted another villosa in it's place. The results of six months of growth can be seen for the macrophylla and villosa though. Not sure if it proves a whole lot because I didn't have any controls in place, but it certainly didn't seem to hurt the growth rates or overall health of the plants, with just one coffee treatment being applied. I should try and get in touch with Dave Evans and see how often he would recommend these tonics can safely be applied. He might have some newer ideas to do with this coffee fertilizing.

 

[carnivoure12]

Wonderful dvg, everyone here will sure appreciate the comparisons.

 

[Grey Moss]

Those are some results. The sphagnum seems to have responded well to the coffee.

 

[dvg]

Thank Mr. T.
The sphagnum really took off, and I had to keep pulling strands of it out of the villosa pot so it wouldn't bury the plant.

 

[M Jacobs]

So all you do is take the left over cold coffee and grids,then just poor it into the pot once a month? and you don't have to take out the left over coffee grinds out of the pot.

 

[dashman]

Here I have been pouring leftover coffee out like a sucker! I am going to try this on my sanguinea and a few other ones I can spare to lose.

 

[dvg]

I just poured the leftover cold coffee through the pots until it came out the bottom. Only the coffee was used and not the coffee grounds. I only poured the coffee through one time, and that was six months ago. And all of my Neps got the treatment, and none of them suffered. So it is probably safe to say that one treatment once every six months or even yearly won't harm the plants.

 

[M Jacobs]

no cream or sugar. or does it matter?thanks

 

[dvg]

Truthfully, just like those new truncata I am so eagerly awaiting, Neps like their java black.:grin:

 

[obregon562]

JUSt use the old coffee. The liquidy stuff. Just the actual black coffee drink is used for fert'ing Grinds can be used, but often promote bacterial/fungal flushes without proper care.