Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 01:26 pm
We always seek different ways to improve the growth and productivity of our plants. But sometimes, these methods may even be detrimental to your plant’s health.
So, if you’d like to apply coffee grounds on your bamboo and are hesitating because you’re not sure of its usefulness, it shows that you care for your plants.
Coffee grounds are not entirely good and safe for bamboo plants. But you can still use Coffee Grounds on Bamboo Plants with caution. It is not advisable to use them directly as they can inhibit the growth of your bamboo plant.
What Benefits Do Coffee Grounds Provide for Bamboo?
Though coffee grounds are not all that good for your bamboo plants for certain reasons. However, they can be beneficial in certain areas like helping to neutralize bad odor, repelling insects and pests, fertilizing the garden, and maintaining a steady pH level.
These benefits can only be achievable when you do not use them directly on the bamboo plant. The coffee grounds must be made compatible with your bamboo plant. Coffee grounds have all that it takes to make your garden successful.
1. Neutralizing Bad Odor
Coffee grounds are dominant fertilizing compounds. This is one more reason why most gardeners would go for it. Coffee grounds can cleanse the area where it is put to use and makes the unpleasant smell in the air nice and healthy for your plants.
2. Repelling Insects and Pests
Due to the strong composition of coffee grounds, they are very good fertilizers to use in gardens that have insect and pest issues. They are known as repellents. If you use coffee grounds on your soil, you will no longer have to worry much about insect and pest infestation on your bamboo plant.
3. Fertilizing the Garden
Coffee grounds are undoubtedly rich in organic materials. Besides, they attract beneficial microorganisms, insects, and earthworms to your bamboo plant.
These living organisms will help in breaking down particles, thereby enriching your soil. They are very good fertilizers when used in the right proportion.
They can also increase the water-holding ability of your plant, but this benefit depends on the type of soil you are cultivating. It is not good if your soil is a potting type because it will retain too much water that will eventually lead to root rot.
4. Maintaining a Steady pH Level.
All plants like it when their pH level is kept stable, preferably low. But it is something the plant cannot control on its own. Coffee grounds are acidic and can serve as good acid mulch in ensuring your pH level is kept low.
The fascinating thing about coffee grounds is their ability to suppress the growth of other plants. This reduces competition with the other plants in the garden. The ability to do this is referred to as allelopathy.
The compound in coffee grounds known as caffeine is way stronger than the coffee itself. So, you should always make sure you dilute it with natural soil before using it on your bamboo plant for best results.
How to Apply Coffee Grounds on Bamboo
If you must apply coffee grounds on a bamboo plant, you must first allow them to break down into compost. After it decomposes, apply it around the soil on which your bamboo plant is. If you want it applied before cultivation, mix it evenly with your soil then you can go on and plant it directly on the mixture.
When you plan to use coffee grounds on your bamboo plant, you should carry out the cultivation in a pot. In this way, you will be able to monitor the quantity of the fertilizer you are applying. This will also ensure you mix the soil evenly with the coffee grounds.
Furthermore, you must allow your coffee grounds to break down into compost. That is the only way you can use coffee grounds on the bamboo plant. Using it directly without composting will only end up killing your bamboo plant.
What Happens If my Bamboo Has Excess Coffee Grounds?
Excess coffee grounds on your bamboo plant will stunt the growth of the plant. They also make it difficult for your bamboo to receive water, which will eventually lead to the death of your plant. Too much of anything could be as harmful as the lack of that same thing, so a moderate or fair amount is the best.
Coffee grounds are not very good friends of the bamboo plant. Excess of it will make things worse for your plant. Due to the chlorogenic acid present in coffee grounds, your bamboo plant is at risk of getting stunt growth.
Chlorogenic acid is one of the most abundant beneficial polyphenols in plants and is well known as a nutritional antioxidant in plant-based foods. It has been an efficient defense molecule against a broad range of insect herbivores, apart from its dietary antioxidant activity.
Chlorogenic acid is a phytotoxic compound contained in your coffee grounds. Nonetheless, it is not a very friendly compound to your bamboo plant as it suppresses the growth rate of your plant when added in excess.
Furthermore, excess coffee grounds will pile up particles that will clump together. This makes it difficult for aeration and movement of moisture into the soil and the parts of the plant in need of it. You need not be told how discomforting this can be to your bamboo plant.
Your soil should contain only about 15% to 20% of coffee grounds. Any increment in this quantity will only be an excess to your bamboo plant and would constitute a serious threat to your bamboo plant.
For those that apply theirs after cultivation, ensure the different layers of the application are no thicker than an inch per layer.
Conclusion
Coffee grounds can be very useful to the bamboo plant when used right. Although it isn’t considered very good for your bamboo plant, it is undeniably very relevant.
When you plan to use it, it should be in a small quantity as too much of it will limit the growth of your bamboo plant. This will only lead to the death of your plant.