Keeping your plants healthy and vibrant can sometimes seem like an impossible task. However, that’s not true for our favorite, the peace lily. If you’re looking for an organic, quick, and cheap way to fertilize this hardy and beautiful plant, then you might wonder: do peace lilies like coffee grounds?
Coffee grounds make an excellent fertilizer for peace lilies as they provide additional nutrients, and unwashed grounds will lower the pH in the soil due to their acidity.
Read on to learn all you need to know about this handy little trick!
Can You Fertilize Peace Lilies With Coffee Grounds?
It might sound a little strange, but you might be throwing a great natural fertilizer straight into the garbage daily. Coffee grounds provide significant benefits for peace lilies for several different reasons.
Coffee grounds make good fertilizer because:
- They contain large amounts of nitrogen. Nitrogen is one of the nutrients that peace lilies like the most, alongside phosphorous and potassium.
- They contain organic matter. Adding organic matter to the soil in your plant’s pot will improve aeration, draining, and water retention.
- They can improve the pH balance. Peace lilies prefer their soil to be a little bit acidic, and certain kinds of coffee grounds can help to do this. However, only unwashed coffee grounds can affect the soil in this way.
- They can deter pets. Peace lilies are toxic to cats and dogs, but that doesn’t always stop them from trying to take a bite. Coffee grounds on the soil will often work as a natural deterrent for cats and can keep them away.
Although they do offer so much, it is worth noting that coffee grounds are a relatively slow-release fertilizer. So they don’t produce the same high-intensity rush of nutrients you can get from the specially formulated option bought in the shops – but they are infinitely cheaper and straightforward to use!
Are Coffee Grounds Good For All Plants?
Although coffee grounds are great for peace lilies, they are not a universally effective fertilizer. Their high nitrogen content and mild acidity can even harm certain plants with different needs from their soil.
Some common plants that are known to dislike coffee grounds include:
- Rosemary
- Lavender
- Tomatoes
- Alfalfa
- Orchids
- Pothos
It’s always better to avoid using coffee grounds for your plants if you are unsure about the impact they will have.
How Can You Encourage Peace Lilies To Grow?
Adding some fertilizer to your peace lily’s soil a few times during the growing season will often lead to some noticeable growth, but there are a few other things you can do to ensure your beautiful plant is thriving.
- Keep it warm. Peace Lilies like a temperature between 64 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Keep it moist. These plants love a humid environment, so try misting regularly if they are living in less than 50% humidity.
- Get the right light. Although peace lilies don’t need direct sunlight, they should get a good amount of indirect light throughout the day.
Final Words
So, do peace lilies like coffee grounds? They certainly do! Coffee grounds provide a good amount of nitrogen to the soil and add organic matter, and unwashed grounds can also give some of the acidity they enjoy.
Not all plants have the same nutritional and pH needs as peace lilies, so make sure you know your houseplant’s needs before trying out this cheap and easy fertilizer!