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kathy_bochonko

coffee grounds--are they messy?

Kathy Bochonko
15 years ago

I am pretty new to all of this and have some questions about UCG. I have a kid and a big dog and am wondering if I use the used coffee grounds how long will I have to worry about them getting tracked all over my house? Will a good rain take of it or is more of a time factor? I am thinking if it is bad I might want to do it before we go away or something. Also would the coffee grounds replace a fertilizer treatment? I used CGM in early March and planned on doing another feed around Memorial Day with maybe Milorganite or Scott's Organic, haven't really decided might do something from the feed store. Would you do the coffee grounds in between or in place of the next feed? BTW, I have bermuda in front and Fescue in back.

Comments (5)

  • bpgreen
    15 years ago

    The coffee could probably get tracked in, but I don't think it would be any more noticeable than dirt, etc. The problem I have with the dog is that the "hockey puck" type from the espresso machines seem to intrigue the dog, and she seems to think that anything that smells so strong must taste good.

    Coffee grounds are a mild nitrogen source (about 1-2% N) so they can be a fertilizer treatment. They're about all I use on my lawn any more, but I have a fairly small lawn and a mix of native grasses, KBG and fescue. From what I understand, bermuda is a heavy feeder, so I think it would be difficult to keep bermuda happy with coffee grounds.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    15 years ago

    Coffee grounds are pound for pound about the same as corn meal in protein content and fertilizer value. Coffee grounds are usually wet so comparing the weight is hard to do.

    Any ground grain will fertilize your lawn but if you watnt the bermuda to always look its best, you will have a hard time keeping enough protein on it. Several people have come here, tried using soybean meal (very high protein content), and returned to a synthetic chemical program because they could not keep the grass green enough to satisfy themselves. Bermuda seems to be the only grass with such high "demand" for nitrogen/protein. The lawn was healthy, but the color was unsat for them. If you were going to use Milorganite anyway, you might try using it a little heavier than it calls for and see how the bermuda responds to that.

    As far as tracking it around, once you water it in it will wash off the grass blades and down to the soil.

  • Kathy Bochonko
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks. Maybe I will save the coffee grounds for the compost pile and just try the other sources of nitrogen/protein for the lawn. The more I am reading the more I think I should apply something sooner than the Memorial Day/July 4th, Labor Day schedule I had read about. I guess for the bermuda I should plan on every month so that would be about now then. When people rotate what they use is there any rhyme or reason to the order they choose? i would thing maybe Corn Meal would be best applied in the heat of the summer since it fights fungus problems, but other than that if I am trying say 4 different things would the order matter? I am thinking of trying 1 application each of-- SBM, CM, Scott's Organic, and Milorganite. I may add Alfalfa pellets if I wind up with a 5th feed. I assume Bermuda should be fed up until around late September/early October here in the Atlanta area? I may use CGM as the last feed to try and get this annual bluegrass from taking over so bad in the winter. It is just so expensive around here.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    15 years ago

    No rhyme or reason that I know of. If you mix them all together at the beginning of the season and use them like that it would be good. Diversity is thought to be a benefit.

    I am not aware of any fungus diseases that hit bermuda. Have you had problems?

    You can feed your lawn whenever you want. Some of the bermuda purists feed it heavily every month.

    CGM is expensive everywhere except western and southern Ohio. I don't know why but I've seen reports of them paying $8 for 100 pounds. I even checked into shipping it here but that raised the cost up to what I pay locally.

  • the_virginian
    15 years ago

    Unless they are dried out, I would put them in my compost pile or use them around my ornamentals first before considering putting them on the lawn. You will probably get better results with Milorganite or something like it and not have to worry about the mess.

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