Are Coffee Grounds Good for Hydrangeas?

Growing Hydrangeas can be challenging for many gardeners, especially when there are problems that you don’t understand.

Thankfully, some home remedies can make growing Hydrangeas easier.

A simple method includes working coffee grounds into the soil of your Hydrangea bed, but is this practice good for Hydrangeas?

Coffee Grounds Can Help Hydrangeas Grow

Coffee grounds can help Hydrangeas grow fuller, bloom better, and achieve stunning coloration.

Also Read: Growing Lemongrass in Pots

Coffee Grounds Boost Acidity in Soil

• Coffee grounds can help boost the acidity in the soil bed of Hydrangeas. Adding coffee grounds can help keep Hydrangeas lively and vibrant.
• Hydrangeas are very sensitive to the pH level of their soil bed. There is a small range in which Hydrangeas will thrive.
• A pH between 6.0 and 6.2 means your Hydrangeas will grow big, strong, and healthy.
• Unfortunately, the pH level of soil can fluctuate depending on the type of plants you add to a soil bed, the additives you introduce, and the fertilizer you use.
• Hydrangeas may experience adverse side effects from any changes in their environment.
• For example, Hydrangeas may experience vitamin and mineral deficiencies if their soil pH level rises by even 0.2.
• Hydrangeas will also change depending on the composition of the soil, most notably in color.
• Hydrangeas can still bloom with a higher pH in their soil, but they may be different colors and have a harder time reaching maturity.
• Some Hydrangeas may die or suffer from other issues when the pH level is too high.
• However, Hydrangeas can still bloom with stunning colors even if they struggle to get vital nutrients.
• Use a general plant food or fertilizer to combat these deficiencies while maintaining the color bloom of your choice.

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Coffee Grounds Help Plants Absorb Aluminum

• Coffee grounds are ideal for Hydrangeas because they help a plant’s roots gather the natural aluminum in the soil bed and use aluminum in their bodies.
• Aluminum is not vital for any plant in the world to grow. However, aluminum in Hydrangeas causes stunning and rich coloration.
• Usually, aluminum consumption in Hydrangeas can cause blue coloration, but too much can be harmful.
• Aluminum can cause phytotoxicity in plants, which can prevent plants from releasing seeds and inhibit plant growth.
• However, absorbing aluminum can remove it from the soil bed and take it out of the natural environment, meaning other plants in surrounding areas won’t suffer from similar issues.
• Hydrangeas have a high tolerance for aluminum and put this mineral to good use by allowing it to change its color patterns.
• Aluminum can be troublesome for food crops and edible plants. Hydrangeas don’t yield anything more than flowers, making them ideal candidates to absorb aluminum.
• Aluminum can be toxic to some plants in any amount and causes many plants to wither and die.
• Consider keeping your Hydrangeas in a soil bed alone so that the aluminum they absorb won’t impact other plants in the area.

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Coffee Grounds Can Trigger Unique Colors

• Coffee grounds enable the pH level of the soil bed to rise, increasing the ability of your Hydrangea roots to pull out the aluminum in the soil. This allows the aluminum in the soil to change the way your Hydrangeas bloom.
• Due to the aluminum in the soil, your Hydrangeas can bloom in pink, white, red, and blue. Blue is the most unique and rare color for Hydrangeas because they take more care and consideration.
• Some Hydrangeas may have gradients of several colors, some being a mixture of blue, white, red, and pink. A popular type of Hydrangeas is those that incorporate a white center while the outskirts of the flower are stunning and rich colors.

Also, check: How to Grow Lemongrass From Stalk

Test Your Soil’s pH Level

• The first step toward deciding if you need to add coffee grounds to your Hydrangea bed is to decide what kind of color Hydrangeas you are looking to bloom.
• Amateur gardeners may not care about color as much as professional gardeners.
• If you don’t care much about color and simply want to ensure that your Hydrangeas are healthy and safe, pH testing is ideal.
• There are other reasons you may need to adjust the pH level of your Hydrangea bed. A Hydrangea bed too low on the pH scale may suffer from deficiencies, as will ones too high on the pH scale.
• Test the pH level of your Hydrangea bed to ensure that the level is within the best range for your Hydrangeas to grow nicely.
• This can help you rule out vitamin deficiencies and other problems with your flowers, as well.
• You may need to increase the pH level of your soil more than once if you live in tropical or arid locations.
• Tropical areas like southern California, Arizona, and Texas may see the pH level of their soil decrease as time passes, meaning some plants can develop deficiencies over time.
• Whether you want to test your Hydrangea bed for the sake of special coloration or to ensure the safety of your plant, testing the soil is the ideal first step in the process.

Read: Is Lemongrass a Perennial?

What Coffee Grounds Are Best for Hydrangeas?

• You may use pre-brewed coffee grounds to help keep the soil of your Hydrangea bed neutral. However, to raise the pH level of your Hydrangea soil, always use fresh coffee grounds.
• Sprinkle the number of coffee grounds liberally over the soil bed of your Hydrangeas and take your time to massage the grounds into the soil.
• Be careful not to disturb the roots of your Hydrangea plant, however.
• Hydrangea roots are shallow and won’t cause damage to your home or any cables or pipes leading to your home.
• However, disturbing Hydrangea roots may cause strife in the plant and end in its death.
• To boost the pH level of your Hydrangea bed, use previously unused coffee grounds that are dry. The quality of the coffee grounds doesn’t matter.
• However, for the best results, use a variety that doesn’t have anything artificial on its ingredient label.
• An inexpensive variety of coffee grounds without any additional flavors or sweeteners will work well with your Hydrangeas.
• You may also want to consider not mixing your coffee grounds with water and using them right out of the package.
• Watering your coffee grounds or soaking them before using them can remove some of the benefits and make the grounds less acidic.

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How To Add Coffee Grounds To Your Hydrangea Bed

• Adding coffee grounds to your Hydrangea bed is easy, but it will require time and effort. You will first want to acquire your coffee grounds.
• Next, you’ll want to scatter coffee grounds near the base of your Hydrangea plants and massage the coffee grounds into the soil. You may want to add a layer of soil to hide the coffee grounds.
• You could let the coffee grounds sit atop the soil, but as the coffee grounds decay, they will likely mold and create pungent odors and unsatisfactory sights.
• Massaging the coffee grounds into the soil can also help them get to the roots faster and help your Hydrangeas enjoy their higher pH level sooner.
• Take your time to ensure that all the coffee grounds have been massaged into the soil and add your extra soil or mulch on top.
• Using coffee grounds closest to the base of the Hydrangea plant will help achieve other colorations the most since it will work sooner.

Read out: How Do You Keep the Lemongrass Plant Healthy?

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How Long Will It Take To See Results?

Adding coffee grounds to your Hydrangeas won’t make them bloom any faster.

• However, you may see some results on Hydrangea plants that are sickly or have a deficiency that is solved with coffee grounds.
• Hydrangeas are plants that take several years to bloom, especially the first year they are transplanted to their new location.
• Your Hydrangeas may bloom the first year, but may not bloom again for two to four years after.
• Hydrangeas usually begin to bloom in spring, summer, and early fall, but this can depend on the health of your Hydrangea plant.
• Hydrangea plants that have deficiencies in vital minerals may not have as many blooms, may be smaller, or may not bloom at all.
• Take note of any other symptoms your plant may have that they are missing vital nutrients in their soil.
• Adding coffee grounds to the soil can help them be healthy and may give them more flowers when they bloom, but they may not speed up the process of blooming.
• Coffee grounds may have a marginal impact on the time it takes a Hydrangea plant to bloom.
• This method of increasing the pH level in your Hydrangea bed soil may only speed up the blooming process by a few weeks, at best.
• In most cases, adding coffee grounds has little – if any – impact on the time it takes for Hydrangeas to bloom.

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Final Thoughts

Adding coffee grounds to your Hydrangeas can boost the appearance of vibrant colors.

This can also help keep the pH balance in the soil correct and make your Hydrangeas thicker, fuller, and richer in color. Use coffee grounds to make your Hydrangea bed the talk of the town and give yourself a stunning sight.