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Anyone tried this?

I know that Nepenthes love acidic soil, other acid loving plants, I can't think of the plant's name right now, like to have coffee grounds on their soil for their roots. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried this, I would try but I have only one nepenthes. I don't know if there are other nutrients in coffee grounds that may hurt nepenthes' delicate roots.
 
No, I haven't personally tried it and i wouldn't. I think the plant you are thinking of is a Rhodedendron or an Azalea, least those are the 2 most common types of ornamental acid lovers. I wouldn't put coffee grounds in a Nepenthes soil mix for 2 reasons.

1. Possible composting and release of excessive nutrients.
2. Compacting and release of unknown potentially harmful substances to a Nepenthes plant.
 
Exactly thats why I thought I should ask, and yeah those are the plants I ment. Still it might be an interesting experiment for those of you who don't mind sacrificing a nepenthes for science.
 
i put crack cocaine in my mix, the pitchers are 4feet long
 
Uh AzNsUShi41, knock it off. Bragging about drugs will get you a swift kick in the behind and termination of your account here. And also, only add information if it pertains to the topic at hand. I am a real stickler about people posting nonsense.

Don't let it happen again.

As for the question, an excellent specimen for the experiment would be N. ventricosa.
 
Hi all:

I have had a bag of coffee mulch for 4 months and i have chickened out. I think i am going to try it in a ventricosa or ventrata first, before i can give my opinion on the matter

Gus
 
Mine get too much diet coke already
smile_n_32.gif


btw Joking about drugs is not funny and totally out of place.

My concern with Coffee is that it is a bean (seed). So likely very high in nutrients which directly could be a problem or indirectly by feeding microbes that cause decomposition etc..

But on the other hand only way to know is experiment! Never can say for certain what you might find!

Tony
 
Amateur Expert, joke or not it involved an illegal drug, plus it was totally out of place and irrelevant!
 
  • #10
I don't know how similar it would be to coffe grounds but a year or two ago the garden centers started selling "ground cocoa bean mulch" for gardens. It was small hard pieces that I thought would replace orchid bark for drainage in my media.... It really smelled great like a big 20 lb sack of chocolate!

I repotted some Neps with it and within about a month the soil was infested with fungus of many different kinds. I tried a fungicide and it came right back so I had to repot them with proper stuff.
 
  • #11
I was not thinking of mixing it into the soil, just putting a little on top. We put coffee grounds on our rhodedendrons and theres no fungis there, of course those are outside, so it's cooler and theres much more airflow.

::edit:: for some reson I continually miss the most important words in my sentences.
 
  • #12
nothing wrong with experimenting but my opinion is that the coffee grounds are going to be prone to molding in the constantly damp and high humidity enviroment.

Rattler
 
  • #13
My thinking would be to ask if you actually need to INCREASE the acidity by addition of the coffee???

Aren't most of the mixes we use pretty much acid enough anyway?

If so then what's the benefit?

Aaron.
 
  • #14
Aaron is right IMHO. I think this experiment is better suited for Sarracenia, to see if you can coax some of the deep red coloration of some plants.
I had seen the same stuff Swords mentioned , and after reading his experiment here, his findings are good enough for me, lol.
How many of you have tried a cheaper alternative to orchid bark or cocohusk(ie garden center mulches for $2/bag)?

Cheers,

Joe
 
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