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Coffee grounds as a medium. Anyone try it?

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    Coffee grounds as a medium. Anyone try it?

    I have access to an almost unlimited supply of coffee grounds and can't help wonder if it could somehow be put to good use growing weed. I've read lots of anecdotal articles about how great it is as an amendment as well as some scientifically back articles about how you should avoid it unless you can fully decaffeinate it (caffeine, it seems, evolved as a natural herbicide to block competing plants). Coco bricks ain't particularly cheap though and coffee grounds are on the acidic side which is good for where I live where everything is high pH. Anybody actually try using it as a main component?
    5x7 closet with reflective mylar on the walls
    2 UF-4000 LEDs (set to 25K Lumens at the plant)
    150 CFM bathroom vent installed in ceiling exhausting through a roof vent
    Elitech STC-1000Wifi Temp&Humidity Controller
    1X Sundae Driver in 35g grow bag
    2X Orange Velvet in 35g grow bags

    #2
    True if properly composted coffee grounds have good things in them, however they also contain caffeine and that is an herbicide. Herbicides hill plants, so the caffeine must be fully washed out to not harm the roots. Maybe if you got decaffeinated it would be ok, IDK, I toss them in the compost. Good luck!

    Comment


    • SoOrbudgal
      SoOrbudgal commented
      Editing a comment
      I agree with Rwise says about reuse

    #3
    I compost all of mine. Do an experiment. Thoroughly flush enough to fill a planter, add lime and perlite, plant a seed and see what happens. Should be a good base providing the caffeine is gone.
    keeping it green with the soil thing
    love me some frosty autos
    braap
    BRAAPZAI https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum...162-braaap-zai
    Mephisto run. yeah i know spellcheck https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum...-memphisto-run
    the fruit basket https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum...et-auto-runrun
    blue strawberries in a four assed galaxy https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum...r-assed-galaxy

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      #4
      Originally posted by Going2fast View Post
      I compost all of mine. Do an experiment. Thoroughly flush enough to fill a planter, add lime and perlite, plant a seed and see what happens. Should be a good base providing the caffeine is gone.
      yep I would do the same. essentially any inert organic compound could work. I just tried composted wheatgrass...results were mixed but seemed to do fine
      I hope there is an afterlife...there are a lot of friends and family I'd like to see again, one day.

      Comment


        #5
        Cannabis and coffee are two of my favorites. I love this idea and might try it on the small scale next round. I’ll let you all know if it happens/works out!

        Happy growing!

        bd

        Comment


          #6
          Feed it to composting worms aka red wrigglers. Once they “poop” it out use it. It will be rich in nutrients and one of them is a famous one around here called Calcium.

          Comment


            #7
            I am not prepared right now to try a more ambitious test using the coffee as the primary media but I did have two OrangeVelvet clones ready to pot so I decided to try a safer test (I don't want to lose either plant). Both pots have a 4:1 mix of Whitney Farms Organic Potting Soil and Pearlite. The plant in the white pot has coffee grounds added (4:1:1 ratio WFO:Pearlite:Coffee). I also mixed in 1 tsp mycorrizal fungi to both. Will post more pics in a week or so. pH of runoff is 5.98 (wo) and 5.90 (w).

            Click image for larger version  Name:	20220101_085657-coffee_nocoffee.jpg Views:	0 Size:	874.6 KB ID:	551644
            Last edited by click; 01-01-2022, 07:58 PM. Reason: Added the runoff pH measurements.
            5x7 closet with reflective mylar on the walls
            2 UF-4000 LEDs (set to 25K Lumens at the plant)
            150 CFM bathroom vent installed in ceiling exhausting through a roof vent
            Elitech STC-1000Wifi Temp&Humidity Controller
            1X Sundae Driver in 35g grow bag
            2X Orange Velvet in 35g grow bags

            Comment


              #8
              1 week later. Both show similar growth. The +coffee is ~1" shorter but started shorter. The "no coffee" (left) does seem healthier. Greener, perkier.
              Click image for larger version

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              5x7 closet with reflective mylar on the walls
              2 UF-4000 LEDs (set to 25K Lumens at the plant)
              150 CFM bathroom vent installed in ceiling exhausting through a roof vent
              Elitech STC-1000Wifi Temp&Humidity Controller
              1X Sundae Driver in 35g grow bag
              2X Orange Velvet in 35g grow bags

              Comment


                #9
                Here's a better pic from the top showing the difference in color better. Also some curling on the plant with used coffee grounds added on the right. I think I am about to abort this experiment and try to nurse it to better health.

                Click image for larger version

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                5x7 closet with reflective mylar on the walls
                2 UF-4000 LEDs (set to 25K Lumens at the plant)
                150 CFM bathroom vent installed in ceiling exhausting through a roof vent
                Elitech STC-1000Wifi Temp&Humidity Controller
                1X Sundae Driver in 35g grow bag
                2X Orange Velvet in 35g grow bags

                Comment


                  #10
                  Did you add anything for a PH up buffer? Looks to me like the PH is crashing. (and maybe a tad hot)

                  Comment


                  • click
                    click commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I just now flushed it with 2 gal. water (~5X the container volume). Initial runoff pH was 6.35 and it climbed to 6.8 by the end of the flush. Temperature is maintained between 60 and 75 in the box although I do see twice in the last week it spiked to 80 but only briefly. Humidity has varied between 30 and 60% over the same 7 days.

                  #11

                  Here are the temperature and humidity conditions in the chamber.

                  Click image for larger version

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                  5x7 closet with reflective mylar on the walls
                  2 UF-4000 LEDs (set to 25K Lumens at the plant)
                  150 CFM bathroom vent installed in ceiling exhausting through a roof vent
                  Elitech STC-1000Wifi Temp&Humidity Controller
                  1X Sundae Driver in 35g grow bag
                  2X Orange Velvet in 35g grow bags

                  Comment


                    #12
                    I use coffee grounds on my evergreens. They like acid and nitrogen.

                    They grow soybeans around me. As it is a legume, it sets little sacks of nitrogen on the roots. This nitrogen makes the soil acidic. So the farmers always use limestone on the fields after soybeans.

                    Comment


                      #13
                      One of these things is not like the others; one of these things is kinda the same. Four months later the Orange Velvet that got the coffee grounds is still struggling...
                      Click image for larger version

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                      5x7 closet with reflective mylar on the walls
                      2 UF-4000 LEDs (set to 25K Lumens at the plant)
                      150 CFM bathroom vent installed in ceiling exhausting through a roof vent
                      Elitech STC-1000Wifi Temp&Humidity Controller
                      1X Sundae Driver in 35g grow bag
                      2X Orange Velvet in 35g grow bags

                      Comment


                        #14
                        I had heard somewhere that caffeine will stunt the plant growth. I guess that's true.

                        But some interesting facts.


                        Caffeine might be said to make the world go round, as many of us rely on its stimulating benefits. It has intrigued scientists, leading to recent studies regarding caffeine use in gardens. What have they discovered? Find out here.


                        Will Caffeine Affect Plant Growth?

                        What purpose does caffeine serve, other than to keep us awake? In coffee plants, the caffeine building enzymes are members of N-methyltransferases, which are found in all plants and build a variety of compounds. In the case of caffeine, the N-methyltranferase gene mutated, creating a biological weapon. For instance, when coffee leaves drop, they contaminate the soil with caffeine, which curtails germination of other plants, lessening competition. Obviously, that means too much caffeine can have a detrimental effect on plant growth. Caffeine, a chemical stimulant, increases the biological processes in not only humans but plants as well. These processes include the ability to photosynthesize and absorb water and nutrients from the soil. It also decreases the pH levels in the soil. This increase in acidity can be toxic to some plants, although others, like blueberries, enjoy it.

                        Read more at Gardening Know How: Will Caffeine Affect Plant Growth – Tips On Fertilizing Plants With Caffeine

                        https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/gar...ant-growth.htm

                        Comment


                          #15
                          That sucks guess it's another dang lesson, put some worm castings on it top feed, but I'd flush with Epsom salt first. Nice looking setup click
                          Smoke Ganja create Peace Respect Nature don't trash the Planet

                          Soil grower with coco/perlite mixed in
                          indoor/outdoor grower
                          1 36"x36"x66" tent- Viparspectra P2500
                          1 3x3x6 tent- used in late spring for seedlings both veggies & weed. I have 2 viparspectar 450r for that tent.
                          I use a t-5 & 54watt CFL for seedlings
                          Sometimes i use plastic sometimes i use fabric grow containers
                          Currently using fish/guano during veg growth & FF Grow Big 6-4-4 teens to bloom. Once i see pre-flower i switch to
                          Age Old Organics Bloom 5-10-5

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