Is recovering the contents of your filters, pods, espresso machine or percolator handles a good idea? The point in 10 questions.
Coffee grounds keep aphids away: True
Laurent Bourgeois, nurseryman testifies: “We use it in priority on the aromatics of the open ground which attract these critters a lot, such as wormwood and sagebrush, in particular the aurone or arquebuse with lemon scent (Artemisia abrotanum) . We sprinkle it on the surface at the foot of the plant, at least 20 to 25 cm wide (the diameter of a plate) and 5 mm thick, in order to create a repellent mulch. It lasts several months. We then renew it”.
Coffee grounds act on slugs: True
Because of the rough texture of its powder which hinders them from sliding, just like wood ash. Think about it for your strawberries (another complementary solution: pine needles!). The trick is not infallible, however. The marc would also have an impact on the trajectory of the ants and the attacks of the carrot fly, mole crickets and wireworms.
Coffee grounds are harmless to our pets: False
For our four-legged friends, caffeine is toxic. The value of 8 c. coffee would be enough to poison a cat or a small dog. Caution is therefore still required with your companions.
Coffee grounds are fertilizer: True/False
The pomace contains nitrogen, copper, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. It is said that it “fertilizes the earth”. “It is not enough to fertilize the plants on its own, but it does provide interesting trace elements”, Laurent tells us.
Coffee grounds eliminate bad odors from toilets: True
It’s very simple: put five to six tablespoons of coffee grounds in a liter of warm water. Mix well, then pour the product into the toilet and let it act for a few minutes. Then rinse!
This method eliminates all the unpleasant odors that usually come from the toilet. In order to maintain the results, it is enough to do this every ten to twelve days.
Coffee grounds improve the earth: True
It lightens earthy mixtures. By incorporating marc into the ready-to-use potting soil of your planters and pots, you will avoid the formation of a tight crust on the surface, compacted by successive waterings. Thanks to the marc, rainwater or irrigation water will penetrate deeper, to the heart of the clods. Your plants will be better hydrated, more beautiful and more resistant to drought.
Limestone plants love pomace: False
Limestone soil plants love pomace. Its pH being close to 6.2, “if you add too much, it acidifies the soil”, explains Christophe Savigny, artisan roaster.
Coffee grounds for the garden – Source: spm
Coffee grounds are good for compost: True
Putting the pomace on the heap is what Jean-Marc Parra, nurseryman at Ah! The Flavor Farm.
Purists will also place ecological brown paper filters there.
Coffee grounds soften hands – Source: spm
Coffee grounds make hands softer: True
This natural exfoliant allows, thanks to its small grains, to gently sand the skin in order to detach the encrusted traces (earth, green leaves…). If you make your own soaps, consider incorporating several spoonfuls into the mixture of oils and soda.
The marc prevents the ground from freezing: False
It is a popular belief. Fermentation is not sufficient to warm the soil. But good news, Christophe Savigny tells us that: “The coffee beans are surrounded by a parchment: the parchment, a kind of vegetable placenta which, if it remained around the bean during roasting, would give the coffee a harsh taste. and almost undrinkable. The parchment is therefore eliminated with us by a hot air current system. We pick her up in a separate room. Our friends find that these parches spread out like a carpet on the ground constitute a very effective mulch, as much to keep the humidity of the earth as to avoid frost”.
Morality: to mulch against the cold, it is much better to use this envelope than coffee grounds .
All coffee grounds are equal: False
If “the best coffee is always the one that has just been ground and made straight away” (Christophe is clear on the subject), because “we cannot stop its degradation, even in the capsules”, the best marc is undoubtedly the one that comes from a quality coffee without additives, such as those that create foam. Ideally organic for purists.
The question of price and recovery time also comes into play: “At 35 euro cents (minimum) for 5 grams of coffee in pods, do the math. This costs you at least 70 euros per kilo of coffee! As for the chore of opening the capsules with a cutter to recover the grounds, isn’t it easier, when you want to recycle this precious by-product in the garden, to go back to good old machines or paper filters?
