I’ve been saving coffee grounds to use for fertilizer but they started to mold, can I still use them?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “using moldy coffee grounds in the garden“
I’ve been saving coffee grounds to use for fertilizer but they started to mold, can I still use them?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “using moldy coffee grounds in the garden“
I use a lot…and I mean large quantities of coffee grounds as a soil amendment.
They mold.
If I pasteurize/sterilize them first, and strictly isolate them, I can grow very decent oyster mushrooms on them. I don’t use them solely, but rather as a part of my base. This leftover mushroom spawn, makes a great garden addition.
CG’s are nutrient rich, an organic rich food source versus “a fertilizer”.
I bury them, or I put them under layers of wet cardboard. Under cardboard is my preferred method.
Under layers of cardboard, they quickly get upcycled into worm food, and I get the nutrient rich humus/worm castings.
Direct or indirect vermicomposting of CG’s is the way to extract real value, without potentially killing seedlings.
I do the same. They go from my indoor bin, with or without mould, into my outdoor compost along with other typical compost items. I notice no difference with the composted mix once fully decomposed. My theory is that mould is just one other path to decomposing.
If you are saving only coffee grounds and not mixing with other kitchen waste, I’m not sure if you will get a desirable result.
You definitely can use them. The mold is just nature to trying to break it down. Add it to your compost or mix it into your garden soil. Use it whenever you need a shot of nitrogen and organic material.
Coffee grounds are great fertilizer if they have been thoroughly composted first : that means letting them sit for awhile and letting mold and bacteria do their thing to break down the grounds until they’re ready to be incorporated into the soil.
Put your coffee grounds in some kind of a lidded container in the garage or on the porch and wait for them to break down—mold is part of the process.