You may have heard about how coffee grounds can be used as fertilizer for plants, and you’re now looking to see if it really works on your Christmas cactus. Are coffee grounds good for christmas cactus?
Find out the answer to this question before adding coffee to your succulent houseplants.
Do Christmas Cactus Like Coffee Grounds?
Why do people put coffee grounds on their plants? The answer is simple. Ground coffee contains beneficial nutrients that plants love, such as nitrogen and potassium in particular. Spent coffee grounds still have these components even after you’ve used them to make a cup of joe.
Christmas cactus can certainly make do with extra nitrogen and potassium in its soil to grow well and produce those characteristic red flowers that spring up every holiday season. That said, Christmas cacti love coffee grounds because of their high nitrogen and potassium content.
As an added bonus, the grounds in coffee make for excellent soil amendment. It’s organic, allows water to drain freely, and can hold on to the water for quite some time. You can mix it in garden soil, potting mixes, and succulent media to provide an extra dose of nutrition.
The Effect of Coffee Grounds on Christmas Cactus
Ground coffee will have more or less the same effect on plants such as christmas cactus as on humans. They get energized in that the cacti get nitrogen, one of the primary growth components. What’s more, potassium is a vital component in a plant’s resistance to disease and overall health.
With nitrogen, you’ll notice your cactus plant having greener leaves, and potassium makes it grow faster without experiencing metabolic issues. Lack of potassium is exhibited by leaf discoloration and foliage turning yellow. Coffee grounds act like an organic fertilizer that can counteract the effects of too little potassium or nitrogen in the soil.
So if you notice your Christmas cactus looking a bit worse for wear even if you’ve given it the right growing conditions, consider giving it a controlled dose of fertilizer. Coffee grounds are a cost-effective way to perk the plant right up, and you’ll have reused something that will have been thrown in the garbage bin.
How Much Coffee Grounds to Give to Christmas Cactus?
It’s true that christmas cactus can benefit from coffee grounds. However, too much of it won’t be good and might burn your plant’s roots.
The key to ground coffee application is moderation. Think of them as fertilizer, which shouldn’t be used every day. The general rule of thumb is to give a dose of coffee grounds once every month or so, and less if your christmas cactus is looking green and healthy.
If you make coffee using grounds every day, then you can store up the extra material by putting them in a flat container or a lid and allowing them to compost.
Dried and aged coffee grounds are actually better since they won’t have as much caffeine as fresh ones. Too much caffeine is not good for the plant nor the soil, and this is why you shouldn’t overdo the coffee ground application.
Are coffee grounds good for christmas cactus: Final thoughts
Aside from fertilizing, you should look after the Christmas cactus’ growing requirements and provide bright and indirect light and water once a week or when the top inch of the soil is dry.
In addition, the temperature should be around 60 degrees F (or 15 degrees C) during nighttime for the plant to produce flower buds.
Related Article: Coffee Grounds For Houseplants