Composting is a method of waste disposal that involves the recycling of organic waste by decomposing it naturally to produce a soil fertilizer. Decayed organic material is called compost. It is a fertilizer that is added to soil to enrich it as well as promote growth in plants. This essential method is useful in the gardens, and it also helps reduce household waste and decrease methane emissions in landfills.
Why Compost Eggshells and Coffee Grounds?
Plants have to get their nourishment from the soil to grow and sustain life. The insufficiency of these nutrients can cause poor growth, low production of fruits, and vulnerability to diseases. Minerals in the soil are essential for it provides the plants with the necessary nutrients for healthy growth.
There are several minerals that plants need, and the most important is nitrogen. It is a mineral essential for the process of photosynthesis. Without nitrogen, plants can not build their cells that will eventually lead to stunted growth.
Coffee grounds have more or less 2% nitrogen by volume that makes them ideal as compost or fertilizer. Calcium is another necessary mineral for it helps strengthen the plant’s cell wall. A well-built cell wall protects plants from diseases that are caused by fungal and bacterial invasion. Eggshells contain calcium that is essential to every plant.
Adding eggshells and coffee grounds compost to the soil is beneficial, especially for potted plants where the roots have a limited source of nutrients.
How to Make Eggshells and Coffee Grounds Compost?
Some people would add eggshells on top of the soil. Though it can serve an aesthetic purpose, doing so will limit its potential to provide calcium that is essential for plants. If the eggshells are unrinsed, it may attract unwanted pests that can be detrimental to your plants. Burying the eggshells to the soil after it is rinsed and ground up would be way better. It will allow the nutrients to blend well and distribute evenly.
You can also add an ample amount of crushed eggshells to your regular deposit of compost or create a water mixture. A mixture of one (1) gallon of water to one (1) cup of crushed eggshells will make a good eggshell tea that you can pour directly into the plant’s soil when watering.
Mixing the coffee grounds to your soil will add value to it but be careful and make sure that it is well mixed. It has to balance for coffee grounds contain caffeine that’s not good for your plant. Adding leaves, paper, or vegetable waste to your coffee ground compost is ideal as fertilizer. The coffee grounds should be at least a quarter part of the entire compost.
Benefits of Eggshells and Coffee Grounds Compost
Eggshells and coffee grounds can help your plants get the nutrients they need for healthy growth. The best part is, these ingredients are supplies available in your kitchen. Eggshells will provide plants a calcium boost, and it is most beneficial for baby plants as it would aid their growth. For grown plants, eggshells can help get rid of end rot in plants. It happens if there is a calcium imbalance in plants.
While coffee grounds is useful to add the necessary nitrogen to the soil, it also has its added benefits. It can improve water drainage, and it makes the tilling of soil easier. Coffee grounds help the plant absorb the nutrients quicker.
What to do with the Compost?
Now that you have your compost ready, it’s time to make a potting mix by adding the compost as fertilizer. Mix one half potting soil to a quarter of the compost with eggshells and another quarter of the coffee grounds compost. It is an easy supplement that you can provide your plants. A perfect duo that can provide nitrogen and calcium that are essential minerals for your plants to grow to their utmost potential.
If you already have all your plants potted and you do not want to re-pot them anytime soon, instead of creating a potting mix, you can use the compost as mulch. Just add a mixture of eggshells and coffee grounds on top of the soil’s surface. Mulching will improve the quality of soil, thus promoting healthy plant growth.
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