Coffee Grounds Can Benefit Landscapes
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4B YOUR MONT A GUE COUNT Y ID EEK M -W NEWS SOUR C E APRIL 8, 2020 GRICULTURE www.bowienewsonline.com A Fa r m & ra n c h • ho r s e s • no b l e Fo u n d a t i o n • usda Coffee grounds can benefit landscapes R e m e m b e r w h e n coffee chaff from the two coffee grounds and peat grounds may offer good grandma dumped her cof- largest coffee roasting moss – all added at 10 potential for use as a sand fee grounds on the flower companies up here for percent and 20 percent root-zone amendment bed and garden? Well, years as a key component by volume – and straight in turf and landscape she was on to something, in our compost products, sand as a control. Coarse situations,” Wherley said. and one Texas company is but never had the volume and fine spent coffee “Also, while showing little now utilizing Texas A&M to justify looking at it as grounds were compared benefit when topically AgriLife research to capi- a stand-alone product primarily to understand applied alone, when com- talize on the value of this line.” the differences in nutrient bined with another nutri- waste product. After visiting with and water retention and ent source they show good Ben Wherley, Ph.D., Wherley’s team, Mayer resulting benefits on turf promise, which suggests Texas A&M AgriLife Re- said they quickly realized growth. they may work well as search turfgrass ecologist that spent coffee grounds Flores said their ob- an ingredient in organic in the Texas A&M De- may have potential not servations from two sepa- fertilizer production.” partment of Soil and Crop only to improve existing rate greenhouse studies In the field Sciences, College Station, fertilizer performance Courtesy photo by Chad McNair using Tifway Bermuda In a larger demon- has taken advantage of but also to potentially Used coffee grounds being generated from Aspen grass showed a temporary stration test, Wherley’s the growing popularity rival peat moss — a non- Beverage, San Antonio. period of mild chlorosis group used spent coffee in cold-brewed coffee and renewable resource — as during the initial four to grounds as a sand root- the truckloads of spent a viable organic matter much of the spent grounds against coffee grounds six weeks of establish- zone amendment in a coffee grounds not previ- component in U.S. Golf for his team’s research — fresh and composted ment. However, growth, 13,000-square-foot natu- ously available. Association, root-zone projects, which looked — as well as a control. color, density and nutri- ral grass putting course He and master’s stu- mixes. at the cast-off products The study also tested two ent retention over the they recently constructed dent Garrett Flores re- The USGA has specific as a surface application, application rates for each subsequent three months at their research field cently concluded two guidelines for root-zone perhaps as a fertilizer treatment. following an initial ap- laboratory in College Sta- studies to determine how mixes, which must in- or compost, and as a soil “Our observation from plication of nitrogen fer- tion. much value these cast- clude organic matter to root-zone amendment in this study determined tilizer were as good or “After just under a off coffee grounds might improve the water hold- sand-based systems. that direct application better in the columns year, the grass appears have. ing capacity of the soil. Coffee grounds have of spent coffee grounds amended with spent cof- to be doing very well,” Their study attracted Peat moss is the most about a 2.5-3 percent ni- by themselves provided fee grounds than those Wherley said. the attention and a seed commonly used organic trogen content, and a minimal benefit,” Flores amended with peat moss Mayer said they are grant from the U.S. Golf matter at this time. carbon-to-nitrogen ratio said. “However, when or the sand-alone control thrilled with the results Association Green Sec- Gaining momentum of about 20 to 1, which the spent coffee grounds treatments. and were able to use it in tion as well as GeoJava, a in industry could make them desir- were added with another Treatments also were the production of several company started by Chad “We were most excited able for fertilizer applica- source of fertility, the subjected to a six-week new spring products. McNair, chief executive about this part of the re- tion, Wherley said. nutrients appear to be dry-down period at the “Dr. Wherley and his officer of Aspen Beverage search, for it could have He and Flores com- retained over an extended conclusion of each study team noted coffee had this Group in San Antonio. an enormous impact in pared fresh and compos- period compared to organ- to determine how many remarkable ability and Grounds for more the golf course and sports ted grounds to other or- ic and especially synthetic days treatments could go our partners at Sigma than just coffee field construction indus- ganic and synthetic fertil- fertilizers.” before wilt was observed. Agri-Science and Ameri- David Mayer, owner try,” Mayer said. izers and sphagnum peat Alternative to Coffee ground-amend- can Plant Food identified of Mayer Materials out A partnership with moss, which is commonly peat moss? ed root zones did not show a way to harness this of Fort Worth, said, “Ini- McNair and his team was used as a soil amendment In the soil amendment wilt until later in the dry- potential to produce a tially I thought it was created, Texas Java Part- in sand-based sports fields research, Flores said the down period compared hybrid lawn and turfgrass kind of cute and quaint ners LLC, that research- and golf course putting focus was to determine if to other treatments, and fertilizer product that is someone would be looking es, develops and produces greens. spent coffee grounds could they also showed much a first of its kind,” Mayer at coffee grounds picked innovative coffee-based Fertilizer benefits of serve as an alternative stronger recovery and said. “We have already up from Starbucks or the fertilizers, composts and coffee grounds root-zone amendment to vigor after re-wetting, moved lots of this product local convenience store organic matter root-zone The two-year topdress- sphagnum peat moss. Flores said. into the landscape market to try to build a product amendment products. ing fertilizer study tested The treatments stud- “While additional test- and retail garden centers around. Wherley said Aspen seven different organic ies included coarse spent ing is still needed, the re- for spring applications “We have been using Beverage Group supplied and synthetic fertilizers coffee grounds, fine spent sults suggest spent coffee this year.”.