Coffee grounds and coffee filters are good nitrogen sources ('greens') in a compost pile, so add as part of the greens in your compost pile.
Coffee grounds can also be used as a mulch. They are acidic and can be used as a mulch by themselves around evergreens, camellias, and other acid loving plants.
If you have a worm bin of red wigglers, use coffee grounds as worm food. Worms love coffee grounds, and the grounds enhance the texture of the final compost. Tea leaves, tea bags (be sure to remove staples) and coffee filters are also acceptable worm food. Earthworms love coffee grounds too, so using as a mulch and/or in the compost pile is attractive to them as well.
Here's a guide to common problems with compost and how to solve them.
For more information on composting, view the videos on how to make a compost pile.
Download and read the brochure on how to compost.
5. Orange County Farm Supply in Orange (714) 978-6500. Call to see how they want sample to be prepared.
To improve your soil, you'll need to add six to eight inches of organic matter to the entire bed. Help figuring out how much that is.
You can add any organic matter you choose. Spread your organic matter on top of the soil. Here's where the manual labor comes in. The organic matter needs to be mixed into the top six to twelve inches of soil. Digging it in and mixing it with a shovel is a great way to do this, as it moves a lot of earth without pulverizing the soil particles the way tilling can. However, if digging is just too hard on your back, using a tiller is a fine method.
When you're finished, your garden bed will be several inches higher than it was originally. It will settle some over the course of a season, but the soil structure will keep improving as microorganisms in the soil work to break down all of the organic matter you've added. The bed can be planted immediately, however. You'll be adding more organic matter on the top of the bed as a mulch once or twice a year. This will continue the process of improving soil structure and offset any settling that happens.
It is more difficult to improve soil around trees and other established plants than unplanted soil in, for example, a vegetable bed. To improve the fertility and the structure of the soil, consider using a thin (1 to 2 inch) layer of compost as mulch around the drip line of the tree or plant. Mulch is used on top of the existing soil surface.
Be careful not to cultivate the soil (dig in) around the tree or plant, since many feeder roots are near the surface and cultivation can harm them. The compost mulch can be reapplied as needed.
Potting soil that has been used for one season to grow tomatoes, or for more than one or two seasons for growing other plants can be recycled. One good method is to add it to a compost pile.
You can also refresh a pot by thoroughly mixing in about one-third by volume of new potting soil and adding fertilizer.
Mulch slowly decomposes over time, and new mulch is needed to fill in gaps and build the mulch layer back up to about 2 to 4 inches. It is generally recommended that fresh mulch be added on about a yearly basis.
When adding new mulch, it is best to leave the existing mulch in place and add the new mulch to the top. Mulch decomposes over time and adds to the fertility of the soil.
Mulch is any material spread over the garden soil to cover it. Mulch can improve water penetration, regulate soil temperature, and help to prevent soil erosion. During the warm summer months, mulch reduces water loss and keeps soil cooler for plant roots.
There is no one answer for ‘the best mulch’ to use. Factors involved in making your choice will depend not only on what kind of garden area (vegetable garden, succulent landscape, around trees, etc.) you would like to mulch, but also your personal preference for the appearance of the mulch.
• Organic mulches -- Organic mulches can conserve moisture, prevent surface crusting, improve water penetration, and cool the soil. Organic mulches include compost, very fine wood chips, grass clippings, sawdust, leaves, clippings, chipped and shredded prunings, wood products, and hardwood or softwood bark chips or nuggets. Gorilla Hair is a stringy redwood & cedar bark that forms a long lasting mat. However, it is sharp enough to puncture the skin; it is also very pricey, something you may want to consider since you will probably be renewing your mulch on an annual basis. Other organic mulches that are good are redwood and cedar mulches. In time, organic mulches decay, providing nutrients and improving the soil texture at the same time, which is especially helpful for heavy clay soils. Plan to replenish landscape mulches periodically because of decomposition, movement, or settling.
• Inorganic mulches -- Natural inorganic mulches include sand, gravel, and pebbles. They do not provide organic matter for soil, but do conserve moisture. If using rocks as mulch, consider placing a landscape fabric underneath to create a layer between the mulch and the soil and to prevent rock pieces from sinking into the soil. Black plastic has been used as a mulch to improve weed control, but it restricts air and water movement. Synthetic mulches, which are manufactured materials that are called geotextile or landscape fabrics, have been developed to replace black plastic in the landscape. Geotextiles are porous and allow water and air to pass through them, overcoming the major disadvantage of black plastic.
Apply mulch to a weed-free area of soil to a depth between 2 to 4 inches. Applying mulch at depths of greater than 4 inches may injure plants by keeping the soil too wet and limiting oxygen to the plant's roots. However, lesser depths may have less weed control benefits. Disease incidence may increase when deep mulches are maintained.
Whenever you apply mulch, be careful to leave some space around the plant crown or tree base. If you pile any kind of mulch up against the crown, you may cause the stem/trunk to rot, so keep the mulch material at least 1 to 2 inches away from the stem or base of the plant.
We hope this helps you to make a decision on the mulch you would like to use. Most importantly, you are considering the use of mulch in your garden – good for it and good for the environment!
Poor drainage usually means that the soil particles are small and compacted. Clay soils have very fine particles and retain water. Compacted soils have poor structure with little air in the soil and so the water cannot penetrate.
The remedy for poor drainage in soil is to amend the soil to improve its texture. Add organic matter such as compost and mix in to a depth of about 4 to 6 inches. This is an ongoing process, and it will take time and repeated applications of organic matter.
1. It will hold its shape, and when you give it a light poke, it crumbles. This means luxurious loam!
2. It will hold its shape, and, when poked, sits stubbornly in your hand. This means you have clay soil.
3. It will fall apart as soon as you open your hand. This means you have sandy soil.
Sterile soil is soil that has been steam sterilized to kill soil pathogens. It is best to use sterile soil for starting seeds.
Having problems with your worm compost bin? Here's a troubleshooting guide to common problems and how to solve them.
Read and download the brochure on Composting with Worms.