Is Coffee Good for Christmas Cactus? (Don’t Give It Caffeine Rush! )
If you have a Christmas cactus and you’re looking for ways to keep it healthy, why not try giving it some coffee to drink? No, really! The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) is one of the few plants that can actually metabolize coffee, which means that it’s good for it—and will help it grow.
Coffee grounds are a good source of potassium and nitrogen, two things the cactus needs to keep it healthy. Your cactus will also enjoy the warm, rich aroma of the coffee. Your Christmas cactus will enjoy a coffee as much as you do!
It’s not exactly a secret that coffee can be helpful when it comes to growing Christmas cacti. The plant itself is named after the holiday, so it makes sense that we’d try to give it an extra boost during the time of year when it’s most needed. But how good can coffee really be for your Christmas cactus? What exactly does coffee do for Christmas cacti?
Coffee is a little acidic—at a pH of 5.5, coffee is on the lower end of the acidity spectrum, and that’s part of what makes it so good for Christmas cacti (which thrive in an acidic environment). Coffee also has caffeine in it, which gives plants some extra energy.
How to Use Coffee Grounds on Christmas Cactus
If you have a Christmas cactus, then you’re probably always looking for new ways to make sure it stays healthy and happy. If you’re also a coffee drinker, then you’ve surely noticed that the grounds leftover from your daily brew can be used to add nutrients to your soil. As long as the grounds are dry, they’re safe to use on your Christmas cactus or any other flora or fauna that can tolerate acidic soil.
This is how it’s done:
First, spread out your grounds in a thin layer on a plate and allow them to completely air dry. Moist coffee grounds quickly begin to mold, so they need time to dry out before being used as fertilizer. Then fill an open vessel with the dried-out grounds so that they can be kept safe until they’re used.
There are two ways to use the coffee grounds as fertilizer: Either stir them into the irrigation water (if you do this, do it right before you water the plant) or sprinkle them around the plant and mix them into the soil (this is best if you have several plants).
Sprinkling them Around the Plant & Mix with Soil
Begin by drying your coffee grounds by spreading them on a tray, and then letting them for a couple of hours. Coffee grounds that are moist can cause mold growth and will significantly alter the condition and health of the plants.
After drying, you may add the ground coffee over the upper layer of the Christmas cactus’s soil. Make sure to incorporate it into the soil, but take care not to disturb the roots.
It is important to be punctual in fertilizing the Christmas Cactus. It is best to be sure to leave it alone when it is blooming, and then fertilize it shortly when it has lost its flowers.
After that, you can add grounds of coffee every 2 to 4 weeks. There is no need to over-fertilize If you don’t remember about your cactus plant, don’t worry.
In the end, every year, it is recommended to plant your Christmas cactus again as the plant will grow more and require more space to grow its roots. If the time comes to do it, you’ll naturally enrich the soil of your cactus and don’t have to fertilize it once more for several weeks.
Are coffee grounds good for Christmas cactus?
Did you know that the same grounds you dump out of the bottom of your coffee machine can be used to help your Christmas cactus bloom in season? The key is to add them to your watering can, or to use them directly on the soil around your plant.
Coffee grounds have many nutrients in them, but they’re particularly rich in nitrogen (which plants need to grow). The coffee grounds will naturally release these nutrients into the soil, helping your Christmas cactus not just survive but thrive!
You can also try using coffee grounds directly on the leaves and stems of your plant if they look like they’re drying out or turning brown. It might seem counterintuitive at first, but it may help your Christmas cactus recover from whatever it is that’s causing it to wither!
For any Christmas cactus that’s in dire need of some TLC, try adding a cup of coffee grounds directly onto the soil. It won’t hurt anything if it doesn’t work, and even if it does, it wouldn’t hurt to try!
According to the MINNESOTA State University Extension, the high nitrogen content of coffee grounds allows them to be used as a fertilizer for plants such as Christmas cactus. In fact, coffee grounds can be used in combination with other types of fertilizer and soil amendments, such as compost or manure, to increase the effectiveness of these substances.
Coffee Grounds Benefits for Christmas Cactus?
While it may seem like the urban legend of using coffee grounds as fertilizer has been around forever, it’s actually been around for less than two decades. Surprisingly enough, it was a full-time farmer who learned about using coffee grounds as an alternative type of fertilizer.
Coffee grounds can be used to support the health of a Christmas cactus. One way to do this is by adding coffee grounds throughout the year, as well as repotting it once a year. This is especially true when it comes to its roots.
Growing Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) indoors can be tricky, but one of the best ways to ensure its survival is to use a high-quality potting mix and place your plant in a bright area near a window. However, they don’t like direct sunlight, so you may have to move it around throughout the year, especially as there are more sunlight hours in the summer.
What Does Coffee Do To Christmas Cactus?
The Christmas cactus is one of many plants that will benefit from the use of coffee grounds in its soil. This can help revive a plant that has been losing leaves, especially one you’ve been nurturing for a while.
For example, when you need to revive a Christmas cactus that has been failing to bloom consistently throughout the year, adding a cup of coffee grounds to the soil may help.
Can I Water Cactus With Coffee?
The common practice of watering plants with coffee is believed to be an old wives’ tale. However, it is possible to use diluted coffee in your garden and houseplants as long as you do not overuse it.
Is Diluted Coffee Good For Christmas Cactus?
To reduce the acidity in the soil that is causing inflammation in a Christmas cactus, one can use black coffee diluted with liquid detergent (no cream or sugar or you’ll catch bugs). You can obtain pH testers from a wide variety of vendors (It sale here ).
Is Coffee A Good Fertilizer For Christmas Cactus?
Coffee grounds and other organic matter such as compost are often added to the soil of plants like Christmas cactus. The reasons for this are that both coffee grounds and compost add nutrients to the soil, which helps the plant grow.
The coffee ground itself is high in nitrogen and phosphorus, which benefit plants with a higher level of growth. Compost is made up of decomposed organic materials, which have been broken down at the cellular level. Compost also releases smaller amounts of nitrogen as it decomposes into the soil. This helps to replenish plants when they are in need of nutrients.
When using coffee grounds or compost as fertilizer for a Christmas cactus, it is best to apply it in a thin layer on top of the soil. When you water your plant, some of these nutrients will be absorbed by the roots and transported to where they need to go in order to benefit your plant.
Do Christmas Cactus Like Coffee Grounds?
The plant is quite lovely, with flowers that open up and bloom around the holiday season. It is a perfect decoration for your home this time of year and can bring the spirit of the holidays inside for even the most hard-hearted Scrooge.
I know that, like me, you want to water your cactus with coffee grounds to help it bloom for the holidays. However, there are some important things to remember when putting coffee grounds on a Christmas cactus—after all, you don’t want to give it a caffeine rush! The absolute tops tips to remember when watering your Cacti with coffee grounds are the following:
Make sure your plant has adequate drainage – Coffee grounds do a great job of drawing nutrients out of the soil and into the plant itself. However, if the soil doesn’t have adequate drainage then the roots could rot. Make sure that you water your plant using pots or trays with drainage holes – this will allow any extra moisture to escape so that you don’t have soggy soil and over-watering.
Use black and Cold Coffee on a Christmas Cactus:I don’t recommend giving a Christmas cactus any other kind of liquid besides black coffee. Not only is the flavor a poor match for the holiday spirit, but it will also leave your cactus at risk of attracting bugs. I suggest using leftover cream and sugar to make more coffee instead.
In addition to using the wrong liquids, overwatering is another common mistake that can quickly kill your plant. In fact, water can be just as dangerous as liquids with flavors that aren’t compatible with a Christmas cactus. When watering, always use room temperature water; never warm or cool water, as this can shock your plant into developing mold or mildew. For the same reason, try to keep your Christmas cacti away from heaters and air conditioners that might fluctuate in temperature.
Wrap It Up
When it comes to coffee and Christmas cacti, the answer is yes. As with most plants, coffee grounds are a good substitute for fertilizer, but you have to make sure you’re giving them enough. Coffee grounds will give your plant more of a boost than simply watering it with coffee.
The key is to make sure the coffee grounds are not too acidic. The ideal pH level of the soil is somewhere between 5.8 and 7. You should also be investing in well-draining soil or you will be opening yourself up to Christmas cactus bugs.
