Decaf coffee for Nitrogen?

PeachyBuds

PeachyBuds

Member
Hey guys!
I'm onto my 5th grow now, and now that I've learned first hand where I was lacking the most and have my breeding done with, I've cut back on my total plants, and now it's time to really grow some beasts :3

I've stuck almost entirely to organics thus far and have had decent success (aside from some unrelated issues :P ). But now that I'm growing them out bigger, I'd like to get my nutrients down better since I'll have less of an ability to let the soil do the most of my work.

As a heavy coffee drinker as is, I've had a nice supply of used coffee grounds that ive put into my compost, and my compost tea. The used stuff never seemed to really give much of and N bump (probably partly due to not oxygenating my tea well enough as it brews) but, now that I'm on the search for better, cheap, tasty, organic nitrogen, I'm looking into a new idea, and can't find much on it, so I want your opinions!

The main question: Would it be better to use straight, unbrewed decaf coffee grounds in my compost tea? (I know the caffeine thing is controversial, I'd just rather not screw with that.) Obviously it'll be more acidic, but that's manageable. Primarily, can I get a better nitrogen content from that, and if so, is it worth it for the price compared to, y'know, free, for used normal coffee grounds? If any of you have tried, or have knowledge around that, I'd love to hear!

Thanks!
-Peaches
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
whats up @PeachyBuds
so I would NOT use unbrewed coffee grinds, WAY too acidic.
brewed coffee is fine, because the brewing process takes much of the acidity out.
but unbrewed is a bad idea.
And I am unaware of caffeine being controversial at all?
coffee grinds are a great "green" input for compost piles.
grass clippings are another.
past that it's the usual suspects, and if you are looking for cheap, I suggest rabbit, alpaca, or steer manures
those mixed with simple kelp meal will net you some tasty herb, provided the genetics are there
craigslist usually has manure in some regard
 
Rasta Roy

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
PeachyBuds said:
Hey guys!
I'm onto my 5th grow now, and now that I've learned first hand where I was lacking the most and have my breeding done with, I've cut back on my total plants, and now it's time to really grow some beasts :3

I've stuck almost entirely to organics thus far and have had decent success (aside from some unrelated issues :P ). But now that I'm growing them out bigger, I'd like to get my nutrients down better since I'll have less of an ability to let the soil do the most of my work.

As a heavy coffee drinker as is, I've had a nice supply of used coffee grounds that ive put into my compost, and my compost tea. The used stuff never seemed to really give much of and N bump (probably partly due to not oxygenating my tea well enough as it brews) but, now that I'm on the search for better, cheap, tasty, organic nitrogen, I'm looking into a new idea, and can't find much on it, so I want your opinions!

The main question: Would it be better to use straight, unbrewed decaf coffee grounds in my compost tea? (I know the caffeine thing is controversial, I'd just rather not screw with that.) Obviously it'll be more acidic, but that's manageable. Primarily, can I get a better nitrogen content from that, and if so, is it worth it for the price compared to, y'know, free, for used normal coffee grounds? If any of you have tried, or have knowledge around that, I'd love to hear!

Thanks!
-Peaches
Click to expand...
The nitrogen from used coffee grounds is slow release. They're a great green input for your compost like @greasemonkeymann said. They're also great for tilling into your soil outdoors in the fall to ready it for the spring.

They do provide some quick release phosphorus and potassium but not a ton. Great for building soil fertility, not great as a main fertilizer.

Make some compost made from leaves, coffee grounds, and rabbit manure. Couple them with worm castings made from rabbit manure and food scraps. Makes killer bud! I top dress with neem cake too. The neem not only adds slow release nitrogen, but it keeps nitrogen in the soil from turning into gas and leaving the soil. Leaving it there to feed your plants for longer.
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
Rasta Roy said:
Make some compost made from leaves, coffee grounds, and rabbit manure. Couple them with worm castings made from rabbit manure and food scraps. Makes killer bud! I top dress with neem cake too. The neem not only adds slow release nitrogen, but it keeps nitrogen in the soil from turning into gas and leaving the soil. Leaving it there to feed your plants for longer.
Click to expand...
Damn good advice right there!

neem is the only nutrient that I add to my soil mix, everything else I like to compost
but neem meal goes in my ready made compost soil, about a month before I use it.
Theres a LOT of special shit goin on with neem meal
it brings out terpines and smells and tastes that strains don't normally bring to the table
Sorta unlocking the strains "potential" if you will

Neem meal (as much as I DETEST the fuckin smell)
is a must have.
Anybody know what karanja smells like?
Been curious to try that
 
Rasta Roy

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
greasemonkeymann said:
Damn good advice right there!

neem is the only nutrient that I add to my soil mix, everything else I like to compost
but neem meal goes in my ready made compost soil, about a month before I use it.
Theres a LOT of special shit goin on with neem meal
it brings out terpines and smells and tastes that strains don't normally bring to the table
Sorta unlocking the strains "potential" if you will

Neem meal (as much as I DETEST the fuckin smell)
is a must have.
Anybody know what karanja smells like?
Been curious to try that
Click to expand...
I'm curious to know as well!

My whole house reeks Everytime I do a fresh top dressing.
 
Rasta Roy

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
greasemonkeymann said:
just reminds me of cheap shitty beef flavored top ramen..
in my late teens/early 20s I was a starving kid..
rent is expensive in santa cruz..
Click to expand...
I've heard! Anytime one of my friends from Cali visits we always have a conversation at some point about how whatever house I'm renting is twice the size and half the rent of theirs.
 
iHearAll

iHearAll

Well-Known Member
PeachyBuds said:
Hey guys!
I'm onto my 5th grow now, and now that I've learned first hand where I was lacking the most and have my breeding done with, I've cut back on my total plants, and now it's time to really grow some beasts :3

I've stuck almost entirely to organics thus far and have had decent success (aside from some unrelated issues :P ). But now that I'm growing them out bigger, I'd like to get my nutrients down better since I'll have less of an ability to let the soil do the most of my work.

As a heavy coffee drinker as is, I've had a nice supply of used coffee grounds that ive put into my compost, and my compost tea. The used stuff never seemed to really give much of and N bump (probably partly due to not oxygenating my tea well enough as it brews) but, now that I'm on the search for better, cheap, tasty, organic nitrogen, I'm looking into a new idea, and can't find much on it, so I want your opinions!

The main question: Would it be better to use straight, unbrewed decaf coffee grounds in my compost tea? (I know the caffeine thing is controversial, I'd just rather not screw with that.) Obviously it'll be more acidic, but that's manageable. Primarily, can I get a better nitrogen content from that, and if so, is it worth it for the price compared to, y'know, free, for used normal coffee grounds? If any of you have tried, or have knowledge around that, I'd love to hear!

Thanks!
-Peaches
Click to expand...
everyday i make a liter sizec offee press with 3 tablespoons of coffee grinds. i drink all the coffee and get all dabbed up cuz its 8am. i add another liter of water to the coffee press to lift the grinds off the bottom and then i just water it straight into my peppers, cucumbers, and tea plants.

gyst is i had to guesstimate how much coffee per volume of water to feed the plants and it works at this ratio and similar.
 
iHearAll

iHearAll

Well-Known Member
you can also make a wicked bokashi from spent grinds. so in the end result you get all the same N values or more since it's biologically dismantled some. (that sounds metal)
 
iHearAll

iHearAll

Well-Known Member
just read rasta roy's response haha that makes perfect sense. no wonder it isnt burning the plants. cuz it isnt doin shiyat
 
PeachyBuds

PeachyBuds

Member
Thanks for all the replies!
Glad I asked first, I never realized it was a slow release like that, and that it's too acidic to work with. I'm adding all my used coffee to my compost currently, and using a homemade bioextractor on that, which is seeming to work fairly well, but isn't putting out quite the veg results I'm after. There is some manure in there as well. I'll have to look into all of your suggestions for sure and give some things a go! Maybe I just need to add a bit more manure of some form to my tea, although I'm trying to avoid extra, as microbes eating up blackstrap molasses and manure makes for a pungent smell to water with for sure!
 
Rasta Roy

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
PeachyBuds said:
Thanks for all the replies!
Glad I asked first, I never realized it was a slow release like that, and that it's too acidic to work with. I'm adding all my used coffee to my compost currently, and using a homemade bioextractor on that, which is seeming to work fairly well, but isn't putting out quite the veg results I'm after. There is some manure in there as well. I'll have to look into all of your suggestions for sure and give some things a go! Maybe I just need to add a bit more manure of some form to my tea, although I'm trying to avoid extra, as microbes eating up blackstrap molasses and manure makes for a pungent smell to water with for sure!
Click to expand...
What is this bioextractor you speak of? Also what kind of manure we talking? Are you using teas as your nutrient source?
 
PeachyBuds

PeachyBuds

Member
Rasta Roy said:
What is this bioextractor you speak of? Also what kind of manure we talking? Are you using teas as your nutrient source?
Click to expand...
It's just a simple rig I made to really oxygenate the water as well as recirculate it, and therefore I'm able to grow microbiology and get a better overall extraction of the nutrients. Plus the plants love the microbes! I've used chicken manure mainly, as well as bat guano. Bat guano reaaaaally puts out a stank in there though... I try to use teas as my main nutrients, but it depends how busy I am. Some times I'll just give em liquid bone meal and some liquid potash, and let the soil to the work for the nitrogen. Buthe whenever I have time, it's tea for their nutrients.
 
Rasta Roy

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
PeachyBuds said:
It's just a simple rig I made to really oxygenate the water as well as recirculate it, and therefore I'm able to grow microbiology and get a better overall extraction of the nutrients. Plus the plants love the microbes! I've used chicken manure mainly, as well as bat guano. Bat guano reaaaaally puts out a stank in there though... I try to use teas as my main nutrients, but it depends how busy I am. Some times I'll just give em liquid bone meal and some liquid potash, and let the soil to the work for the nitrogen. Buthe whenever I have time, it's tea for their nutrients.
Click to expand...
Man I think chicken manure smells waaaay worse than bat guano. I dont even get a smell off guano. Chicken shit tho...whewee!

I don't use it my grow but ive used it in others.
 
PeachyBuds

PeachyBuds

Member
Rasta Roy said:
Man I think chicken manure smells waaaay worse than bat guano. I dont even get a smell off guano. Chicken shit tho...whewee!

I don't use it my grow but ive used it in others.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, straight it's definitely worse, but adding in (basically) fermentation and braking guano down into something super usable, it becomes hell, whereas the chicken manure seems to be much more mild. I've honestly thought I had a septic leak in my house before just from that! Lol
 
Rasta Roy

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
PeachyBuds said:
Oh yeah, straight it's definitely worse, but adding in (basically) fermentation and braking guano down into something super usable, it becomes hell, whereas the chicken manure seems to be much more mild. I've honestly thought I had a septic leak in my house before just from that! Lol
Click to expand...
That's crazy mines never smelled like that. Is yours fresh or something?
 
PeachyBuds

PeachyBuds

Member
Rasta Roy said:
That's crazy mines never smelled like that. Is yours fresh or something?
Click to expand...
Nope, dried. I mean, it's really just the fact that the microbes are feeding on it like crazy while stimulated by sugars. It does a great job, but man, I gotta find a way to keep that smell out.
 
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