Used coffee grounds can boost vegetable growth or be used as insect repellent to protect citrus fruit, a National Taiwan University researcher said on Monday.
Water spinach that spent its initial growth period in a compost pile containing 10 percent coffee grounds produced plants of 105 percent greater mass than others grown in regular compost, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture associate professor Lin Shu-i (林淑怡) told an event to present research findings on the use of spent coffee grounds.
Bok choy grown in a 2 percent grounds compost pile increased leaf length by 13 percent and plant weight by 22 percent, Lin said.
Photo: CNA
Adding coffee grounds to compost helps build nutrient-rich, fertile soil, but it takes at least three months for the coffee to start decomposing into an organic fertilizer, she said.
Field experiments show that coffee grounds are good for 30 to 40 popular leafy green vegetables, she said.
However, untreated spent coffee grounds have detrimental agronomic effects due to the volume of noxious compounds that are produced during the fermentation process, so a compost pile should be no more than 2 percent grounds, she said.
A soaking solution can be produced to protect citrus trees by mixing used coffee grounds with water, Lin said.
After about three days, the solution can be sprayed on a tree, which reduces damage to citrus leaves by insects by 53 percent, she said.
The solution in a more diluted form can kill Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that cause anthrax, she added.
A team from the university and Nespresso, a coffee unit of Nestle Group, conducted the research, with 40 organic farmers participating in the program.
Ten organic farms in Taiwan used spent coffee grounds and the team aims to raise the number to 15, the researchers said.
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