Roses of Sharon are beautiful bushes with a delicate and fresh look. To thrive and bloom to their fullest potential, you need to keep them as healthy as possible. One way to do this is to use fertilizer, and coffee grounds are often considered a good fertilizer for many plants.
Coffee grounds are good fertilizers for roses of Sharon because they’re high in nutrients that roses need to thrive. These nutrients include nitrogen and potassium. Although coffee grounds are good fertilizers, you should be careful not to use too much, as that can damage the plant.
The rest of this article will discuss why coffee grounds are good fertilizers for roses of Sharon in greater detail. It will also discuss its disadvantages and the best fertilizers for your rose of Sharon bush.
Why Are Coffee Grounds Good Fertilizer for Roses of Sharon?
Coffee grounds are good fertilizer for roses of Sharon because they contain high levels of nitrogen, which roses need in high amounts. They also help attract worms, and they’re organic and affordable. Plus, most people have coffee grounds on hand, so they’re a handy option.
Below, I’ll discuss these advantages in greater detail. So be sure to read on if you want to learn more!
Coffee Grounds Contain Much-Needed Nutrients
The most crucial aspect of any fertilizer is the nutrients. Without the required nutrients, it would be pointless to use fertilizer. Thankfully, coffee is rich in many vital ingredients essential for soil and plant health.
Coffee contains:
- Nitrogen. This is essential for the growth of roses of Sharon bushes.
- Phosphorus. Phosphorus is another nutrient that is essential for the soil and plants.
- Potassium. Coffee also contains potassium, something that all plants need to thrive.
But since coffee contains a relatively high amount of nitrogen, you should be careful not to use too much of it. Plus, some soils already have sufficient nitrogen levels, so adding more might cause problems.
As long as you apply small amounts to the soil (and don’t apply the coffee grounds too often), you shouldn’t run into any issues!
Coffee Grounds Attract Worms
Although you may think worms are bothersome, they are helpful to plants and the soil. Worms help aerate the soil and provide roses of Sharon with additional nutrients, so it’s good to attract them to your plants.
Worms are attracted to coffee grounds because they like to eat them. They’re light and easy to take in, so it’s common to see plenty of them around your rose of Sharon bush if you use coffee grounds. Just know that it’s not a bad thing, and it’s hugely beneficial to your rose bush (and other plants).
Coffee Grounds Are Affordable and Organic
Coffee grounds are easily accessible and generally affordable, so they’re a great choice if you’re trying to save money. And on top of that, they’re entirely organic. Coffee grounds aren’t processed, so you won’t be adding any unwanted chemicals to the soil and plants.
So if you’re trying to keep your garden, plants, and soil as organic as possible, natural fertilizers like coffee grounds are an excellent choice.
Disadvantages of Coffee Grounds as Fertilizer
There’s no doubt that there are many advantages to using coffee grounds as fertilizer for your rose of Sharon bush. However, like with most things, there are some disadvantages to consider.
So if you want to learn more about the main downsides of coffee grounds as fertilizer, you should read the important points below.
Too Much Coffee Grounds Can Be Detrimental to Plant Health
Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, which is a good thing. But it can be a bad thing if you apply too much of it. While some nitrogen is excellent for the health of roses of Sharon, too much of it can cause root damage and may even stunt growth.
However, you could apply this disadvantage to many types of fertilizers. Since most fertilizers contain high nitrogen levels, you need to be careful no matter what you’re using.
But with coffee, it’s more likely that people assume it won’t cause harm because it’s organic and doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals. As a result, it may not seem like a problem to apply a lot of it at once. But as you now know, this will cause problems and could kill your rose bush.
Coffee Can Sometimes Stunt Plant Growth
Coffee can slow or stunt the growth of your rose of Sharon, which is precisely what you want to avoid. One big issue with coffee grounds is that they contain caffeine. Although caffeine can help suppress weeds, it can often stop plant growth.
To avoid this issue, it’s best to mix your coffee grounds into compost instead of applying them directly to the soil and plants.
Coffee Grounds Aren’t Made for Gardening
Since coffee grounds aren’t made specifically for gardening, you can’t rely on them to keep your rose of Sharon and other plants healthy. Fertilizers are made specifically for soil and are generally more appropriate because of that.
Although coffee grounds contain the three primary ingredients necessary for plant health and growth, fertilizer also has them. For example, coffee grounds contain caffeine, which isn’t essential for plants. With fertilizer, there is no caffeine or other unnecessary ingredients. All ingredients in fertilizer are essential and good for the soil.
Best Fertilizers for Roses of Sharon
There are many ways to fertilize roses of Sharon because of the different products available. The fertilizer you choose may depend on the other plants in your garden. For example, you may have trees in your garden that require fertilizer spikes.
Because of that, you may be considering using spikes for your roses of Sharon (to learn more about using fertilizer spikes for your trees, you should check out this article).
Alternatively, you might not have any idea what fertilizer you should use. In that case, you should read below, where I’ll discuss some of the best fertilizer options for roses of Sharon.
Fertilizer Spikes
As mentioned above, fertilizer spikes are fertilizers that some people like to use for trees. They’re also appropriate for other kinds of plants, including roses of Sharon.
An example of a fertilizer spike is this Jobe’s Fertilizer Spike package, available on Amazon. These spikes are made for roses, but they work well with roses of Sharon, too. Since they’re pre-measured, you don’t have to measure anything or worry about using too much product.
And because fertilizer spikes are pre-measured, there’s a much lower chance of over-fertilization.
Standard High-Nitrogen Fertilizer
General high-nitrogen fertilizer is an excellent choice for your rose of Sharon plant. Since these plants like lots of nitrogen, it’s vital to ensure they always receive enough.
An example would be this Milorganite Slow-Release Nitrogen Fertilizer, available on Amazon. This fertilizer has plenty of nitrogen, and it lasts many months because it releases the nutrients slowly. On top of all that, it’s eco-friendly and healthy for soil and plants.
Compost
Although compost works as an organic soil amendment, it also works as a fertilizer because it releases essential nutrients into the soil. Because of this, you could try to use it as a fertilizer and soil amendment combined.
Compost is so great because you can easily make your own at home using food scraps, grass, leaves, and many other things. Therefore, it’s a highly affordable way to fertilize your rose of Sharon plants.
Coffee Grounds
Of course, I had to mention coffee grounds since this article revolves around them. As you now know from this article, coffee grounds work effectively as fertilizers because they contain vital nutrients that roses of Sharon (and other plants) need to thrive.
For the best results, it’s good to incorporate coffee grounds into a compost pile. Applying coffee grounds directly to plants can be beneficial, but caffeine can cause growth issues. It’s essential to be aware of this factor before using them as fertilizer.
Are Coffee Grounds Good for all Plants?
Coffee grounds are not good for all plants because some coffee is more acidic than others. Since some plants need acidity and some don’t, coffee can cause damage to certain things in the garden.
In many cases, unbrewed coffee can be acidic. But not all unbrewed coffee is. So if you have a plant that doesn’t need any added acidity, you should make sure you use coffee that isn’t acidic (or avoid coffee altogether to be on the safe side).
But in other cases, some plants thrive on acidity and would benefit from coffee with high acidity levels. It’s all about knowing what your plant needs and how to give it what it needs safely, without causing any damage.
If you’re unsure how acidic your coffee grounds are, you should consider adding them to a compost pile or using a different fertilizer.
Conclusion
Coffee grounds can be good fertilizers for roses of Sharon if you don’t overuse them. Since coffee grounds can contain high levels of caffeine, it’s best to mix them into a compost pile to lessen the adverse effects caffeine may have on the soil.
The main reason coffee grounds are good fertilizers is that they contain essential nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen. However, you can find these nutrients in all store-bought fertilizers.
Using too much coffee can cause growth issues and may even kill the rose of Sharon, so always make sure to use it sparingly.
