Most varieties of house plants originate from tropical regions, where they thrive in acidic soils. Their tropical nature makes them deplete nutrients quickly from the potting soil. You can supplement the much-needed nutrients by feeding them with coffee occasionally.
Coffee adds significant nitrogen and acid into potting soil that’s depleted of important nutrients. Thus, it makes potting soil more fertile for house plants to thrive. The most commonly grown house plants that benefit from coffee include:
- Snake Plant
Botanically known as Sansevieria trifasciata, the snake plant is popular for its tolerance to neglect and low maintenance. It responds well when fed with coffee occasionally. Snake plant is natively grown in the West African tropical climate. It thrives best when grown in acidic soil featuring a pH level of 4.5-7.0. Its sword-shaped and erect leaves achieve their unique variegated look when provided with occasional watering and moderate to low light. When watering snake plant, mix water and coffee in the ratio of 1:3 respectively for the best results.
- Philodendrons
Philodendrons are among the most commonly planted house plants. They’re available in several types of foliage colors, sizes, and shapes. They originate from America’s tropical region and West Indies. Philodendrons thrive in humid conditions, diffuse light, and acidic soil featuring a pH level of 5.5-6.0. If your philodendrons are growing slowly, an effective and affordable home remedy for this problem would be feeding it with coffee. In this case, mix potting soil with coffee grounds or water the plants with a mixture of water and coffee in the ratio of 1:1 respectively.
- Spider Plant
Botanically known as Chlorophytum comosum, the spider plant is a popular hanging plant. It’s loved for its thin and variegated leaves that form cascading fountains. It’s natively grown in South Africa. It thrives in mildly acidic and well-draining potting soil. It also thrives in bright or moderate indirect light. You can help it achieve a soil pH level of between 6.1-6.5 by watering it occasionally with some diluted coffee. In this case, mix water and coffee in the ratio of 3:1 respectively.
- Ghost Man
Ghost man, botanically known as Pachypodium namaquanum is natively grown in Namibia. It thrives in extremely acidic soil featuring a pH level of 3.5-5.0. However, the plant can withstand lower acidity when grown as a house plant. You can offer it the best soil acidity level by feeding it with a strong coffee solution sparingly during its growing season. It develops deciduous leaves that form a ring during winter, with numerous scarlet and tubular flowers.
- Banana
All banana plant species thrive best in acidic soil. Thus, indoor banana varieties including purple banana and red torch/red-flowering banana thrive best in soil with a pH level of 5.0-6.5. Banana plants, natively grown in Southeast Asia, are preferred for their fruits and tropical foliage. You can water them with a water and coffee solution in the ratio of 1:1 during their growing season. During other seasons, feed them with small amounts of pure water.
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