Are you looking for a fertilizer that is easy to use, safe, and environmentally friendly? Then this article is definitely for you. Many people think of coffee grounds as a waste product, but for those who love growing plants, coffee grounds are an excellent organic fertilizer packed with nutrients. And the question that comes up here is, are coffee grounds good for lilacs? Let’s find out more through this article.
What does lilac need to grow?
The lilac flower is loved for its seductive fragrance. They come in many colors, the most common being white, pink, and purple. Lilac is a perennial woody plant, often grown in large shrubs with a height of 2 to 10 meters. The plant grows well on slightly alkaline soils and flowers steadily every year in late spring and early summer. People often plant them as a fence, both aesthetically and creating privacy for the house.
Besides regular pruning and watering, we also need to provide the lilac bushes with the nutrients they need so that they can grow at their best. You can use chemical fertilizers to provide the necessary nutrients for plants, however, they will probably harm your soil. So choose organic fertilizers to avoid unnecessary damage, and coffee grounds are the perfect choice to solve this problem.
Lilac flowers and acidic soil
According to the Journal Article Propagation and Care for Lilacs by Alfred J. Fordham and C. E. Wood, Jr., the perfect soil environment for lilac plants to grow needs to be ensured with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0. This is a neutral soil medium and is also slightly alkaline. If your soil does not reach the pH threshold mentioned above, add a little coffee grounds to get the perfect habitat for this plant.
Besides, lilac is also a sun-loving plant. They need sunlight for 6 hours a day to grow well. Note that if the amount of sunlight on the lilacs exceeds 6 hours, you should consider covering them.
This plant does not need to be watered too often, just 2 times a week is enough for their growth. However, each watering must be watered thoroughly to be able to retain the necessary moisture for the soil.
One more thing, if your potting soil exceeds the allowable pH for lilacs, their bloom will be in trouble and there won’t even be a single flower at all. So check the pH of the soil thoroughly before using any fertilizer.
Are coffee grounds good for lilacs?
With the information given above, the answer given is definitely yes. Coffee grounds are a perfect choice for nutrient-deficient soil. It’s a waste when you throw them away after the finished product is a delicious cup of coffee. A study at the University of Surrey conducted by Oliver P.Crossley said that coffee grounds contain nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, nutrients that are very beneficial for the growth of your plants.
Use coffee grounds as an organic fertilizer for your lilac bushes. The perfect time to water this plant with coffee grounds is during the growing period, specifically in the spring, when they are getting ready to bloom. And you should also water a lot of water so that the nutrients are absorbed more easily.
However, as mentioned above, lilac is suitable for living in soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0, so consider using coffee grounds accordingly and bring the best effect. The reason is that coffee grounds will often be acidic, causing acidity in the soil to increase. If the acidity in the soil is too high for lilac growing conditions, the effect will backfire. Your plants won’t die, they’ll even grow extremely dense foliage, but there won’t be any pretty flowers, and that’s pointless for a lilac bush.
The simple way to fertilize lilacs at home
Besides using coffee grounds as an organic fertilizer at home, there is another ingredient that can also be used at home and is also very safe for your garden, which is Epsom salt.
Epsom salt helps promote the flowering of lilac plants. Based on research by Ebenezer O. Esan working at Dalhousie University, Epsom salt contains nutrients necessary for the growth of lilac bushes such as magnesium and sulfate. It will make the plant grow fast, bushy, and bloom beautiful large flower bushes.
How to use them to fertilize plants is very simple. Simply mix 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt per 1 gallon of water, then water it directly on the base of the lilac. Very easy, isn’t it? This should be done regularly once a month for lasting effects.
But there is a caveat that, if your soil is already rich in nutrients, the use of Epsom salt is not necessary. Not only that, we should not arbitrarily use fertilizer for plants if the nutrient environment of the soil is stable. If desired, fertilize only once a year in the spring to avoid negative effects on your lilac bushes.
How do you rejuvenate a lilac bush?
Lilac trees that grow to a certain age will age and become unsightly. Leaf drops will occur more often.
The simplest way to remedy this situation is to prune the branches of old lilac bushes. This stimulates the growth of young shoots, rejuvenating the lilac bush in your garden. You should only leave about 8 inches of the plant’s length off the ground for the best effect. This pruning should take place in the winter so that the young shoots will grow strongly in the spring.
Final thought
Coffee grounds are a nutrient-rich waste product that offers countless benefits to your garden. Using coffee grounds to fertilize plants properly will make the lilac bushes grow vigorously and bring beauty to your garden. So, do not waste but make use of coffee grounds to make your garden the best and safest way.
