Don't Throw Out This Kitchen Leftover And Your Pothos Plant Will Thank You

After you've had your last cup of coffee in the morning, don't throw out those grounds. Rather than throwing them into a landfill, you might be able to put them to good use feeding your pothos (Epipremnum aureum) plant. Like many houseplants that like coffee, pothos can be the grateful participants in giving your used grounds a second life. 

The famously hardy houseplant, if treated well, can live a decade or more. While they don't ask for much, they do prefer nutrient-rich soil, which can, unfortunately, be hard to come by in a potting mix after a couple of months. While you can add store-bought fertilizer, using leftover grounds from your coffee machine instead might save you a bit of money. 

Sprinkled coffee grounds on the soil release nutrients slowly as they break down. They contain carbon and nitrogen, which can help your pothos grow healthy green leaves. Coffee also contains trace amounts of other minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium that help your potted plant grow robust root systems. The used grounds even help feed microbes in the soil, which are good for any plant. In fact, pothos isn't the only indoor plant that loves java. You can also reuse old coffee grounds for the benefit of your monstera houseplant. 

First, always use spent coffee grounds because they are less acidic than fresh grounds. Spread out the grounds on a paper towel and let them dry out –moldy coffee might do your pothos more harm than good. Once the grounds are dry, then sprinkle them into the top of the soil. Just try not to dust the stems directly. Feel free to mix the coffee in with the dirt and break up chunks so the nutrients are more evenly distributed.  Then, water as you normally would.

You'll need to be careful when using coffee grounds as houseplant food, though. You only want to add it once every two to four months. The time of year you fertilize matters, too. You want to avoid putting coffee or any fertilizer on your pothos in the winter, when the plant is likely dormant.

You don't want to overdo it with the coffee. Too much can make the soil too compact and interfere with drainage.  If you want to use coffee more often on your plant, you can try it in a less concentrated liquid form. Soak used coffee grounds in water and then water as usual. You should be able to do this once a month during peak growing season.