Roses can start to decline in late August as the soil becomes compacted and it can be difficult for plants to access water and nutrients, but there is a simple way to help them
As summer begins to fade and the weather turns noticeably chillier, there’s a simple trick to help your roses prepare for autumn and even sprout larger blooms. By the end of August, roses can be struggling due to the intense heat of the previous months compacting the soil, resulting in fewer nutrients and less water reaching the roots.
However, gardening gurus at The House of Terra have revealed an easy way to rejuvenate roses and keep them blooming – all you need are the leftovers from your morning cuppa. They explained: “Coffee grounds take place to be a favoured food of your local worm population. This will benefit the roses as worms properly aerate portable soil which enhances the soil structure and water drainage.”
Coffee is a fantastic source of sustenance for earthworms, and scattering it on your flowerbeds will encourage these worms to delve deeper into the soil, improving its drainage.
The dry summer weather causes soil to harden, but earthworms will break up the soil again to ensure more resources reach the roses, keeping them hydrated and nourished.
Earthworms also leave behind worm casings which add extra nutrients to the soil, but coffee grounds alone are a good source of nitrogen for plants, reports the Express.
Nitrogen is the nutrient responsible for foliage growth, and having big leaves on plants allows it to absorb more energy while strong stems will help roses support even bigger flowers.
What’s brilliant about coffee grounds is that they attract beneficial insects like worms but deter more destructive ones like slugs, who can’t stand its sharp acidic scent.
How to use coffee grounds for your roses
Firstly, take your damp leftover coffee grounds and place them on a tray. Leave the tray near a window to bake in the sun and dry out the grounds.
Coffee can be a real boon for plants but it is an acidic substance, so it’s crucial to use leftover coffee grounds as they’re far less potent. You also need to dry out the coffee so it doesn’t become mouldy in the garden.
Next, simply sprinkle half a pound of coffee grounds around each rose in your garden. There’s no need to dig the coffee into the soil as that could damage the roots, so instead ensure to give roses around two gallons of water after adding the coffee grounds as this will help them seep into the ground.
You only need to feed your roses coffee grounds once, but it can help them grow much stronger and larger so they’re well prepared for the chillier months ahead.
