Do Arrowhead Plants Like Coffee Grounds? (+How To Use It Correctly)

Coffee grounds are popular in the houseplant community as they are easily available and boost the growth of the plants. But before you add coffee grounds to your arrowhead plant or Suyngonium, you must find out whether they will like it or not.

In general, coffee grounds are beneficial for arrowhead plants if used correctly. You must never mix them with soil or pour your leftover coffee; instead, use them in the form of compost, mulch, or liquid fertilizer. Also, avoid excessive use as it can stunt growth and lead to fungal diseases.

But before you grab the coffee grounds, understand the hazards of using coffee grounds along with the correct methods of using them that your plant can benefit from.

Are coffee grounds good for the arrowhead plants?

Coffee grounds can benefit your arrowhead plant in a lot of ways. 

• Coffee grounds contain nitrogen which is an essential requirement of plants, and it helps boost their growth. 
• Coffee grounds also contain other nutrients such as potassium and magnesium, which benefit the plant. 
• Since arrowhead plants prefer acidic soil, adding coffee grounds can increase the soil’s acidity if you are using one that doesn’t already have the required pH level. 
• If you add coffee grounds to the compost, it brings microorganisms that are good for the plant. 

However, be careful while using coffee grounds as compost. 

Don’t add too much as it can retain excess water and make the soil soggy. 

You must add other organic matter to the compost to ensure that the plant receives all types of nutrients. 

You must avoid using coffee grounds if the soil already has a high acidic level.

How often should I add coffee grounds to my arrowhead plant?

Coffee grounds increase the soil’s acidity, but if you use them too often, the acidity will rise higher than the preference of your arrowhead plant. 

It can affect the roots and burn them, so you should not use coffee grounds too often on your Syngonium.

Using coffee grounds too often can also attract pests and cause fungal infections.

Don’t think of replacing your regular fertilizer with coffee grounds.

Instead, use coffee grounds once a month during the growing season.

You should not add coffee grounds directly to the soil and use them as compost, liquid compost, or mulch.

Adding other fertilizers will ensure that your Syngonium gets all the nutrients it needs.

Alternating it with coffee grounds will provide balanced nutrition to your arrowhead plant and boost its growth.

Also read: How Often Should You Fertilize Arrowhead Plant? (Best Fertilizer For Arrowhead)

Best way to use coffee grounds on arrowhead plants

Coffee grounds are great for houseplants as long as you use the correct quantity, method, and frequency while applying them.

If any one of these goes wrong, your plant will experience the harmful effects of coffee grounds instead of benefitting from them.

One major mistake that many plant owners make is they add coffee grounds directly to the soil.

It increases soil’s acidity, invites pests, and encourages the growth of bacteria and fungi.

Therefore, instead of directly adding coffee grounds to the soil, you can choose any of these three methods.

1. Liquid fertilizer
2. Mulch
3. Compost

Now let’s understand these in detail.

Using coffee grounds as liquid fertilizer

Making a liquid fertilizer out of the coffee grounds and using it to fertilize your Syngonium is one of the best ways of using them. 

You can prepare a liquid fertilizer with the coffee grounds using the following steps. 

1. Take a bowl and fill it with water. 
2. Put it on the gas and allow the water to simmer. 
3. Turn off the gas and let the water cool down. 
4. After 10 minutes, add coffee grounds to the water. 
5. Leave this aside for a few days. 
6. Stir the mixture occasionally. 
7. After a few days, strain the water and put it in a spray bottle. 

You must allow the coffee grounds to break down and release the nutrients into the water, so don’t forget to keep the mixture aside for a few days. 

After using it on your arrowhead plant, check how your plant is reacting to it. 

If your Syngonium reacts well, you can use it once a month to fertilize the plant.

Using coffee grounds as a mulch

Although mulching is primarily done for outdoor plants, you can also do it on your houseplants.

Mulching is great for your arrowhead plant as it will:

• Fertilize the soil.
• Add beneficial microorganisms and bacteria to the soil.
• Retain moisture.

In mulching, you create a mix of organic matter and spread a layer of it on top of the soil.

You can prepare a mulch by adding leaves, straw, branches, and a handful of coffee grounds.

Be careful while mulching your Syngonium, as the wrong composition can alter the soil’s pH levels and harm the plant.

Using coffee grounds as a compost

If you can’t prepare a liquid fertilizer, opt for preparing compost with the coffee grounds.

Coffee grounds alone might not provide all the nutrients your plant needs, so you must add other organic matter.

All the elements you add to the compost provide different nutrients to the houseplants, so composting is very popular in the houseplant community.

Along with all the other elements, you can add 10-20% coffee grounds to create organic compost rich in nitrogen and other macro and micronutrients.

Don’t add too many coffee grounds, as that can increase the soil’s acidity.

Also, don’t add compost too frequently as that can damage the plant.

You can add compost to the plant once every 6-8 weeks and continue if your plant reacts well to it.

Don’t make the compost too heavy, as that can cause overwatering.

Keep the compost dry and light.

Hazards of using coffee grounds on the arrowhead plants

You should only use coffee grounds on your arrowhead plant if you know the correct ways.

While using them correctly can prove beneficial, adding coffee grounds incorrectly will bring hazards.

The worst way of using coffee grounds is by adding them directly to the soil.

Let’s take a look at all the hazards of using coffee grounds on your Syngonium.

Retains excess moisture

Although arrowhead plants require some moisture in the soil, they can’t tolerate excess moisture that makes the soil soggy.

If you add coffee grounds directly, it creates a layer on the soil.

This layer will retain excess moisture that will block airflow and oxygen supply to the roots, suffocate them, and lead to their decay.

If you overwater your arrowhead plant with coffee grounds, it will become even more dangerous for the plant.

Adding more than a handful of coffee grounds in the compost or mulch can also cause these problems.

So, you should use the coffee grounds in the right quantity to be on the safe side.

Also read: Do Arrowhead Plants Like Humidity? (+Misting?)

Pest infestation

Since coffee grounds can retain excess moisture, they can also create an ideal environment for pest infestation.

Although coffee grounds repel many pests, it also attracts pests like flies and gnats.

Pests are deadly as they feed on the plant’s sap that contains the nutrients that the plant needs.

Without those nutrients, the plant becomes weak and can’t grow or remain healthy.

Therefore, you should use the coffee grounds carefully and only use them as compost, mulch, or liquid fertilizer instead of directly adding them to the soil.

Also read: Bugs On Arrowhead Plant: Common Pests+How To Get Rid Of Them

Stunts the growth of the plant

Applying coffee grounds directly to the soil also affects its growth, especially with young plants.

You must not use coffee grounds at all on plants that are still young.

You can use coffee grounds on mature and ready plants to handle it.

Fungal diseases

Another result of directly adding coffee grounds to the soil is fungal infections and diseases.

When you add coffee grounds directly to the soil, the nutrients take time to break down.

But fungi start growing and damaging your plant much before that.

Therefore, instead of adding coffee grounds directly, you can use the previously mentioned methods.

Should I water my arrowhead plant with leftover coffee?

Since there are better ways of using coffee grounds, I recommend not using leftover coffee on your arrowhead plant.

• Coffee contains excess caffeine that can stunt the growth of your Syngonium.
• You might also end up overwatering the plant if you add leftover coffee to it.
• Also, adding leftover coffee that is still hot can shock your Syngonium.

Do’s and Dont’s of using coffee grounds on arrowhead plants

Here is a sum-up of all the dos and don’ts of using coffee grounds.

Do’s	Don’ts
Use coffee grounds as mulch, compost, or liquid fertilizer.	Don’t add coffee grounds directly to the soil.
Use coffee grounds once a month, depending on how the plant reacts.	Don’t use coffee grounds on young plants.
Use coffee grounds alternatively with the regular fertilizer.	Don’t use leftover coffee on your Syngonium.

Final thoughts

Coffee grounds will benefit your arrowhead plant or Syngonium if you use them correctly. But if you add coffee grounds directly to the soil or apply it too frequently, the plant will get damaged.

I have mentioned the correct ways of using the coffee grounds on an arrowhead plant. You can use coffee grounds in the mulch, compost, or add it as a liquid fertilizer.

However, you must not replace your regular fertilizer with coffee grounds. You can use them alternatively for the best results.

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Reference: CABI, Britannica, United States Department of Agriculture, Wikipedia, Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Missouri Botanical Garden.