FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Nope, it's not a joke. Several people have done this successfully and noted improvements in growth.

Anyone here do this? How often, and what? A regular cold cup of coffee you'd otherwise drink, or diluted to x strength?

It's been an interesting discussion over on terraforums:
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showt ... p?t=119045

Edit: Here's another discussion about it on another board:
http://pitcherplants.proboards.com/inde ... hread=6288

That seems awesome! But they are expensive so I'll have to try that when I'm good with carnivorous plants.

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. I haven't tried this, but I might give it a try on my sanguinea or ventrata. I've also heard that you can pour fertilizer into their pitchers. I haven't tried this either.

Wait a minute... The coffee can be used as fertilizer. Are you sure these things are actually good for the plant? I understand how others have succeed in trying this experiment but you know, in carnivorous plant world, fertilizer sounds like the "wrong" thing for them. I don't know, just a thought.

From what I've read all over the place, people who did it successfully tended to agree on the following parameters:

- NOT instant coffee
- Use caffeinated coffee, black (no cream, no sugar, etc.) - after it gets cold on its own.
- Don't use "specialty" or "fancy" coffee e.g. Hazlenut, french vanilla, etc. Just use coffee flavored - plain boring coffee.
- "8 oclock" brand french toast was one brand mentioned specifically, but others use Folgiers Classic Roast - brand doesn't really matter.
- Several said to use the stuff at the bottom of the pot that you would have otherwise thrown away. No need to "water it down" or otherwise dilude it to partial strength. Give your nep regular-strength coffee (per coffeemakers instructions on the box).
- Don't pour it in if there are a bunch of coffee grounds in the coffee - re-filter it through an empty filter into a cup to remove excess grounds if you see any.
- Water it in instead of "watering" - once the soil is starting to dry, water with coffee just until it starts seeping out the bottom. Don't over-coffee your Nep. A coffee watering will dry up a little sooner than a regular watering, so keep your eye on it.
- No need to "flush" the soil with water. Your next waterings will do that for you.
- Changes should be seen in approx. 4-6 weeks. Testimonies included larger leaves, more vivid colors, larger traps. Pretty much just overall improvement.
- Some say to do it about 2 times a year, others have done it 3-4 times a year with no problem - it depends on conditions, light/how fast it can process fertilizers, etc. If in doubt, only do it once every 6 months. Coffee feeding is NOT a monthly exercise.
- The coffee doesn't mean you can't use fertilizer. Just don't use fertilizer around the same time you're giving it coffee, or you could set your plant back, or even kill it.

Valydius wrote:From what I've read all over the place, people who did it successfully tended to agree on the following parameters:

- NOT instant coffee
- Use caffeinated coffee, black (no cream, no sugar, etc.) - after it gets cold on its own.
- Don't use "specialty" or "fancy" coffee e.g. Hazlenut, french vanilla, etc. Just use coffee flavored - plain boring coffee.
- "8 oclock" brand french toast was one brand mentioned specifically, but others use Folgiers Classic Roast - brand doesn't really matter.
- Several said to use the stuff at the bottom of the pot that you would have otherwise thrown away. No need to "water it down" or otherwise dilude it to partial strength. Give your nep regular-strength coffee (per coffeemakers instructions on the box).
- Don't pour it in if there are a bunch of coffee grounds in the coffee - re-filter it through an empty filter into a cup to remove excess grounds if you see any.
- Water it in instead of "watering" - once the soil is starting to dry, water with coffee just until it starts seeping out the bottom. Don't over-coffee your Nep. A coffee watering will dry up a little sooner than a regular watering, so keep your eye on it.
- No need to "flush" the soil with water. Your next waterings will do that for you.
- Changes should be seen in approx. 4-6 weeks. Testimonies included larger leaves, more vivid colors, larger traps. Pretty much just overall improvement.
- Only to be done 1-2 times per year

Thanks a lot for the summary Valydius. That's very helpful!

lemonlily wrote:Wait a minute... The coffee can be used as fertilizer. Are you sure these things are actually good for the plant? I understand how others have succeed in trying this experiment but you know, in carnivorous plant world, fertilizer sounds like the "wrong" thing for them. I don't know, just a thought.

Lily, fertilizer can be used with many carnivorous plants, but you have to be very careful. CP's in cultivation likely don't get as much food as they do in the wild, so you can fertilize to boost your plants' growth.

Generally, fertilizer used is very specific, using the wrong kind can kill a plant. Also, it is usually diluted. I have just started using 1/4 strength orchid fertilizer on my Nepenthes and Cephs.

Even VFTs can be fertilized. Steve D posted a technique he used where he would put some fertilizer on a tiny sponge and put it inside a trap.

twigs wrote:Generally, fertilizer used is very specific, using the wrong kind can kill a plant. Also, it is usually diluted. I have just started using 1/4 strength orchid fertilizer on my Nepenthes and Cephs.

Do you put the fertilizer in the pitchers or pour it into the soil? I've been thinking about using orchid fertilizer on my Neps just to experiment as well. How often are you planning on fertilizing them?

I was thinking about starting with 1/4 strength orchid fertilizer and using it once a month.

Also, do you grow orchids? I just got a few myself and I flasked some seed from Steve_D's phalaenopsis that he sent me about a week ago. I might end up with a ton of Phals from that!

Are you sure 1/4 strength is not too much? I mean, fertilizer is almost dangerous thing to a carnivorous plant. Well is dangerous if there's too much.

Oh, and for those who don't like the smell of coffee, I'd suggest you not to use coffee to fertilize your plants. Or experiment. I think it's gonna stink! Well for the ones who don't like the smell of coffee. I like coffee... Mmm...

I use 1/4 strength orchid 30-10-10 fertilizer on my nepenthes. I spray the leaves once a month and they do great.

That's awesome!

Coffee has been proven as a good supplement for roses too because of it's acidic values. I guess it's the acidity that greatly improves the health of the plants, after all; CPs are acid loving plants.

hb

wait when using coffee do you pour a little in the pitchers or get like something to get sucked up from the plate to the soil?

manzano167 wrote:wait when using coffee do you pour a little in the pitchers or get like something to get sucked up from the plate to the soil?

put it in teh pitcher

dionaea muscipula wrote:

manzano167 wrote:wait when using coffee do you pour a little in the pitchers or get like something to get sucked up from the plate to the soil?

put it in teh pitcher

Actually with coffee you can just dump it into the soil at the plant's growth point - the roots will suck it up. Coffee doesn't cause algae problems in soil like fertilizer does.

I never thought (or heard) of pouring coffee into the pitchers directly - you can put fertilizer into pitchers, but I don't know about coffee (I'd assume it's okay, but I have no idea if it is).

This will give you a solid primer on fertilizing using coffee, if you haven't read it yet: http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/viewt ... 376#p24314

Good luck.