Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - April 21, 2008
From: Atlantic Beach, NY
Region: Northeast
Topic: Soils
Title: Plants for acid soils and coffee grounds for the soil
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Please tell me what plants & flowers need acid soil and are coffee grains good to make soil acid?ANSWER:
Once upon a time, people took their used coffee grounds outside to a shady spot and buried them. This encouraged earthworms to show up, because the grounds help to hold moisture in the dirt. Sadly, the people doing this were not doing it for the good earthworms can do for gardens, but for bait! That same principle does hold true, however, when you are preparing potting soil and need some acidity in it. Everybody knows coffee is acidic, and your stomach will remind you of that if you drink too much. So, you recycle the leftover grounds from your morning cuppa into an acid-producing, moisture-holding additive to potting soil. Plants that need an acidic soil to do well are rhododendrons (including azaleas), blueberries and blackberries, hydrangeas and many types of evergreens and conifers. Most other plants, including vegetables and fruits, need a neutral to slightly alkaline soil. Some gardeners who are growing acid-loving plants suggest using the coffee grounds as a side dressing to the plants in the ground.
More Soils Questions
Do leaves with tannins make good compost from Austin
November 04, 2010 - I have a couple of old native pecan trees in my (or neighbor's) yard that drop bushels and bushels of leaves every fall. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I have a recollection that pecan leaves have...
view the full question and answer
Failure to thrive of desert willow in Wimberley TX
August 10, 2010 - I have a desert willow. It is always, whether I water it or leave it alone, yellow/ brown leaves, dark spots on the leaves, losing leaves. now it looks sad and not very healthy. Can you please tell m...
view the full question and answer
Ornamental grasses under desert willows from Dallas, TX
September 06, 2013 - I am planning on planting 3 desert willows in full sun, below the power lines at the back of my back yard in the White Rock Lake area of Dallas. I would like to plant some ornamental grasses in the be...
view the full question and answer
Soils for spiderwort from Round Rock TX
August 08, 2013 - We have spiderworts growing naturally in our backyard. We put a large circle around them them with limestone rock (as our beds have) to make their own bed as they clumped in one area.
What kind of s...
view the full question and answer
Chlorotic Texas Mountain Laurel in Benson, Arizona
May 04, 2014 - I've planted a Texas Mountain Laurel in heavy clay soil in Arizona. It's been in place for 3 years and flowers each spring. However it's leaves are a shade of medium, yellowish green nothing like t...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |