Are Coffee Grounds Good for Grapevines?

Cultivators

• Grapes have the honor of being the world's oldest cultivated fruit. Grown as far back as 4000 B.C., grapes have long been used to create wine, jam, jelly and juice. There are two main types of grapes: American and European. While either one can be used to create delicious, flavorful drinks, European grapes are renowned for their wine-making superiority. American grapes tend to be sweeter than their European cousins, resulting in a more fruity final product; however, they also tend to be hardier and more productive. For the best of both worlds, choose a French-American hybrid; they make excellent wine, yet are more tolerant of the cold than standard old-world European grapes.

Growing Grapes

• Plant grapevines in full sun, leaving 8 feet of space between plants. Train the vines as they grow, and then prune them heavily each fall after the seasonal foliage has faded. Fertilize the vines every year in the early spring by either sprinkling a general-purpose, well-balanced fertilizer near the base of each plant or by surrounding the vines with a 1- to 4-inch layer of mature compost. As the original materials decompose, top-dress them with used coffee grounds to maintain a high level of available nutrients.

Coffee as Fertilizer

• Coffee grounds are a convenient, economical, easy way to give grapevines a nutrient boost. Rather than tossing old grounds into the trash, save them in a small bowl; when the bowl is full, take it out to the garden and scatter the old grounds around the base of the plants. As they decompose, the grounds will release nitrogen into the surrounding soil. This element is then taken up by the vine's roots, encouraging the growth of shoots, stems and leaves.

Soil pH

• Grapes flourish in soils with a pH of 5.0 to 6.0. While this is good news for those with naturally acidic soils, it can be problematic for those with neutral or alkaline gardens. While the change is only temporary, incorporating coffee grounds into the soil can lower the pH and improve the growing conditions for acid-loving plants such as grapes.