My brother-in-law swore by using old coffee grounds for my azaleas

He told me to mix a cup of grounds into the soil around the base every month. After about six months, the plants looked worse, with yellow leaves and weak growth. Turns out, azaleas need acidic soil, and the grounds were making it too alkaline. Has anyone else had a plant care tip backfire like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

murphy.mason1mo ago

Wait, coffee grounds made it less acidic? I always heard the exact opposite... that's why people use them for blueberries and stuff. How did he get that so backwards? That's honestly kind of impressive in a terrible way. You'd think after six months he might have noticed his own plants were dying.

karen3612mo ago

My aunt in Florida told me to water my snake plant every single week. I did that for two months and the whole thing just rotted from the roots up. It turns out those things can go a month or more without a single drop. I was so mad, I trusted her because her garden looked great. Sometimes even good advice is totally wrong for your specific plant.

miles_hall2mo agoMost Upvoted

It's crazy how one piece of advice can wreck a plant. My cousin told me to put my cactus in direct sun all day and it got totally scorched. You really have to learn the hard way sometimes, even when someone means well. Sorry you lost your plant, that's such a bummer.

wren6382mo ago

Ugh that's the worst lol. I killed my first snake plant the same way. Now I just wait until the soil is bone dry and it's been fine for years.