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Coffee Composting

Jamie pointed me at this article on Starbucks.com, Composting with Coffee. As a kid, in fifth grade or so, I did a science experiment that involved watering plants with different liquids. Bean sprouts were nourished with beer, milk, coffee, pop (soda to you weird folks), green bean juice, and water.

The bean sprouts that had a daily dose of coffee grew the most, followed by water, green bean juice, and pop. The beer plant died and the milk plant was overrun by some kind of fungus but was otherwise growing fairly well (about as well as the water). Hey, at least it wasn't another "are plants that listen to classical music healthier" experiment. Everyone did that one.

71 Responses to "Coffee Composting"

  1. Instead of "soda" or "pop", we use "coke" as a generic term in the southeast.

  2. I recall visiting my uncle at work when he used to work for The Onion and overhearing his coworkers discuss how well their plants were doing. They watered these plants with coffee.

  3. Okay so I was researching for my science fair project.. so i came upon this i need help plz help me lol

  4. i need to know information about plants and the effect of watering them with different liquids such as beer, coffee, soda (or pop to you weird folks) orange juice or whatever. SO HELP ME PLEASE ALL OF YOU OUT THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  5. cool i can use the smileys 0:-) 😛

  6. I am doing a science fair project on the growth of green bean plants using different liqiuds such as: canal water, sprite, bottled water, seltzer water, and orange juice. I need sum information!!! PLEASE HELP ME!

  7. The key is that you are doing the science project. I already did mine. Good luck with yours.

  8. I'm doing this experiment, too, but I didn't know it'd already been done before. Oh well. There are a lot of those classical music experiments, aren't there?

  9. I need information the effects of milk and sugar water on bean plant growth?

  10. I need information about the effects of milk and sugar water on bean plant growth?

  11. :-zzz

  12. i did this same experiment but with water, hairspray, gingerale, and tea with sugar...the results were gingerale was like growing big time..teas was second..then water with hairspray and then just water. weird how sugar helps plants grow faster. Some more than others tho. well i enjoyed the experiment.

  13. im doing this experiment too. i am watering them with water, milk, soda, and orange juice. almost done with it

  14. Dose coffee have sugar in it if you are reading this and know please write a comment. i need to know now

    1. Yes!! coffee has sugar duuuuuhhh!!! 🙄

  15. Hi this is someone write knowwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!

  16. hey im doin an experiment just like that....coffee works best

  17. The effect of watering plants with water, milk, and orange juice

  18. we r doing a science project and were seeing how different liquids affect the growth of a plant. were using sugar water, regular water, coke/pop/soda/whatever, orange juice, and gatorade. when u use the cofee is it cold or hot? my friend beth thinks that it would have be hot to be coffe but i say that hot coffee would kill the plant. email me so i can prove her right!

  19. I am watering plants with different amounts of gatorade. The one with the most water in it is growing the best so i guess that you can say gatorade stunts the growth of plants.

  20. I'm doing the same experiment for my science fair, but the plants I ordered are too small, and when I measure them, they die. My mom says I have to keep measuring them for the sake of the project, but there might not be any project left for the fair if I keep doing what I'm doing.

    By the way, I'm using water, coffee, vinegar, and orange soda.

  21. i need to find out what plant will grow faster, by watering them with milk or orange juice

    1. milk will start to ferment in the soil and grow a lot of fungus which will begin to affect the outside of the plant and kill it. by default orange juice would grow better

  22. POP, POP, POP!!!!!! Soda sound so... BLECH. Pop is cool like me. 🙂

  23. Help! do you know any websites that tell you the effects of sugar water on plants?

  24. im doing this science fair project seeing if plants will grow faster by being watered with sugar water. What i am doing is watering two plants with tap water in sunlight, two watered with sugar water and sunlight, two with tap water and no light, and two with sugar water and no light. my question is, how should i do this project and will it be successfull in a science fair?

  25. I am doing a science project on plant growth. I have been watering them with water, Coke, Gatorade, tea, and coffee. The plants watered with water and tea or growing the best. Why is that? Please help? Where can I find information on why this is happening?

  26. I am doing this experient almost exactly. I have to write up this big report on bean plants affected by other liquids. What do I put on this? PLease help if you can.

  27. i am doing this experiment but watering plants with coke and milk i need some help to now why the milk plant is growing more? pleaseee help me!

  28. Hello!! I just did a science project where I watered seeds with both water and cherry tea. Surprisingly, the ones watered with tea grew better. Is it just me, or has someone else tried watering with tea and had it plants grow better?

  29. hey um.. im doing a science project and i just wanna know does coke acully help plants grow or does it make them die? well also does sprite help plants too because it doesnt have caffeine?

    well thanx and i need help fast!!!!!

  30. did you use your coffe with sugar in it

  31. Pop is for you northern peeps, Soda, or coke, os much better, I go to the north and they say "want some pop" and Im all like "Uh ya whats that?"

  32. hi everyone

    i'm doing a similar project right now using beer and coffee in water. i'm not experimenting on the growth rate but on the transpiration rate on ivy

    i need some background info, heeelllppp

  33. That really is my name. Im doing a similar project using water and orange juice. I need to know which will grow faster. Please send me some answers!!!!!!!!!!!! That really is my name.

  34. What would I need to do to the plant first if I want to experiment on it with coffee and apple juice? Do I need to grow the onion a little, or what? Do onions grow fast? Will they grow in about.....2 1/2 months? Tell me.

  35. I'm doing this experiment watering seeds with water, gatorade and orange juice. I did the water, another kid did the gatorade, and the third one did the orange juice. All was done at home. We need to submit the experiment report. Well the one doing the gatorade went on vacation and we have no information. The one with juice says that her seeds did not grow. Mine with water did well. Any info is appreciated. But soon!

  36. Doing a science experiment on watering snow peas with 1% sugar water did the best but developed fuzzy mold on the surface of the dirt. Do you know why it grew better? vINEGAR WATER PLAnts grew the next best and last was distilled water. Do you have any thoughjts on this as to why?

  37. i am doing an experiment with plants,i am watering them with coke cola,water, and coffee help if any ideas?

  38. thanx im doin this for an experiment

  39. We did an experiment determining the growth effects of using plane tap water and Sprite. The sprite killed the plants. Any ideas why would be greatly appreciated. The internet isn't turing up too many ideas.

  40. IM WORKING ON MY SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT AND I NEED SOME HELP IM USING WATER ORANGE JUICE AND COKE ALL OF THEM BEGAN TO SPROUT:-b

  41. Do you know why coffee helps plant's grow?

  42. Hey!
    I started my science fair project on Thursday March 23, 2006. And i've been watering them with different 2 different liquids gatorade and water. They have not been growing. Will they grow by April 4, 2006?

  43. Hey! im also doing an experiment and im wondering, how does coke-a-cola effect plant growth? i did the experiment and the plants didnt even grow when watered with coke. i need to do research but can find nothing.. please, how does coke effect them..? is it the caffine, sugar, WHAT?? thanks,
    lou

  44. THE PROBLEM WITH THE COKE-A-COLA IN GROWING PLANTS IS NONE OF THE ABOVE. IT IS THE ACID! DID YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU DROPPED A TOOTH IN A CUP OF COKE IT WOULD COMPLETELY DISOLVE IN 24 HOURS?

  45. thanx a bunch i needed some research for a skool science fair...anyway thanx

  46. DEAR WHOEVER I NEED HELP ON MY SCIENCE PROJECT IT IS ABOUT HOW HAIRSPRAY EFFECTS PLANTS WHERE DO I FIND IT

  47. HI II AM SO TIRED OF LOOKING FOR MY SCIENCE PROJECT CAN YOU HELP ME IT IS ABOUT HOW HAIRSPRAY EFFECTS PLANTS

  48. How does apple juice effect the growth of a plant?
    Please help.

  49. im doing a science project and can u give some data on apple juice,sprite, and milk on bean sprouts if u got it

  50. Why does coffee make bean plants grow so good?

  51. I am doing a similar project but with coffee, grapefruit juice, and water. do you have any suggestions?

  52. [quote comment="1890"]The key is that you are doing the science project. I already did mine. Good luck with yours.[/quote]

    hey im doing my science project for school (i am actually trying this year) and i need to know more stuff so IF ANYBODY HAS ACUTALLY DONE THIS PROJECT WILL YOU PLEASE HELP ME!!

  53. I am doing my 6th grade science fair project and i need research on what pop and coffee(Decaffinated or regular) will do to a plant

  54. [quote comment="1896"]im doing this experiment too. i am watering them with water, milk, soda, and orange juice. almost done with it[/quote]

    im doing the same thing with tap/bottled watre, pepsi, orange juice, milk, and gatorade!

  55. Thanks anonymous,im using pothos and seeing what the effects of coffee vs. coca cola would do to a pothos

  56. Anyone watch Idiocracy? They watered their crops with sports drinks, and it actually killed the crops.

  57. do ur own homework people :P!

  58. I am in the fifth grade, and my science fair project's statement of the problem is, "Does milk, Orange juice, or Pepsi affect the growth of a plant". I researched in Wikipedia, and yahoo. I think that milk would make the plant grow faster, because it is used in the fungicide when sprayed on leaves. The problem, though is when the milk gets sour and rots. Milk also has chemicals in it that makes an animal stronger, so I think that it would also help plants grow stronger. I also think that Pepsi and Orange juice would not help a plant at all, because of all of it's sugar. Sugar harms an animals bones, so I think that sugar would harm a plant's roots. Plus, sugar attracts bugs also, and bugs might as well make the plant rot.

  59. I love science! It is so cool. I also love math, social studies and reading. So anyway, I am in 6th grade, and my research topic is, "Does coffee affect the growth of a rose"I researched using lots of plant websites like, "Scifair.org", "Homeworkspot.com," and "Science central." This project is so fun! I love homework! I hate those people who say homework is stupid, or school is not cool, Homework so does not take up time, its for learning!

  60. Wow, I hate learning, math and homework!

  61. i have yet to do this but i'm hoping i can :mrgreen:
    for my science project i want to do it with
    pepsi, flat pepsi, diet pepsi, and flat diet pepsi

    plz HELP!! 😆 i'm stressed:shock: 🙁

  62. which will grow the best pop, water, or watering it with nothing?

  63. i am doing this to, exept with spepsi, and diet pepsi but the plants did not grow, now i have to tell y they not grow, anyways due tomarrow so i will keep looking

  64. i also did this experiment except just with water and coke ('pop' 'soda') and there wasnt much of an over all difference in the time limit i had there had only grew just over a centimeter and a half in height and coke was just behind by a few millimeters.

  65. 😥
    this does not help!!!! 👿 👿 👿 😡 😡 😡 😡

  66. Im doin an experiment, im waterin da plants wit milk,coffee,orange,juice,coca-cola,vegetable oil,pancake syrup,n white vinegar. None da palnts have grown n i have2turn in my results on jan.5 n its now jan.1 so i need some1 2 help me out by tellin me in which liguid a palnt will grow best ❓ some1 help me out ❗ plz 😯
    :mrgreen:
    🙂
    😀
    😛
    😉
    😮
    😎

  67. I'm in the 5th grade & doing the same science project. I'm watering with water, coffee, soda and V8. The plant watered with coffee is growing the biggest. It has to do with how coffee affects the pH of the soil, and the nutrients it adds. But too much coffee with make the soil too acidic and turn the leaves yellow-green.

  68. I use the grinds of Cuban expesso. Six scoops to 6 cups of water. I place the grinds with the filter at the base of each plant.

    Growth increase in noticable and the colors are deep and rich.

  69. I did the experiment and the Orange juice grew a little, water grew the most, and the milk grew inbetween. vineger died. the milk attracted slugs