My aunt swore by coffee grounds for my hydrangeas and now they're a mess

My aunt, who's been gardening for like forty years, told me to dump my used coffee grounds around the base of my blue hydrangeas to make the soil more acidic and keep the color vibrant. She was so sure about it. So for about two months, I saved every single filter from my morning pot and just piled it on. Not only did the color not get more blue, but the leaves started looking sickly and yellow. I checked the soil pH with a kit I got from the garden center, and it's way off. Turns out, you can overdo it big time, and I guess my soil was already acidic enough. Now I'm trying to fix it with some garden lime, but I'm worried I messed them up for the whole season. Has anyone else had a plant care tip from a family member totally backfire?

2 comments

2 Comments

brookebailey2d ago

Check if your aunt gardens in a different region with totally different soil.

patricianguyen2d ago

Yeah I was reading about this, how soil pH can be totally different even a few towns over. My cousin tried to grow the same tomatoes as me and they just wouldn't take, turned out her ground was way more acidic. It makes a huge difference with stuff like hydrangeas too, they change color based on the soil.