Coffee grounds and wireworm

[DoubleDogFarm]

Hey everyone,

Last saturday I was talking to one of the fellow vendors about wireworms. He mentioned a farmer is trying coffee grounds to fend off wireworms from his potatoes. He's doing a side by side test. One row with grounds one without. Results are looking promising.

Has anyone heard of this or is trying this technique?

Eric

[neil17]

I have'nt but I did hear that coffee grounds attract beneficial worms to your garden.

[applestar]

How does your friend use the coffee grounds exactly?
Till them in the potato bed before planting? Sprinkle some in the bottom of the hole/trench to put the seed potatoes on?

[garden5]

Be sure to let us know what the results are .

I would think that the most effective way would be to just lay down a row of it and set the seed-potatoes over top of it.

Are they regular potatoes or sweet potatoes?

[DoubleDogFarm]

All good questions. I'll pick his brain next Saturday.

Some thoughts.

The grounds are probably tilled in. I'm trying to go away from tilling. I will sprinkle over the raised beds as I hill up the potatoes.

If banded down the trench, the grounds may protect the seed potato, but what about the daughters? The new potatoes can form 2ft or more away.

Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family (also known as the nightshades)

You would think if it works, it works for all roots.

Eric