With spring on the way, you might already be contemplating ways to have your best garden ever. If you’re a coffee drinker, you might already have everything you need.

You should water your garden with coffee, especially if you’ve got acid-loving plants.

So why do people water gardens with coffee? It’s all about coffee’s nitrogen content. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants, and it helps form the amino acids that are the base for plant proteins. Those proteins are what make up a plant’s structural integrity, so nitrogen is important. But you need to know exactly how to water with coffee. You can’t just dump a pot of leftover coffee onto your garden.

First, you should only use coffee on garden plants that like acidic soil such as azaleas, dogwood trees, and daffodils. Pine trees and shrubs are also good options. Second, it shouldn’t be done each day. Once a week or biweekly should work, and when you water plants with coffee, dilute it with a bit of water so that it’s not too acidic, and don’t use coffee that has had cream and sugar added to it.

When you begin this watering routine, be sure to keep an eye on your plants. If the leaves start to turn yellow or begin to brown, it’s likely that your soil has become too acidic, and you should hold off using coffee.

If you’re looking to have an enviable spring garden this year, adding some coffee to your watering routine might do the trick.