Throw it wherever you want it. Don't layer it on like mulch, though. Once coffee grounds dry out, it's difficult to get them moist again, and that will cause water to be repelled away from your plants. I generally fling it with my gloved hands around the yard, breaking up the pucks into smaller pieces if I have the time.

It doesn't matter if they are wet or dry, except for the aforementioned repelling factor. It also doesn't matter about the soil being wet or dry.

I like to put 'Swan Lake' on the CD player first, and then fling them around.

i found a stupid little technique, using one of those little 3 pronged, hand held garden claw things, hold the bag up and swing the claw into the bottom of the bag, you kinda make a spreader with the bag, then just shake.....

To apply to a lawn with a drop spreader, I had to spread them out on the driveway and dry them out. Otherwise, they'd clog up in the spreader.

I over-did it with the UCG in my garden beds, so my advice is to not spread more than half an inch on the garden, and be sure to scratch it into the soil. I had spread a couple of inches last year. This spring, I found seams of coffee grounds under the compost, etc. I had to dig the beds to mix it in.

I tried an experiment with some of my extra UCG; I dug a trench around some of the beds about 3" wide and 5" deep and filled it with UCG as a weed barrier. Seems to be working.

Oh, and heavy application of UCG on clay seems to denature the clay.

Any material laid on a soil 5 inches thick will suppress "weed" growth, even without digging a trench.
What do you mean by "denature the clay"?

Sandy (brdldystlu) uses a rolling topdresser and she talks about it here.

Haven't tried it myself, but it's on my 'to do' list!

Lloyd

Denature: 1. To change the nature or natural qualities of.

denatured -·tured, denaturing -·tur·ing
to change the nature of

I had to look it up, but I'll share my experience.

I had an area of sod against the fence that I planned on planting baby pam pie pumpkins. I covered the area w/ about 2" of coffee grounds, and also poured some urine on the area for a couple days. Let it sit for 2 wks.

I decided to prepare the area right next to it for next year by double digging at the same time and planting alfalfa.

The area that had been covered in coffee grounds was very friable and easy to remove. The area under sod w/ out UGC's was very difficult to break up and made the whole job much harder.

I dug out all of the UCG side onto a tarp, watered down the other side a couple times and let it sit. Eventually I was able to dig it out, filled the trench w/ compost, mixed compost in w/ the removed dirt and put it all back. Alfalfa and pumpkins are both growing nicely.

I should mention this is military housing, and I've only been improving the soil for a year. I apply AVCT to the lawn at the same time as the garden beds. The soil quality out side of the raised beds is very poor, and often keeps standing water after a rain.

Thanks for the quick responses everyone!

I went out and spread/sprinkled about half a wheelbarrow of UCGs this morning across the garden. Gently brushed it off any plants it seemed to cling to the foliage on (wasn't sure if it might burn them or something). I even remembered to wear gloves!

I did not, however, replace my flip-flops with tennis shoes and am now enjoying a bit of a contact buzz from all the messy grounds that ended up on my feet. Ah well, guess I'll have the energy to wash that load of empty pots I've been avoiding all week LOL.

thanks again :)

After you've spread UCG a few hundred times and need a little variation in technique to keep up the interest and excitement, try tying the kids wagon to the back of the riding mower, and sit your young daughter in the wagon, and you pull it around and she waves, like in a parade, and heaves out the UCG as if she were distributing candy to the fawning mob of dandelions.