Tea for Houseplants Fertilizer: 3 Different Ways to Use it

YouTube video

In addition to offering health benefits such as preventing tooth decay and cancer, green tea has been touted for centuries as a healthy beverage for humans. Green tea’s health benefits aren’t only for humans. You can also use green tea to grow healthy plants in your garden.

You can make your own homemade green tea houseplant fertilizer to keep your plants healthy and vibrant.

Keep your green tea leaves and tea bags instead of throwing them away, and you will have a healthy plant food for your houseplants.

It is because tea leaves add essential nutrients such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus to potting soil that they are so effective for fertilizing indoor plants.

Tea leaves slowly break down when exposed to sunlight, which provides a steady supply of nutrients to help houseplants grow faster and stay healthy.

Making a homemade tea liquid fertilizer for indoor plants is one way of using green tea or one of the other methods listed further in this article.

What is in Tea?

Research has shown that some teas contain pesticides that are higher than allowable limits, according to the CBC. Therefore, if possible, opt for organic products for the health of your plants and yourself. Plants can benefit greatly from organic matter since it is an excellent source of nutrients.

Imagine it as a circle of life – the plants we grow on our earth are then transformed into tea, which we can use to support the growth of more plants. Food will be found in everything living and moving around you. 

Benefits of Tea in Houseplants

Soil Enrichment

When added to soil, green tea contributes to flowering and overall plant health. Green tea leaves provide nutrients for soil-enriching worms. Nitrogen-rich soil may also facilitate healthy plant growth because of their high content of nitrogen.

For Composting

The tea’s nutrients can be added during the composting process, while the bag is biodegradable. Whether the tea leaves are in their bag or not, they can go directly into a compost pile.

Use for Feeding

In situations when you don’t keep a compost pile, you can soak leftover tea bags in a watering can a few days, making a nutritious “tea” with which you can water your plants. It is recommended that you throw your teabag and tea leaves away after soaking, because the same leaves that feed worms also feed parasites. If you sprinkle leaves over soil in an outdoor garden, they can act as fertilizer or manure on their own.

Green tea fertilizer – Not for all plants

Because tea contains tannins, the soil becomes more acidic due to the acidity.

Acidic soil is preferred by some houseplants while neutral or slightly alkaline soil is preferable to others.

It’s best to use green tea to fertilize plants that flourish in acidic soil, such as amaryllis, african violets, ferns, jade plants and christmas cactus.

In answer to the question, “Can I use tea bags in the garden?” “Yes” is the clear answer, with several caveats. Adding moist tea leaves to your compost pile speeds up the decomposition process.

First, check to see if the tea bag is compostable, whether you are using it in a compost bin or directly around plants – 20 to 30 percent may contain polypropylene, which is not decomposable. It is possible that mylar tea bags are slippery to the touch and have a heat-sealed edge, in which case slit the bag open and dispose of it in the trash while saving the damp tea leaves for composting.

Tea bags can be composted even if they are questionable in terms of their composition. You can throw them in the compost and then pick them out later if you are feeling particularly lazy. This seems like an unnecessary step to me, but to each his own. It will be obvious if the bag is compostable, because the microorganisms won’t dissolve such a substance. It is possible to compost tea bags made of paper, silk, or muslin.

How To Use Green Tea To Fertilize Houseplants

Green tea mulch

Save your tea bag after brewing and allow it to cool down.

Tea leaves can be spread on top of potting mix like mulch by opening the teabag and removing the tea leaves.

If you make your tea with loose leaves, empty the leaves from the teapot once it has cooled down and add them to the base of your plants.

In addition to providing natural nutrition as the tea bag decomposes, this method of plant growth also helps maintain moisture and suppress weeds.

Green tea liquid fertilizer

If you soak some tea bags in water, you’ll have a liquid fertilizer that’s good for houseplants. And the water is nutrient-rich, so you can water your houseplants!

Green tea compost

You can also add used green tea bags to your indoor compost bin as a natural fertilizer for your plants.

An efficient composting system like the Bokashi will break down your kitchen scraps, tea bags, and coffee grounds within a couple of weeks.

It’s broken down into a liquid that’s rich in nutrients, which you can mix with water and use to water houseplants.

The best tea bags to compost aren’t made of polyester, and any staples should be removed before you put them in the compost bin.

When to fertilize indoor plants with green tea

When houseplants are active or at their full bloom, fertiliser should be applied – during spring and summer.

Every two weeks during the active growth phase of the plants or whenever you feel your plants need an extra boost, you can use the green tea water.

Fertilizing plants during the cold winter months when they go dormant is not recommended.

Effect of caffeine on plant growth

There is a small amount of caffeine in green tea, although it is significantly less than that in coffee. Several studies have been conducted on the effect of caffeine on the growth of plants. Some showed that caffeine could cause plants to grow faster, while other studies suggested that caffeine could cause them to wilt and grow slower. In the methods I have discussed above, the tea leaves used to fertilize the plants are all brewed and/or composted, which reduces their caffeine content to a minimum.

It’s extremely easy and free to make tea leaf fertilizer using the current technology. It’s a great way to feed your houseplants without spending money.

It is best to combine green tea with other natural fertilizers, such as eggshells, banana peels, or compost tea, to ensure that your plants receive a balance of nutrients.

Was this helpful?

Yes
No
Thanks for your feedback!