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Let’s learn about the top benefits of using used tea bags or tea waste and also used coffee grounds for our plants and garden. Many of us enjoy tea or coffee on a daily basis and you must be pleased to know that our plants and garden also enjoy these beverages as well, but at zero cost. In this article, we will show you how to make and store tea waste fertilizer that can be used consistently for your flowering plants plus the dosage to offer for these plants.
What is Garbage in Your Kitchen Can Actually Turn into Treasure in Your Garden! Used tea and coffee grounds have unique uses in the garden. Here are the top benefits of tea waste and coffee grounds for plants and gardening.
1. As an Excellent Organic Fertilizer
Tea and coffee wastes contain tannic acid and other nutrients. They are particularly beneficial for flowering plants like roses, increasing both the quality and quantity of blooms. We will discuss how to make and use this fertilizer at the end.
2. In Composting
Used tea and coffee grounds are excellent for vermicomposting. Worms love them and digest them quickly, speeding up the composting process. Most tea bags can be added directly to the compost bin as they are made of biodegradable material, except for polypropylene bags which resemble plastic.
3. Weed Suppression
Tea bag waste helps prevent the growth of unwanted plants or weeds when sprinkled around your plants.
4. Keep Pets Away
Tea and coffee grounds can deter pets like cats from urinating on your favorite plants, both indoors and outdoors.
5. Drive Away Certain Pests
They help repel root maggots, slugs, snails, and cockroaches.
6. Offer a Slightly Acidic pH
Due to their tannic acid content, used tea and coffee grounds can slightly lower the soil pH, benefiting acid-loving plants.
7. Making a Well-Drained Potting Mix
Dried tea waste can be used as an alternative to perlite and vermiculite. It helps in moisture retention and makes a well-draining soil for container gardening. You can watch my separate video on perlite and vermiculite from the link at the top right corner of this video.
How to Make and Use Tea Waste Fertilizer
- Start collecting used tea or coffee grounds in a container.
- Rinse them in water and dry in sunlight for 1 or 2 days.
- Store the dried grounds in a dry container.
Offer this to your plants once every 15 days by adding about 4-5 teaspoons to the soil after thoroughly raking it. This will boost flowering and overall plant health.
Bonus Tip
Make this mix more special and powerful by mixing in powdered iron tablets and a few calcium tablets from your local pharmacy. You can also add eggshell powder as a substitute for calcium. For more details, please read my post on eggshell uses in gardening.
So there we have it folks, that was our quick episode on using used tea bags or tea waste as fertilizer on your plants.
Please watch video tutorial on how to make tea waste fertilizer below:
1 comment
Hi… can I also sun dry vegetable and fruit peels and powder them? I want to use this powder as a fertilizer. Does it work effectively? I already have 2 full compost bins and dont have room for any more kitchen waste in it. Please reply