Like most people on here, I go through a lot of tea. Even though I reinfuse until I get the most from the leaves, something about throwing them in the garbage at the end of the process just seems wasteful.
As far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong), tea leaves are only good for two things: making tea, and making fertilizer. I don't have a lot of house plants around, but I've been meaning to get a couple and make the place a little more green.
I know almost nothing about gardening/caring for plants aside from the obvious need of varying amounts of sunlight and water and the basic concept of fertilizer. I want to know what happens if I just take used tea leaves and dump them at the base of a plant. Is that instant fertilizer? Or do they have to be composted first? What is the difference between compost and fertilizer anyway?
I think you get the idea. How would I go about putting my leaves to use?
Mar 3rd, '13, 00:49
Posts: 223
Joined: Aug 31st, '09, 20:16
Location: NSW, Australia
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Hannah
Re: Tea as Fertilizer?
I used to run a little bonsai farm and classes so I can only vouch for a limited number of species, however the short answer is yes! Most plants/trees LOVE tea leaves!
Just be careful as too many can hurt it too!
For me, my gaiwans/pots were emptied into compost and every second lot of spent leaves went to the plants/trees themselves.
Another thing you can do is put spent leaves into buckets full of watering water then discard the leaves into compost and use that water for the trees!
Just be careful as too many can hurt it too!
For me, my gaiwans/pots were emptied into compost and every second lot of spent leaves went to the plants/trees themselves.
Another thing you can do is put spent leaves into buckets full of watering water then discard the leaves into compost and use that water for the trees!
Mar 3rd, '13, 17:32
Posts: 813
Joined: Nov 13th, '12, 13:49
Location: santa monica, california, usa
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victoria3
Re: Tea as Fertilizer?
I place all my used tea leaves in the garden, on top of the soil, and the plants love the extra nutrients. After a few weeks I toss the upper soil to mix it up a bit.
Re: Tea as Fertilizer?
I use my wastewater to water the herbs in containers on my porch. My plants love it. I compost the tea leaves to use in the garden. They are high in nitrogen, so as compost, I find they are best mixed with other matter (shredded brown paper bags, for example).
Re: Tea as Fertilizer?
What's the pH of waste water like, and what kind of nutrients does it contribute?