Using tea leaves around garden plants

[Ann]

I have been cutting used tea bags open (they don't decompose) and spreading the tea leaves around my roses. Are there any plants that this could harm? I also open my back door and pour the liquid remains of the cold tea directly into my pots. Am I doing the right thing?

[mrs_overall]

I hope you don't add milk, sugar and biscuits ;-)

[boxtops]

No, we just stick our tealeaves in the compost.

[Ann]

Yes Mrs O they, like us, are very partial to a good old cuppa :)

[mrs_overall]

Tea leaves are good for acid loving plants, namely roses and tomatoes

[Ann]

I've heard that tea is slightly acidic, so could that help my camellias and rhodedendrons?

[Kiki-frog]

I always put tea bags in the compost bin and they seem to decompose OK. The compost is always good as well. My mum was a great believer in emptying the tea pot over plants, and she was a brilliant gardener. So I'm sure you're doing the right thing.

[Prudie]

Is it meant to be good Ann? Putting slops in houseplants certainly isn't good for them.

[Ann]

How strange kiki - when I emptied our compost bin a few weeks ago (we were buying a new one) I found loads of casings of the teabags all gathered at the bottom, these had not decomposed at all and I had to throw them all away. Someone said they are made of man made fibres thats why. Anyone else notice this - or maybe its the brand we use!

[Ann]

We may have to resort to measures like this if we get the hose pipe ban - we've just escaped so far ............. but the people in East Anglia haven't.

[Kiki-frog]

Ann - PG Tips

[ladybirder]

You can make wine with them you know. Tea Bag wine Yummy:-)

[Kiki-frog]

Tea bag wine - are you serious? Recipe, please!

[ladybirder]

Yup - but you do have to take it out of the bags of course unless you want teabags floating around in your glass of wine. There are loads of recipes if you google tea wine but here's one kiki.

http://www.harvington.org.uk/hic/teawine.html

[Kiki-frog]

Cheers, ladybirder, we might give that one a go.

[rowanwitch]

give them to your acid lovers... rhodos. azaleas, camellias pieris, and similar and they will love the cold tea too tea is a camellia so it would be like giving it its own leaf mould...

[Ann]

Thanks thats really helpful to know rowanwitch - will definitely put on my camellia it's looking rather sad after the Winter but it still flowered a bit.

[rosyposy]

Tea bags never decompose in my bin and a few weeks ago I read that Monty Don said they had no value whatsoever in the compost heap, but my MIL always put cold tea on her house plants and they seemed fine. rosy