What plants can you put tea bags on?

Author: Prof. Lulu Lemke MD  |  Last update: Thursday, September 4, 2025

You can improve your garden with Tea Bags as fertilizer, Growing Seedlings, Repel Pests, Give roses a boost, Food For Earthworms, or use for compost. Best fertilizer for Houseplants, ferns, blueberry, blackberries and other acid-loving plants.

What plant likes tea bags?

This is a basic list of plants that will benefit from tea leaves in their soil:
  • African violets.
  • Azalea.
  • Begonia.
  • Selected berry fruits.
  • Camelia.
  • Daffodils.
  • Easter lily.
  • Ferns.

Do tea bags keep bugs away from plants?

The tannic acid in tea leaves increases the acidity of the soil, lowering the pH, which is great for acid-loving plants. Tea leaves sprinkled around your plant can also help deter any pesky pests that could potentially destroy your plants. Mice, cats, and different bugs hate the smell of tea.

Can I water my plants with tea?

Plain, left over tea, however, is perfectly fine to use to water plants and so would leftover coffee or herbal teas be ok. Ideally, without any cream or sugar added, though if it's just the last teaspoonful of the drink, then it's no big deal.

How to use a tea bag for plants?

Boil the old tea bags in water, allow the mixture to cool, and then use it as a weak fertilizer on acid-loving plants such as azaleas, ferns, and hydrangeas. Some gardeners use old tea bags to repair unsightly bare spots in their turf. Simply soak a tea bag, place it over the bare spot, and sow with grass seed.

How to Fertilize your Plants with Tea Bags

Are coffee grounds good for plants?

Are coffee grounds good for plants? Coffee grounds are an excellent compost ingredient and are fine to apply directly onto the soil around most garden plants if used with care and moderation. Coffee grounds contain nutrients that plants use for growth.

Are tea bags good for hydrangeas?

Tea contains nutrients like tannic acid and other minerals that are beneficial to plants. Used teabags can be buried near the roots of acid-loving plants such as roses, hydrangeas, or rhododendrons. The teabags will gradually decompose, releasing these nutrients into the soil and helping to boost plant growth.

Are egg shells good for plants?

The eggshells provide calcium, potassium and magnesium, which are essential for healthy plant growth! Natural pest deterrent – The sharp edges of the eggshells also act as a natural pest deterrent, helping keep critters away from your plants and protecting the roots.

Can I use leftover coffee to water plants?

In some workplaces, the only "watering" plants receive is from emptying leftover coffee into the soil, and they are often struggling. However, using leftover coffee once a week and coffee grounds sparingly is beneficial.

What is the best homemade fertilizer?

Five Affordable and Easy DIY Organic Fertilizers You Can Find Right In Your Home
  • Eggshells. Save your eggshells people, I cannot stress this enough. ...
  • Rice Water. If you aren't washing your rice before you cook it, you should really try it...and then save the water for your house plants! ...
  • Coffee. ...
  • Potato Water. ...
  • Banana Peels.

Do mice hate tea bags?

Mice have a very strong sense of smell and are often repelled by very strong odors like cinnamon, vinegar, dryer sheets, clove oil, peppermint, tea bags, and cayenne pepper.

What happens when you put tea bags in your garden?

Teabags may help fertilize your garden. As the tea leaves and bag begin to break down and decompose, they release nutrients into the soil that helps plants retain water and thrive. That said, you should use tea only on your plants that like acidic soil.

How do you keep pests out of potted plants?

Treatment: Spray plants with soapy water. A good ratio is 1 tablespoon of dish soap per quart of water. You can also hose plants down with a strong stream of hose water. Another option is to use neem oil to disrupt the growth and development of mealybugs.

Which plants like banana water?

Here are some plants that appreciate the addition of banana water to their regular watering schedule:
  • Tropical houseplants such as pothos, snake plants, monsteras, and philodendrons;
  • Anthuriums;
  • Orchids;
  • Tomatoes;
  • Bell Peppers;
  • Roses;
  • Air plants;
  • Ferns;

Do tomatoes like tea bags?

Try growing lettuce, tomato, marigold or even viola in your own tea bag garden. The seeds thrive in this nutrient-rich environment benefiting from the minerals in the tea leaves.

Is tea or coffee better for plants?

Coffee grounds also contain needed plant macro and micronutrients, such as phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, while tea leaves contain a decent level of nitrogen, a macro-nutrient that encourages leaf growth.

Is cinnamon good for plants?

There are almost countless uses for cinnamon in the garden: it can be used as a nature-friendly pesticide, a repellent against annoying insects, or as a catalyst to promote root growth in plant cuttings.

Which plants do not like coffee water?

2. Plants That are Sensitive to Caffeine
  • Roses: Caffeine can hinder their growth and development.
  • Lilies: Caffeine can prevent their growth and may even cause their death.
  • Hydrangeas: Caffeine can negatively impact their growth and soil acidity.

How to use banana skins for plants?

Banana peels can be placed directly onto pot plant soil, or around the base of your garden as mulch. As they decompose, they will release nutrients into the soil to feed plants. If using banana peels in your garden, place a single layer straight on top of the soil, being sure not to let them touch the plant stem.

Do any plants not like eggshells?

"Plants like strawberries, blueberries, kale, and cabbage prefer slightly acidic soil and adding in eggshells can do more harm than good," says Jen McDonald, certified organic gardener and co-founder of Garden Girls, a garden design company based in Houston, Texas.

What is the best fertilizer for plants?

Nitrogen helps produce green leaves and stems, phosphorus helps produce root development, and potassium helps the plant withstand stress from heat or cold. A good all-purpose fertilizer would be a 10-10-10 NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium). This type of fertilizer will work well for most plants and soil types.

Which plants like boiled egg water?

Plants like tomatoes, hydrangeas, eggplants, roses, cabbage, squash, and peppers will love the added calcium boost. However, you should avoid using eggshell fertilizer on acid-loving plants, like blueberries, azaleas, and geraniums, if you already have soil that is veering towards alkaline.

What turns hydrangeas blue?

To turn hydrangeas blue, you'll need to make your soil more acidic. You may have heard of tricks like adding coffee grounds, vinegar or even pennies or a bundle of rusty nails to the soil. However, it's best to use aluminum sulfate, which is a proven method for changing flower color.

How do I use old tea bags in my garden?

Plant feed: Used tea bags double as a handy fertilizer because of their tannic acid, which in turn foster increased nitrogen levels. Many plants, including roses and potted plants, will benefit from the elevated levels, so mix or spread those steeped tea leaves right onto the soil.

Do hydrangeas like sun or shade in pots?

Most common hydrangeas prefer a partial sun location - ideally receiving sun in the morning hours and shade in the afternoon. The reblooming Endless Summer® Hydrangea series prefers part shade. These include BloomStruck®, Endless Summer®, Blushing Bride®, and Twist-n-Shout®.

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