Nothing quite beat a red-hot cup of tea leaf in the morning , but before you toss that soggy tea bag in the trash , sleep with that you could repurpose it and put it to work in your garden . Tea has lots of awful uses , with everything from adding awing nutrients to your compost to even warn slug or snail from munching on your leave of absence . They also might become your favourite reprocess pods to sprout unexampled seeds .

It ’s well known that tea offers great health benefits for people . It ’s deep in antioxidants and can purportedly advance your resistant system and lower inflammation in the body .   But did you hump that tea could be sound for your garden as well ? Used tea handbag can help fertilise that indoor houseplant or they canfeed worm in your land or compost . They can even slow down the emergence of invasive skunk . It ’s always a capital day to repurpose

For now , you do n’t have to work on that intemperately if you ’ve got tea in your kitchen . If you fuck repurposing old item into thrifty DIY projects , then upcycling teabags might just become your new favorite by-line . Chamomile tea , black tea , and gullible tea udder can all be repurposed — whatever ’s your cup of , well , tea . Now , allow ’s put those onetime tea udder to work !

Woman lifts tea bag out of tea cup.

Compost your tea bags

First , did you hump you could compost most teas — teatime bag and all ? They can be a great improver to your compost , so you could put tea leaf bags right in your composting container . Do n’t have one ? Learnhow to compost in a 5 - gal bucket . teatime   base contain   N , which plants postulate to thrive . Many tea leaves also include   potassium and phosphorus , which can help improve root health and encourage flower to blossom .

For most afternoon tea bagful , you may toss them in the compost sight ( minus the staples ) just as they are , but keep in mind that some tea bags out there are made with polypropylene , a plastic product   that does not naturally give out down . Polypropylene can help oneself seal tea dish and make them capable to endure higher temperatures a bit substantially , but microplastics like these can foul your compost and cause plastic to phlebotomize into the soil . Keep in creative thinker the tea leaves are the most nourishing - rich part , so the tea bags are n’t nearly as important in make water good compost .

run down your afternoon tea labels before discard those tea udder into your compost heap . avert polypropene , polyester , or nylon , as these can all pollute your compost . Look for tea bags that are made from all - born material like cotton or bamboo . If you ’re not sure , you’re able to always trim back the bag , and just add the loose folio tea directly to your compost .

Person discards tea bag into food waste for compost.

Use tea bags to germinate seeds

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Tea bag compost is n’t the only way to feed your garden . Used tea bags , specially the caffeine - free one , can be a great way to burgeon forth newfangled seed . And the good part is , once the plants germinate , you may plant them — Camellia sinensis purse and all — in a growing pot or at once into your flowerbeds .

To set about , grab a used teatime purse , and cut it open at the top or poke a hollow in it . Tuck a seed or two inwardly and then either place the tea purse on a wet paper towel , or gently spray with water . Place the afternoon tea bag into a formative udder to help ensure it does n’t dry out out .   seminal fluid can develop just with tea leave   as long as they ’re keep moist and out of direct sunlight .   Or if you prefer to spud seeded player in soil or compost , you may empty the bag of tea and   then use the shell as a grunge container .

Red gloves pull weeds from a garden.

Sprouts should come along in your teatime bag probably within a   hebdomad , though this depends on the type of seed used . Then , you ’ll be quick to channelize them into a low potted plant or directly into your garden . As long as the tea grip does n’t hold any microplastics and is biodegradable , you’re able to plant the whole old bag with the sprout directly into the sight or plantation owner . Remember , caffeine - free tea bags are best for germinating seeds , because caffeine might slow growth for some young plant .

Use tea bags to stifle weed and fungus growth

Caffeine does n’t just blunt the growth of some seminal fluid , it can also   stunt smoke growth in your garden . That means those used tea bag could also assist slow down those tight - growing and unsightly weeds . One study from theTokyo University of Agriculture and Technologyfound that some forms of Vietnamese fleeceable tea in particular decelerate down the weeds . So if you ’re marvel : is   green Camellia sinensis good for your plant life ?   The brusk answer is yes .

In that report , researchers ground up tea leaves , let them sit in water , and then poured the teatime on pot come to see how they fare . They found the weeds watered with fleeceable afternoon tea grew at a dumb rate than those sprinkled with water alone .

But grass are n’t the only things tea can slow down . If you happen to have chamomile teatime bags lie about , they can serve barricade the ontogeny of fungus   and treat damping off , too . Chamomile peak contain sulfur , a natural fungicide . It ’s effective in preventing a fungal root infection by killing spores in the dirt .   you could employ Anthemis nobilis tea bags to make a compost treatment tea that you could either pour directly into the soil or spray on the plant life itself . Soaking seeds in Chamaemelum nobilis Camellia sinensis before planting might also discourage any rot .

Worm wiggles on the ground.

Tea bags make fantastic worm food

Chamomile and other herbal teas have more uses , too . worm might have sex the herbal kickshaw as much as we do . louse bed munching on Camellia sinensis , and you’re able to even use tea pocketbook as a main component if you resolve to seek your hand at vermicomposting , a type of composting where you countenance worms transform shell and other food waste into rich plant food for the garden . This intend setting up a exceptional compost container at worm - prefer temperature between 59 and 77 academic degree Fahrenheit and then adding a party of worms , commonly ruby-red wigglers , to feast on your fling food scraps .

worm detest meat product , anything with acetum like pickles or salad dressing , and most types of onions . If you ’re not yet open to the thought of create your own dirt ball farm , you may also forget your tea bag whole in your garden to bequeath as a surprisal collation for your locality garden dirt ball . If you want to make a slightly leisurely meal for your crawler , take the Camellia sinensis out of the traveling bag first , though they can eat the suitcase if it ’s made of natural fibers .

There are many oftypes of garden worms , of course , that facilitate keep the garden healthy . The holes they labour help weewee drain , and they keep soil healthy by spread out nutrient around . prevent them well fed will help keep your soil healthy and your plants happy .

Use tea bags to fertilize your houseplants or repair your lawn

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Another path to keep plants healthy is to bring afternoon tea directly to your houseplant , flower bed , or even your lawn to perk up growth . just open up the used tea cup of tea ,   and sprinkle used tea leaf leaves directly on your plant .   When using afternoon tea as fertilizer , keep in mind it ’s also acidic , and might lower the soil pH , so it ’s proficient to use on flowering plants that like acidic territory , such as   coneflower , gentian , and hydrangea .

Tea bags can help you grow skunk as well , and   recreate bald patches in your lawn . Nitrogen in the afternoon tea can give a encouragement of food to your lawn . Just bury a full Camellia sinensis bag with some grass seeds just below the topsoil , or use tea leaf compost with the soil , and then take in the forage maturate . bury tea in the lawn might also help the territory continue piddle to avail nourish pot root word ,   another added benefit .

Tea leaves might also repel some pest , such as escargot and slug . It can be another natural room to rid gardens of harmful parasites without using harsh chemical . Caffeine in tea and coffee can be toxic to slugs and snails .   Camellia sinensis cup of tea have so many uses , and they offer a quick and inexpensive way to boost ontogeny in your garden . So after your next relaxing cup of Camellia sinensis , do n’t toss out the tea bagful . rather , repurpose them outside in your yard .