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"Watering plants with tea
created by arcanamundi
(idea) by arcanamundi (3.1 y) (print) ? 1 C! I like it! Wed Jul 10 2002 at 20:22:13
Long thought to be an old wives tale, watering plants with tea (real tea from tea plants, not the infusions made from worm castings and compost advertised in gardening catalogues like Worm's Way as tea) can actually be beneficial, particularly to green and flowering plants.
In addition to the reputed benefit of tannin, tea can be particularly good for those with hard water (high in salts). Hard water salt can accumulate in plant soil, eventually leading to sunburn, damage, and eventually death.
If you can see white accumulations on the edge of the pot and on top of the soil, your plant may be suffering. Some plants (such as spider plants) have a very low salt tolerance, and may be candidates for the occasional cup of tea regardless of the hardness of the water. Check your pots for rime, and administer darjeeling (for example) judiciously.
In addition to these examples, plants that like their soil a bit more acid on the pH scale will also appreciate a cup of tea (don't forget to cool it first!) on Sundays. Azalea, Gardenia, and Hydrangea (etc.), are all ladies who love a spot of Earl Grey.
Their plainer cousin, Fern, is also quite fond of tea, but less of it. A diluted mix once a month is quite sufficient.
Don't forget your gloves, chapeau, fan, and best gossip. Rumor has it that plants rather like being talked to as well. Those pertaining to sex with plants are a bit more dubious in character and origin. "
I found that..... and also a number of pages that said that people would use regular tea and diluted coffee to water African Violets and other acid loving plants, hope that helps
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