GARDEN plants can be quite tricky to look after, especially for newbies who are yet to find out what works and what doesn’t.
Luckily, a whizz in the field has revealed a simple hack, which uses tea to water plants, promoting a ”very leafy grow”.
Be careful as not every plant will enjoy a cup of tea Credit: Alamy
With thousands of various plant species each requiring different care it can be overwhelming to keep track of it all – but it doesn’t mean avid gardeners have to resort to using costly chemical fertilisers.
Speaking to Express, Leslie Vincents of Atkins Garden shop explained how gardening fans can use a cheap British favourite to water their plants – both indoor and outdoor.
While many may be sceptical about this hack, Leslie claimed this “bizarre gardening trick” does in fact “work”.
“Tea and tea leaves are just organic matter which is highly nutritious.
“The tea leaves are packed full of nitrogen, far more than your usual plant fertilisers and this promotes very leafy growth.”
The whizz also explained how keen gardening fanatics can carry out the unconventional trick.
According to Leslie, you need to start by brewing a pot using two tea bags before leaving it cool down overnight.
”This is absolutely essential as you don’t want to be throwing boiling or even warm water on your plants,” she warned.
Research suggests that nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus found in tea are minerals that can be beneficial to indoor plants as well as those growing in the backyard.
However, it is important to note that there are also other ingredients in tea, such as fluorine and aluminium, that could potentially prevent plants from growing.
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Trying this hack could also have an impact on the pH levels pf the soil, as the delicious brew can make soil more acidic.
If keen to give the trick a go, gardeners could try this watering plants with tea on plants that are happiest in slightly acidic soil.
These include poinsettia, hydrangeas, spider plants and rubber plants.
If you have plants that prefer alkaline conditions – amongst these are lily of the valley, phacelia, lavender and lilac – it’s best to stick to standard plant food.
