Various kitchen waste is known to be used as plant fertilizer. Coffee grounds and banana peels are very popular for this. You can find out whether you can also use black tea to fertilize your hydrangeas in this article.
Is black tea suitable as fertilizer for hydrangeas?
Similar to coffee grounds, black tea is also suitable as a fertilizer for hydrangeas. It supplies the perennials with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus and at the same time acidifies the soil. The tea can either be loosely incorporated into the plant substrate or allowed to steep a second time in the irrigation water.
Can you fertilize hydrangeas with black tea?
Black tea is rich innitrogen, potassium and phosphorus and is therefore an interesting home remedy that can be used as a fertilizer for almost all plants. Since it slightly acidifies the soil, similar to coffee grounds, it should only be used very sparingly on most plants. Hydrangeas, on the other hand, need a low pH value in order to absorb nutrients well. That's why black tea is a good choice as a fertilizer for hydrangeas.
How can I use black tea as a hydrangea fertilizer?
There are various options for using black tea as fertilizer:
- Let thetea grounds dry and then mix them into the soil around the hydrangeas.
- Hang your already usedtea bag in a watering can full of water for several hours. This allows the nutrients to pass into the irrigation water. Then dispose of the tea bag in the organic waste bin or on the compost.
- If you havecold tea left over from the breakfast table, you can of course use it to fertilize your hydrangeas.
How should I not use black tea?
- Under no circumstances should you usefreshly brewed black tea as fertilizer as the hot water would burn the roots.
- Allow the tea grounds to completelydry before using, otherwise mold may form.
- Tea bags have no place in the garden. After the tea bag has dried, you can pour the contents out of the bag and use.
Tip
Use only kitchen waste as fertilizer
Black tea is grown in Asia and Africa and therefore requires long transport routes. For this reason, you should avoid using tea alone as a fertilizer. The ecological footprint would be significantly larger than buying liquid fertilizer at the garden center. However, if you drink black tea anyway, you can even reduce its ecological footprint by reusing the supposed kitchen waste as fertilizer.
