Fancy a cup of tea? Be sure to keep your used tea bags aside, as they’re essential for garden maintenance and can even fend off pests who feast on your plants
Tea time is a significant part of British culture, but what do you do with the used tea bags? You might want to keep them and use them for gardening purposes.
If your garden space is being plagued by irritating pests this spring, you can simply bury the used tea bag in the soil. This is an eco-friendly solution that helps combat unwanted insects from ruining your plants. Now that the weather is warmer and the clocks are going forward this weekend, we will be spending more time in our garden. Still, spending time in the garden doesn’t necessarily mean soaking up the vitamin D and barbecuing – there’s some work to do.
As spring unfolds, pests such as slugs, mealybugs, thrips, and blackflies tend to show up more frequently in search of food. While their presence may seem harmless at first, these pests can spread diseases and mould that can damage your plants. Slugs, in particular, can be hard to spot on plants like lettuce, where their small size can make them difficult to detect. Thankfully, there’s a simple and natural way to keep them away: used tea bags.
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That’s where the power of a used tea bag comes in. According to reports by Art of Tea, this is because bugs and insects don’t like the smell of the tea ingredients, and it doesn’t have to be plain tea either. They also despise peppermint, lemon or cinnamon extracts. They explained: “Teabags have been known to keep pests from damaging and destroying your plants. Simply bury the teabags in your garden and the smell will keep pests and rodents at bay. Using steeped teabags as a DIY pest repellent is both a cost-effective and all-natural alternative to sprays that you might find at the market.” A pack of tea also doesn’t cost a lot of money, and can be found in supermarkets for as cheap as 95p.
In addition to acting as a natural pest repellent, tea can also work as a fertiliser, providing essential nutrients and improving soil quality, particularly for plants that thrive in acidic conditions. It can also feed earthworms, which are important to keeping the garden looking its best.
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While many types of tea bags can be used, gardeners should aim to use high-quality, organic tea whenever possible. It’s important to ensure the tea bags are fully organic and free from harmful ingredients such as plastics or staples. Additionally, gardeners should always wait for the used tea bags to cool down before burying them in the soil, as using hot tea bags could damage your plants.
