Tea and Coffee for Healthier Plants

Who doesn't love a cup of tea or coffee to start your day off on the right foot? If your day runs on these delicious fuels then you may not be surprised to learn that humans aren't the only living things that benefit from tea and coffee. Believe it or not, coffee and tea are excellent sources of nutrition for gardens and houseplants alike. If you're planning a landscaping home improvement project, or simply want to give your existing plants a healthy boost, look no further than your kitchen!

Tea & Coffee — Nature's Fuel

Drinking coffee and tea can provide the human body with a number of health benefits. Unsurprisingly, the nutrients in these natural ingredients can also promote plant growth. Coffee grounds and tea grounds or leaves can be added directly to the soil of your houseplants or outdoor garden. However, there are a few things you need to remember if you're using direct applications:

• Remove all artificial packaging from your tea bags before placing the tea leaves in soil.
• Only use coffee grounds that haven't come in contact with any other substances.
• While you can dump the last bit of your coffee beverage into your potted plant, you should only do so with straight black coffee.
• You should not place coffee or tea remnants into the soil more than once a week.  

A Note About Acidity

Most homeowners know that tea and coffee are acidic, but few realize that these acids can be harmful to some plants. All plant species are unique, but we can divide them into two categories — those that thrive on acid and those that need limited acidity. pH levels in the soil must be properly maintained to help a plant continue its healthy development. Introducing coffee or tea grounds into the soil could upset these levels and harm the plants. If you use tea or coffee grounds in your soil, be sure to check the pH levels on a weekly basis.

Compromise With Compost

Although it won't completely solve the problem of acidity, a more measured way to introduce the nutritional benefits of coffee and tea grounds into your plant beds is to use compost in the soil. Organic material like fruit rinds, eggshells, and scraps of food can be composted to create a natural fertilizer. You can even recycle cooking water to use to hydrate the composted soil.

You don't need to start a huge home improvement project to enhance your home and minimize your waste. Improve the soil of your plants with used coffee and tea grounds, along with other environmentally friendly fertilizers, to help your greenery grow!

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