Extra Nutrients
Tea leaves have a high nitrogen content, which is excellent at boosting the nutritional quality of the soil. If you use filters of a natural origin, you can bury them as they are, but make sure to remove synthetic filters if you want to use the tea leaves from them. You can also layer the used leaves on top of the soil as a form of mulch – this can keep weeds at bay and it helps to keep the soil moist.
Good Against Vermin
Teabags are great at keeping all kinds of insects away from your cherished plants. The smell is repulsive to bugs, so consider layering the used filters around plants that seem to suffer from a pest problem.
Boost Your Compost
If you regularly compost kitchen scraps, tea leaves can be a great way to speed up the process of decomposition. Mix tea leaves with 1 part fresh kitchen waste that’s high in nitrogen and 3 parts carbon-rich materials, such as dry leaves.
Watering Made Easy
Teabags that come in an organic filter can be used as an extra step to keep your plants happy by burying them directly at the roots. This will help retain moisture and release nutrients directly in the soil.
Germination
Seedlings are tricky to grow in general, but tea leaves can help speed up this process a little bit! Mix your used tea leaves into the soil when you plan on germinating any seedling. This gives a great boost of nutrients to the soil, as well as helping the husk of a seed break down. Try this trick for plants that are difficult to germinate from seeds!
Pesky Cats
Do you have a problem with cats getting into your flower beds? Try to place used tea bags and even coffee grounds around the plants – cats hate the smell and will stop loitering in your garden if you give this tip a go. This also works indoors – if your cat likes to munch on indoor plants, place your used filters on top of the soil to discourage them from this destructive behavior!