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This free potted plant food is such an easy thing to do! Readers have been asking for more of my chemist tips in the garden this spring and summer. Today, I am sharing my completely free potted plant food with just ONE ingredient!

The best part about this little tip? It doesn’t take any preparation, no composting, no special tools, and no special application. It is THAT easy!

I will also give you some chemistry background on why this even works to benefit your plants!

Completely Free Potted Plant Food with One Ingredient

 

Something you will notice about me (and pretty much anything found on Chemistry Cachet), I like to do things the easy way. I will be the first to admit, I don’t do anything to extreme in the garden. I like to do everything simple, basic, and straight to the point.

Like one of our most popular posts ever on this website is this homemade plant food. This contains a few ingredients and not many rules. You just mix and apply as you like. It is mild enough so it is safe for all plants. You don’t have to worry about messing up.

The plant food in our eBook contains a more rounded base of nutrients, but it is still so simple. You just throw it together!

Today, we have another tip like this for your potted flowers.

All you need is a tea bag!

If you remember a last year, I mentioned I was doing some in-depth chemistry research on tea. I did some studies on tea for your health in this post.

I also started experimenting with it for cleaning the house. We have a carpet refresher with tea, and also this incredible window cleaner made from tea!

Tea is also fantastic for plants! As a plant itself, tea leaves contain many nutrients that in turn feed other plants.

How to Use Tea Bags for Free Plant Food

Ingredients:

• Used Black Tea Bags

Directions:

1. Since this post is talking about FREE plant food, that means you will be using USED tea bags.
2. After you have a cup of black tea, save the tea bag and set aside. Don’t ring out the tea bag, leave it plump right out of the tea cup. You can save up as many as you’d like depending on how many pots you will be filling. They can be dried or still damp when you use them.
3. Fill your pot with good drainage like rocks and pebbles, add a layer of dirt then add in some of the used tea bags. Top with some more dirt, then add in your plant.
4. You can also add to existing potted plants. Just bury them in the dirt at little as shown in picture below, top with dirt so tea bag isn’t showing.
5. Each time you water, it will fill up the tea bag and release the nutrients. Plants soak up water from the roots, so all the things released from the tea bag will be soaked up too.

Keep in mind, to get all the scientific benefits, black tea is recommended!

Other Methods for Using Tea 

You can always use new tea bags if you don’t have used ones.

Another tip is using already brewed tea to water your plant. If you have some leftover brewed black tea (WITHOUT any sweetener), just pour that on the soil around plant. Then, water like normal.

If you make your own compost, adding used tea bags is a great addition as well.

Things to Keep in Mind For Plants

Your plant still needs good soil, water, and care. This won’t magically make them grow without any TLC, it is just a great option for added nutrients!

All the other plant foods we have on our website are still fantastic options and can be used with this method too!

The Science Behind Tea for Plant Food

Tea leaves have many benefits to them. You can read an in-depth post here on the chemicals in tea that benefit your health. Those benefits don’t just work for our health, but they can also provide nutrients to plants.

To get the most of these benefits, remember to use black tea! Black tea will have the highest levels of nutrients.

Potassium

Black tea contains potassium.  If you were to brew 8 oz of black tea, it would contain 80 mg or so of potassium. This comes from the tea leaves, so used tea bags will still contain potassium.

Amino Acids

Tea leaves contain amino acids, particularly L-Theanine. Amino acids are very beneficial for plant growth!  In fact, amino acids are a very popular option for organic gardening. In fact, this article shows some interesting research in using amino acids for the nitrogen source.

Minerals

Aside from potassium, more minerals can be found in tea bags including fluorine, manganese, nickel, selenium, iodine, aluminum.

pH Level

Contrary to many articles online, black tea does NOT contain tannic acid. It contains tannins. You can read about tannins in this DIY window cleaner. Although, it doesn’t contain tannic acid, it does have a lower pH level, so this is going to be best for acid loving plants (which is going to be most of your flowering plants). I have used this with all my potted flowers and each one has responded well.

MAKE SURE to always check the label on your potted flower to see what type of soil pH it prefers!

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