Rice, coffee, tea: discover natural remedies you can use for plant care
Whenever we get a new plant for the house, we certainly hope that it grows in a healthy manner. As a result, we take care to arrange put them in the right pots, use right soil and place them in the garden or home so that they can flourish. And often we also use fertilizers, perhaps ending up spending a lot on many different products (depending on the types of plants we have).
However, there is not always a need to resort to these expensive products: we can get good results with some natural DIY remedies - even reusing kitchen scraps. For example, rice, tea and coffee can also be useful in the care of plants. Read on to find out how:
Rice water for plants
If we often cook rice, we have an excellent resource on our hands. Be careful, however: when we talk about "rice water" for plants, we do not mean water that has been used to cook rice (as this has salt added). We mean the water with which the rice was washed before cooking it. In fact, raw rice should always be rinsed in water until the water becomes completely clear (generally it is necessary to rinse rice three times). This means that we throw away a lot of water that we could use for our plants: proteins, fibers, amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, potassium are just a few minerals found in rice water. Also, there is starch present which is useful for beneficial bacteria that grow in the roots.
How to use rice water:
- Just fill a spray bottle and spray the leaves of the plant (top and bottomo) in the morning or in the evening.
- Alternatively, you can pour the rice water directly onto the ground with a watering can.
The important thing is to use the rice water immediately, otherwise it will begin to ferment.
Tea
Since tea is slightly acidic, it has been used for centuries for acidophilic plants (hydrangeas, azaleas, rhododendrons, for example).
The remedy itself is not going to work miracles, but neither is it harmful. What's important is that:
- The tea is cold and has not been left to ferment for too long;
- Best if diluted with water, because it could contain aluminum, manganese and other substances harmful to plants if present in excessive quantities;
- There was no milk in the tea;
- The tea wasn't very sugary.
In addition to using liquid tea, it is recommended to put used tea bags into the compost pile.
Coffee
In general, when we talk about coffee grounds, it is about putting the grounds into a compost pile. But, in reality, even leftover coffee can be useful in the care of plants - just like tea.
If you have any coffee left over, you can dilute it with water and then pour it on the ground around plants.
However, avoid using:
- Sweetened coffee;
- Coffee into which milk or cream has been poured.
Again, be careful not to overdo it by always and only using leftover coffee - even if diluted. Do this at most once a week and preferably only for acidophilic plants.
Happy gardening!
