Beneficial elements in all three are released slowly.
Q: I was wondering what tea bags, coffee grounds and eggshells do for plants and could you apply them to any type of plant or only specific plants?
All three are generally good for the garden. The beneficial elements in them are slow-release and present in relatively small quantities. So you don't have to keep any of them away from any specific plants.
Allowing them to break down in the compost is one good way of using them. Another is blending them into the soil around various plants, but not concentrating any one kind in one particular spot.
The tea in tea bags contains nitrogen. So do coffee grounds. The coffee grounds also have trace amounts of phosphorous and potassium.
Eggshells provide calcium to the plants they are placed near. Calcium is especially valuable for tomatoes.
The only snag with eggshells is that most people just crush them (potato mashers work well), but in the ground crushed eggshells take ages to break down.
Ground-up eggshells release calcium much faster. An old blender might do this job.
Q: I am planning to make a small bed and plant two lilies and a banana plant there. All are fairly small. Could I layer the top layer of soil with wood chips or something to give it life? Also, what type of flowers would go well with lilies and the banana plant?
To give your soil some life, Sea Soil or compost spread over the bed would help the fertility immensely. If you don't have your own compost, garden centres sell bags of commercial compost. A bag of one or the other would be sufficient.
On top of whatever nourishment you choose, bark mulch suppresses weeds very well. When seeds finally blow in on the wind and weeds do start, they're very easy to pull out of bark mulch.
My top choice for planting under your banana tree would be sempervivums. Their leaves are rosettes in various patterns and shades: reddish, blue-grey, green with red tips, etc.
These plants form a carpet so dense weeds seldom germinate.
In summer some of the older rosettes produce thick stems with flowers. After flowering, the old rosettes die, but new rosettes quickly fill in. Sempervivums are extremely drought-resistant.
Cranesbills are another possibility. My top choice would be the deep purpleblue flowered Rosanne. This stays blooming for a very long period. It's dwarf and spreads into a wide, low mound.
A pretty, mat-forming annual, which is also a great bee plant, is Sweet Alyssum.
This is available in mauve or white forms. They're covered with flowers all summer and are very sweet smelling. They die in winter, but re-seed themselves abundantly in spring. If you prefer taller plants, you might like the perennial Oriental poppies that produce huge, spectacular flowers in red, orange, white or pink in late QMay. These seed themselves around if you leave the seed capsules on the plants.
If you prefer spring flowers, the perennial Hellebore orientalis flowers give pleasure for many months. Buds pop up in late January, followed by cup-shaped, long-lasting flowers, then interesting spiky seedheads. The hellebore leaves are evergreen all year until late winter when they should be cut back to make way for next year's growth and flowers.
Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to her via [emailprotected].
FAQs
All three are generally good for the garden. The beneficial elements in them are slow-release and present in relatively small quantities. So you don't have to keep any of them away from any specific plants.
What plants like eggshells and coffee grounds? ›
As for eggshells, LA Compost praises their contribution of calcium, another common ingredient in fertilizer. The added boost is particularly useful for growing plants like tomatoes and peppers, which may suffer from calcium deficiency.
Are coffee grounds and tea bags good for the garden? ›
Sprinkle used coffee grounds around your plants to deter ants, slugs and other pests. Empty your tea granules in your garden or houseplants to add nutrients to the soil. Put used dried tea bags in your fridge to absorb odours.
Which plants don't like eggshells? ›
Wondering what plants don't like eggshells? It's best to avoid using them on varieties that naturally prefer more acidic soil, such as azaleas and geraniums.
Which plants Cannot use coffee grounds? ›
Avoid using coffee grounds on alkaline-loving trees, such as linden, ironwood, red chestnut and arborvitae. Coffee grounds used as mulch or compost inhibit plant growth on geranium, asparagus fern, Chinese mustard and Italian ryegrass.
Do tomatoes like coffee grounds and eggshells? ›
Coffee grounds are packed with nutrients that tomato plants love, like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. They help improve soil structure and promote microbial activity, which can lead to healthier, more robust tomato plants. Plus, they may even help deter certain pests.
Can you put too many eggshells in your garden? ›
Deer hate the smell of albumin, also known as egg whites, so the shells keep them from snacking and stomping on your growing garden. It's important to note that too many eggshells for too long might attract smaller rodents, such as raccoons and mice.
Do you need to wash eggshells before using in garden? ›
Make sure you wash your egg shells before adding them to compost so that they don't attract animals.
What pests hate coffee grounds? ›
Not only do they repel mosquitoes, but also other insects such as wasps and bees. Coffee grounds are the bee's knees when it comes to staying bug bite free. Most bugs have a very strong sense of smell. Coffee grounds are very potent and even more potent once they are burned.
When you should and shouldn t put used coffee grounds in your garden? ›
Coffee grounds are highly acidic, they note, so they should be reserved for acid-loving plants like azaleas and blueberries. And if your soil is already high in nitrogen, the extra boost from coffee grounds could stunt the growth of fruits and flowers.
Teabags may help fertilize your garden. As the tea leaves and bag begin to break down and decompose, they release nutrients into the soil that helps plants retain water and thrive. That said, you should use tea only on your plants that like acidic soil.
How to use old tea bags in the garden? ›
Fertilize the Plants
There are a couple of ways to use them for this purpose. Either tear open the used bag and mix the leaves in with the soil, or add them to your composting pile. Note: It's best to add tea to soil around acid-loving plants, like rosebushes or ferns.
Are eggshells bad for tomato plants? ›
All in all, there is no risk of adding eggshells to your tomato beds. They cannot harm your tomatoes, but they may not provide a noticeable benefit.
Are banana peels good for your garden? ›
Banana peels can be placed directly onto pot plant soil, or around the base of your garden as mulch. As they decompose, they will release nutrients into the soil to feed plants. If using banana peels in your garden, place a single layer straight on top of the soil, being sure not to let them touch the plant stem.
What plants benefit most from eggshells? ›
The plants that love eggshells the most are tomatoes, cucumbers and many others that are prone to blossom-end rot, a problem that eggshells are very good at preventing.
What plants benefit the most from coffee grinds? ›
There are a select few plants that can benefit from fresh grounds—including acidity-loving Hydrangeas, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Lily of the Valley, blueberries, carrots, and radishes—but generally, most common houseplants will prefer low to no acidity.
