A friend swore that one tea bag tucked into the pot made her peace lily bloom all year, so of course I tried it. The honest truth is more modest. Used tea leaves are a little organic matter that slowly breaks down, which does no harm in small amounts, but a whole wet bag sitting on the soil can grow mold and some bags contain plastic. My peace lily only started flowering again when I paired the tea habit with the things it really wanted: brighter light, steady watering and a weak feed. Here is how to do both properly.
What you need
- 1 tablespoon used tea leaves, cooled and dried, from a paper tea bag with no plastic
- 1 cup (250 ml) room-temperature water
- a few drops (half the label dose) balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer
- 1 small fork or plant stick
How to do it
- Open the bag. Let a used tea bag cool completely, cut it open and spread the leaves on a plate to dry for a day. Throw away the bag itself, as many are sealed with plastic and do not break down. Use plain black or green tea with no milk or sugar.
- Mix, do not bury. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the dry leaves over the soil of a medium pot and scratch them gently into the top half inch (1 cm) with a fork. Do this no more than once a month. Mixed in and dry, they break down slowly instead of turning into a moldy lump.
- Water by the weekly check. When the top inch (2 to 3 cm) of soil is dry, pour 1 cup (250 ml) of room-temperature water slowly around the pot for a 6-inch (15 cm) plant, let it drain and empty the saucer after 15 minutes.
- Feed with a real fertilizer. Tea leaves supply only small amounts of nutrients. From spring to early autumn, add a few drops of balanced liquid fertilizer to the watering cup once a month, at half the label dose. This is what actually supports new leaves and flowers.
- Give it more light. Move the peace lily to bright, indirect light, a few feet from a window or behind a sheer curtain. This, more than any kitchen trick, is what makes a healthy peace lily send up white flowers.
- Clean up regularly. Cut faded flowers at the base of their stems and wipe dust off the leaves with a damp cloth every couple of weeks.
Good to know
- If you see white fuzz or smell mustiness on the soil, scrape off the tea leaves and let the surface dry out more between waterings.
- Fungus gnats love damp organic matter, so skip the tea if they are already a problem in your home.
- Peace lilies flower in waves rather than nonstop; a rest of a few weeks between blooms is normal.
So yes, my peace lily blooms again, and I still give it my tea leaves. But it was the window, the watering and the weak feed that made the real difference.
