On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:51:16 -0000, Martin wrote:

My elderly Mother empties teapot down kitchen sink several times a day
claiming tea leaves clear the drain and that a slight gurgling after running
water is the sign of clear drains.She can offer no evidence on these
thoughts but has been emptying pots down for 40 years so she says must be
OK.

The reason I have posted this to the gardening group is my Mother is a keen
gardener and if I can convince her to use the tea leaves for compost heap or
garden she will use them for this purpose but says she will still put some
down sink to clear it !

Any thoughts on suitability for using tea leaves in garden etc or for
clearing sink drain ?

Your Mother will be lucky if she doesn't one day face a stiff
bill from a plumber for clearing the tea leaves from her drains.
Tea leaves don't decompose quickly, and if her drain develops a
slight blockage for any reason, the leaves could quickly form a
total blockage.

Simply put, tea leaves do NOT clear the drains. If she's worried
about clear drains, buy her an electric dishwasher that drains
into the kitchen sink: the strong detergents used in those things
really will clear out the drains.

But as you intimate, carrots work better than sticks. Regardless
of the pros/cons of sink drain disposal, I consider tea leaves
first class material for the compost. Even better, if your Mother
has some favorite ericaceous plant (an azalea or rhododendron,
for example), she can top dress that with the tea leaves.

Even cold tea has its uses. My Iris winogradowii has never grown
as well as when I would rush outside first thing every morning,
teapot in hand, and pour yesterday's cold tea on it.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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