Sorry if this is slightly OT

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 ?

Thanks.

Martin

Martin22/3/04 5:51

Sorry if this is slightly OT

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 ?

Thanks.

Martin


"From Peet's Coffee and Tea

Using coffee and tea residues
Urban and rural farmers (and gardeners) are finding that organic residues
like used coffee grounds and tea leaves provide valuable nutrients and
soil-amending capability.
Practice and research has shown that:
Earthworms seem to have a particular affinity for coffee grounds; using
coffee grounds in your compost pile, worm box or as mulch will attract these
helpful creatures.
Coffee grounds and used tea leaves are acidic. Use them around acid-loving
plants, or mix with a little ground limestone for plants needing a neutral
or alkaline soil.
An excellent source of nitrogen, coffee grounds and tea leaves are
considered "green" sources in composting. Carbon sources such as dried
leaves and straw are considered "brown" and should be used in larger
quantities than the green materials. The nitrogen-rich coffee grounds will
kickstart the composting process.
Samples of our coffee grounds have shown a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 25:1,
which is the ideal range for composting.
Where appropriate, these residues can be used as a soil amendment. A soil
test (usually available from your local extension service) lets you know
what nutrient levels are too low or too high. Experiment with small
quantities of coffee grounds and tea leaves to bring your soil into balance.
The addition of coffee grounds can help loosen up heavy clay soil.
Coffee grounds are NOT recommended for container plants because of their
salt level.
Experiments with coffee and tea residues
We've been working with farmers and researchers to find new and innovative
uses for our coffee and tea residues.
A farmer near Davis, California has been tilling our used coffee grounds
into his heavy alkaline soil. The "acidic" grounds are lowering the pH and
improving the tilth of the soil. He recommends a soil test to determine the
pH of your soil.
A soil scientist has developed a fertilizer using coffee grounds as the
basic ingredient. Using our nutrient analysis, he was able to add other
plant-based material to come up with a balanced-nutrient blend.
A company that makes a compost catalyst uses coffee grounds and tea leaves
to enhance the final product. This catalyst speeds up the composting process
and makes it more efficient.
Gardeners are reporting that their roses, rhododendrons, azaleas, berries,
potatoes fare much better when coffee grounds are added to the soil. Start
with small quantities and experiment.
Commercial composters are picking up food scraps (including coffee grounds
and tea leaves) and composting them along with yard trimmings on a grand
scale in California's Central Valley. The compost is offered to local
farmers at a low cost. One composter offers a certain percentage of the
finished product free to local school and community gardens."





My grandparents always threw tea leaves onto the ground around their roses
and they did the same with soot. Tea leaves down the drain result only in
blocked drains, IME!
PS Banana skins are said to be good for roses, too.
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article ,
Martin wrote:

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

Don't put green tea leaves down the sink - they are much larger and
more durable and will block it - the fermentation to make black tea
breaks them up.

As Sacha said, they make excellent compost and excellent mulch.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Martin" wrote in message
...
Sorry if this is slightly OT

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 ?

Eminently suitable for putting on acid loving plants or in the compost. Down
the drain is OK if flushed away with plenty of water. I assume yr mum has
been doing this if she hasn't blocked the drain in 40 years. I wouldn't do
it with teabags though :-))


Steve

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Martin wrote:

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

Don't put green tea leaves down the sink - they are much larger and
more durable and will block it - the fermentation to make black tea
breaks them up.

We only drink green tea of various kinds, some have very big leaves - many
times a day.

We make tea in a Bodum filter teapot, the inner canister and the plunger
dan't be cleared of tea leaves except by washing.

Being a keen composter I shake as many of the leaves into the kitchen
compost container but the rest go down the sink waste. In forty years we've
never had a blocked waste. Some leaves stay trapped in the basket, I either
pick them out or poke them down, depending how far they've made their own
way.

There's no problem either way. Tea leaves make up an extremely small part of
our compost, we eat huge amounts of vegetables, quite a lot of fruit, have
hen waste and garden waste and shreddings ... to say nothing of cardboard
and other less obvious items.

Mary

Mary



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from "Martin" contains these words:

Sorry if this is slightly OT

Rest assured, it's not Off T at all!

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.

IME tealeaves which go down the sink tend to bind with odd fibres, etc,
and block the drain, sometimes resulting in an evil bacterial mess of
solid and slime. It is not to be recommended.

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 !

Tealeaves are excellent in compost, and as an alternative to green
manure where that is appropriate. I have heard that roses like
tealeaves, but don't take that as gospel.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Martin" contains these words:

Sorry if this is slightly OT

Rest assured, it's not Off T at all!

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.

IME tealeaves which go down the sink tend to bind with odd fibres, etc,
and block the drain, sometimes resulting in an evil bacterial mess of
solid and slime. It is not to be recommended.

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 !

Tealeaves are excellent in compost, and as an alternative to green
manure where that is appropriate. I have heard that roses like
tealeaves, but don't take that as gospel.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Martin" contains these words:

Sorry if this is slightly OT

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 !

My MIL saved all tealeaves and undrunk tea in a bucket, as plant
fertiliser. In summer, the tomatoes were fed exclusively on tea. She
grew wonderful tomatoes.

I put all mine in the compost heap.

Janet

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...


IME tealeaves which go down the sink tend to bind with odd fibres, etc,
and block the drain, sometimes resulting in an evil bacterial mess of
solid and slime. It is not to be recommended.

I don't like the sound of your waste pipe :-)

Mary

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...


IME tealeaves which go down the sink tend to bind with odd fibres, etc,
and block the drain, sometimes resulting in an evil bacterial mess of
solid and slime. It is not to be recommended.

I don't like the sound of your waste pipe :-)

Mary

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...


IME tealeaves which go down the sink tend to bind with odd fibres, etc,
and block the drain, sometimes resulting in an evil bacterial mess of
solid and slime. It is not to be recommended.

I don't like the sound of your waste pipe :-)

Mary

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
[change "atlantic" to "pacific" and
"invalid" to "net" to reply by email]

The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:
"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...


IME tealeaves which go down the sink tend to bind with odd fibres, etc,
and block the drain, sometimes resulting in an evil bacterial mess of
solid and slime. It is not to be recommended.

I don't like the sound of your waste pipe :-)

Not mine, Yer'Onner. Wastepipes I have known.......

Mine gets a regular dose of boiling water, followed by a dash of bleach.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Doesn't that make your eyes water?

"Rodger Whitlock" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:51:16 -0000, Martin wrote:


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.

Why did you rush if the tea was cold?

Mary


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
[change "atlantic" to "pacific" and
"invalid" to "net" to reply by email]