Tea is simply the infusion of a solid substance with water. The infusion has many of the benefits of the solid substance in a form that is more easily absorbed by plants. Green tea, for example, has flavonoids, caffeine, vitamins and antioxidants. Those ingredients are drawn out of the green tea leaves and into the tea by adding water. Hot water accelerates the process. Green and black teas can be used to water plants, but they're not the only ones.
Fish Emulsion and Kelp Teas
Add 1 tbsp. of concentrated fish emulsion, which is a thick brown liquid, to one gallon of water.
Water each plant with one to two pints of the fish tea. Try not to get the tea on the leaves of the plant.
Mix 1 tbsp. of kelp tea with one gallon of water and give each plant one to two pints.
Manure Teas
Gather manure from birds, rabbits, cows, horses and other vegetarian animals. Let the manure age for six months to a year.
Add one gallon of the aged manure to five gallons of water in a tub. Stir until the manure has dissolved into the water.
Dip buckets into the manure tea and water as usual.
Alfalfa Tea
Place two cups of rabbit pellet feed which are made of compressed alfalfa meal into a five-gallon bucket. Fill with water and stir.
Pour the contents into a second five-gallon bucket and then back into the first. This is called boxing.
Let the tea ripen for three days, boxing it at least once a day. Alfalfa is sometimes grown as a green manure crop and plowed back into the ground. It contains a high percentage of nitrogen.
