Why rooibos tea is a must for the garden this autumn

MARGARET Roberts, a prominent figure in the world of gardening and natural health, has been using rooibos for composting ever since she can remember. She says rooibos makes a fantastic natural fertiliser as it contains nutrients and trace minerals beneficial to plant growth.

“Instead of throwing away your used rooibos tea leaves or bags, use them along with other vegetable and fruit peelings to make a balanced compost mix,” she says. “Our thriving Herbal Centre near Hartbeespoort Dam keeps compost heaps going in much the same way with rooibos tea being among the critical compostable materials. We use it on all our vegetables and fruits in the huge gardens that supply our restaurant, and the produce is of excellent quality.”

Ms Roberts’ herbal garden is considered to be one of SA’s top ten gardens and is totally dedicated to organic farming.

Rooibos tea leaves also enriches the soil by increasing the nitrogen levels, while giving earthworms something nice to munch on. Tanya Visser, gardening guru, TV personality and editor of The Gardener and Die Tuinier magazines, uses her rooibos tea bags to feed the worms in her worm farm.

“You can also use tea bags for mulching your garden, but you have to drink a lot of rooibos tea to get the quantities needed,” she says.

“I actually buy the rooibos tea mulch for my garden. I love the courser grain of it, the smell and feel of it is wonderful too and it keeps the goggos away from my plants.”

Rooibos mulch also forms a crusty layer on the soil after a few waterings. This layer reduces water loss through evaporation and contributes to considerable water savings.

Another of SA’s favourite gardeners, JJ van Rensburg is an equally big fan of rooibos. “One of the best kept secrets is to break open steeped tea bags and to sprinkle the tea leaves around the plants to deter snails and other unwanted pests – it’s a very effective biological pest deterrent,” he says, adding that rooibos doesn’t make the soil acidic. The efficient microbes in the soil (the good bugs) actually thrive on rooibos tea leaves.

“A soil rich in organic compounds, such as rooibos, will give any gardener a healthy and generous crop that will make them proud,” – JJ van Rensburg

To ensure a bountiful bloom next spring, the experts suggest getting started in autumn.

* Use rooibos tea bags for cleaning the leaves of household plants. Since plants absorb the tea through the leaves, they get a real treat.

* Steep used tea bags in room-temperature water until it slightly changes colour and then pour the liquid over the plants. This provides them with extra nourishment.

* When potting a new plant, use rooibos tea leaves or tea bags (dried or steeped) in the drainage layer at the bottom of the pot. Since tea is highly absorbent, it will help absorb water that will then get released slowly back into the plant.

* Feed plants by scattering steeped tea leaves into the top layer of the plant’s soil.

(Information from the Rooibos Council)

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