Sharing a cup of tea with a loved one is always enjoyable, but have you tried sharing it with your plants? Don’t try to give them sugary iced tea, but do give them chamomile tea. Chamomile is known for its calming properties, making it a popular evening beverage. But, it also has antifungal properties that can make it a fighter in the garden. German chamomile may benefit other plants by stopping the spread of fungal diseases in the soil. So, while you drink your tea to calm down, you can let your plant drink it to improve soil health.
This is a great way to use leftover chamomile tea bags. Rather than throw them away after you use them, steep them in water again to let your plants have a drink. If you grow your own chamomile, you can use fresh flowers to make the tea, which is a great way to use the plant if you have extra growing.
Fight fungi with chamomile
It may seem strange to water your plants with something other than plain water, but herbal tea without additives like sugar is perfectly safe. It can work to keep your plants safe and healthy by stopping the spread of fungal diseases. A 2024 article published in the Journal of Fungi notes that chamomile contains elemental sulfur, which is naturally antifungal and can kill fungi spores. The journal article also mentions that chamomile tea was successfully used to treat seedlings plagued by the fungus known as damping-off.
Chamomile is also known to have antiviral and antibacterial properties, according to Mount Sinai. While most studies available online refer to using chamomile to stop the spread of fungal diseases, it may also slow down viral and bacterial diseases. While this still needs to be studied, trying it on your plants at home wouldn’t hurt. Chamomile tea isn’t a cure-all for your plants, but it can stop the spread of fungus by inhibiting its growth.
Share tea time with your plants
Making chamomile tea for your plants isn’t very different from making it for yourself. Take 2 tablespoons of fresh chamomile flowers or 1 tablespoon of dried flowers and put it in a tea infuser. Add almost boiling water and steep for about five minutes. Remove the tea infuser and allow the water to cool completely before watering your plants. Boiling water kills plants, so it’s important to let the water cool down so that you don’t accidentally harm your plants. You can modify this recipe for larger portions. Since you’re not drinking it, the amount of flowers you use won’t matter too much. You could even add a cup or two of German chamomile flowers to a one-gallon jug and let it steep in room temperature water for a day, then strain out the flowers — and now you’ve got plenty of tea for your plants.
Water your plants according to their usual schedule, but use tea instead of water. Water the soil well to ensure you cover every spore. If any spores aren’t watered, they can continue spreading. However, don’t overwater your plants in hopes of getting rid of the disease -– fungi thrive in moist conditions, after all.
