I’ve heard tea is good for orchids. What about chai?

[Mercurianmad]

Hi there. I’ve heard the tannins in black tea are good for stimulating root growth in dehydrated orchids. I only have black chai blends which also contain nutmeg, cardamom, clove and cinnamon, along with black tea. The tea would be mixed with one gallon weak fertilizer water until it just colors the water. Do you think these other spices would be harmful to the orchid water?

[Tango]

Hi there. Many of the aromatic compounds in spices are known to have allelopathic activity, so I would avoid to pour them on my plants.
Good luck,
Tango.

[Mercurianmad]

Got it! I will just have to buy some plain old Lipton tea then. Thank you!

[Ray]

I think the “tea as a root growth stimulant” is overstated, or possibly a misinterpretation of observation.

Just a guess on my part, but papers I read a while ago stated that tannins are more like antibiotics or disinfectants, so I suppose they might suppress growth-hindering pathogens.

If you want a truly effective, natural stimulant, consider this.

[Mercurianmad]

Oh trust me ray, there is nothing better for my orchids then kelpmax😊 I have them in some kelpmax solution right now actually!

[thefish1337]

Camellia sinensis aka tea contains a plant growth promoting substance, triacontanol, and is an organic source of nitrogen. Other notable plants containing triacontanol are alfalfa.

Free and bound triacontanol in tea leaves

I'd think that different varieties of teas might be interesting to try out (japanese green, chinese green, oxidized teas like black and oolong) but chai is just black tea with some different spices added. The chance for a negative reaction is increased.

I've experimented quite a bit with triacontanol. I ended up stopping because my solutions were not stable and were annoying to constantly make large volumes (active concentration is low). The benefits of triacontanol are well documented, and they allow plants to store more energy from photosynthesis. Triacontanol is the 'secret' ingredient in many cannabis additives. It's also used by rose growers to increase basal breaks in roses.

[Leafmite]

I doubt the small amounts of spices, watered down, will cause any harm. It probably depends on how often you plan to use tea and at what concentration. I often have put tea leaves in my plants and, last year, even put used tea bags on top of the orchids...no ill effects. Mostly, it is green tea, rarely, black tea...always flavored.

I actually grow Camellia sinensis as it is a rather pretty houseplant with its glossy leaves and, once a year, white flowers, then red berries.