Our Houseplants Might Be Getting a Proper Mancunian Makeover (And We Need Your Two Pence Worth)

Let’s be honest – keeping a houseplant alive in Manchester is already a small miracle. Between the lack of natural light in our lovely Victorian terraces, the radiators that seem to have two settings (‘off’ and ‘surface of the sun’), and our famously, erm, moist climate, it’s a wonder any of us have anything more than a plastic cactus surviving on the windowsill.

But here’s the thing: we’ve been having a bit of a chinwag with our mates at Egino Emerging up in Wales, and they’ve got us thinking. They’ve been making this dead clever worm casting compost tea – basically a superfood smoothie for your spider plants and peace lilies. You just add water, give it a swirl, and suddenly your sad little fern that’s been hanging on since lockdown looks like it’s been hitting the gym.

Would you buy Mancunian plant food that looked like this?

Now, we’re not saying we’re getting ideas, but… we might be getting ideas.

See, here at Brewcycle, we’ve got what you might call a surplus of worm poo. Turns out, when you feed coffee grounds and spent grain to a few thousand very happy worms, they produce fertilizer that’s absolutely belting. We’re talking nitrogen-rich, packed with microorganisms, and completely free from the weird chemicals that make commercial plant food smell like a science lab exploded. Our community garden soil absolutely loves the stuff... the carrots are basically writing us thank-you letters.

But here’s where it gets proper exciting. While we’ve been busy using this black gold to grow veg for foodbanks, we’ve noticed something: loads of Mancunians live in flats. Lovely flats, mind you, but flats without gardens. What they do have, however, is a windowsill full of houseplants that are probably crying out for a decent feed. And what they don’t have is a handy alternative to those fluorescent blue chemical fertilizers that promise the world but smell like regret.

So we’re thinking… what if we bottled up some of this worm casting magic? Not literally bottled ... we’re thinking more DIY kit, like our mates at Egino Emerging do. A little pouch of pure Mancunian worm castings, lovingly produced from coffee grounds that once fuelled someone’s rant about house prices in Chorlton, mixed with spent grain from a local brewery where someone else was drowning their sorrows about City’s latest performance. Add water, steep for a bit, and you’ve got yourself a plant food that’s:

- Completely organic (obviously)

- Impossible to overfeed your plants (we’ve tried – plants just love the stuff!)

- Safe for pets (though we can’t promise your cat won’t knock over the watering can anyway)

- Proper good for both indoor and outdoor plants

- Supporting a proper cause – helping people rebuilding their lives after facing barriers to employment via green projects that improve our community

It’s the same circular economy story we’re always banging on about, just… smaller. More windowsill-sized. Instead of feeding our community garden, we’d be feeding your monstera deliciosa, which let’s be honest, is probably more popular than we are on Instagram anyway (are we even on Instagram?)

The beauty of partnering with the Egino Emerging lot is that they’ve already cracked the recipe ... they’re the experts in making worm tea that doesn’t end up looking like something you’d find in the Ship Canal. We’d just be bringing that same idea to Manchester, using our local waste stream, our local worms, and our local… well, enthusiasm. We’d basically be the Northern affiliate, if you will. The slightly more weather-beaten, stoic cousin who says “it’ll be reet” a lot.

Look, we’re not going to lie – we’re still working out the details. How do we package it without creating more plastic waste? How do we price it so it’s accessible but still supports our Brewcyclers? Do we call it ‘Mancunian Mud Tea’ and risk sounding like we’re selling something you’d find at a festival? These are the questions keeping us up at night (that, and wondering if we locked the worm bin again).

But we reckon it could be a belter of an idea. For those of you without gardens who still want to be part of this sustainable food revolution we’re brewing. For your houseplants that deserve better than chemical nonsense. For our project, which could do with a steady income stream that doesn’t involve us trying to flog mushrooms to people who’d rather just have a cuppa.

So, what do you reckon? Is this something that might tickle your fancy? We’re not asking you to sign up to anything, promise your firstborn, or even commit to buying a single pouch. We’re just genuinely curious – would you fancy feeding your houseplants with some proper Mancunian worm power? Drop us a message, shout at us on social media, or just corner one of us at the community garden and have a proper chat.

After all, the best ideas round here usually start with someone saying “I’ve had a thought…” and everyone else going “oh ‘ere we go…”

But this one? This one might just be reet.