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Banana peel garden


Four ways banana peels can help your plants

We all know overripe bananas can be peeled, cut, and frozen in a zip-lock bag or airtight container and used later in baking or smoothies, but did you know banana peels can help your plants?

Prepare to level up your waste warrior and plant-parent status with these simple ideas that will save you money and reduce waste to landfill.

What's so good about banana peel?

Banana peels contain:

Basically, banana peels are full of nutrients your indoor plants and garden will love.

Ways to use banana peels in your garden

Don't waste banana peels by throwing them in the bin. Try out these ideas.

1. Homemade liquid fertiliser and non-toxic pest repellent

Start by cutting your banana peels into small pieces and putting them in a bucket or container and covering them with water. Leave them for two to three days. Stir occasionally. 

Strain and use the liquid to water your plants. You can also add the liquid to a spray bottle and spray it onto the leaves and branches of your plants to help deter aphids.

Take this mixture a step further by adding crushed eggshells and a spoonful of Epsom salts.

Make this a zero waste recipe by adding your strained peels to your worm farm, bokashi, or compost bin, or simply bury them in the soil of your garden or potted plants.

2. Homemade slow-release fertiliser

Chop your banana peels into pieces and lay them on a tray to dry them in the sun or in a low oven (with the door slightly open).

You can use them as dried banana skin chips, or grind or blitz them into a powder. Bury your powder or chips in pot plants or garden soil, or mix into your potting mix to improve your soil's nutritional value.

Epiphytes such as staghorn, orchids, bromeliads, and bird's nest ferns will especially love this slow-release fertiliser added every few months.

3. Use them as mulch

Mulch helps improve the quality of your soil and the health of your garden by suppressing weeds, providing a home for plant-friendly insects and microorganisms, as well as helping retain moisture by up to 70% more than un-mulched soil.

Banana peels can be placed directly onto pot plant soil, or around the base of your garden as mulch. As they decompose, they will release nutrients into the soil to feed plants.

If using banana peels in your garden, place a single layer straight on top of the soil, being sure not to let them touch the plant stem. Cover the peels with a standard mulch, such as sugar cane mulch, to prevent attracting fruit flies.

4. When in doubt, compost, compost, compost!

Banana peels are a great ingredient for your compost or worm farm, adding lots of nutrients to the organic recycling process.

Council is making purchasing your organic recycling system easier with our compost rebate program. The program provides eligible Brisbane residents with a rebate of up to $70 off the purchase of eligible composting equipment. Whether you live in a house or apartment, and whether you're a home owner or renter, there's a composting system to suit your needs.

Council has also partnered with a number community gardens around Brisbane to help residents who are unable to compost at home, recycle their kitchen scraps. Our Community Composting Hub program encourages residents living near a hub to regularly contribute their kitchen scraps to community garden compost bins.

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Watch our video below or watch it on Council's YouTube channel.

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10 Ways To Use Banana Peels In Your Garden As Fertilizer

Table of Contents (Quickly Jump To Information)

If you have kids, you likely have a lot of banana peels floating around. Trashing them seems like kind of a waste so why not recycle them instead – in your garden.

Did you know banana peels make one of the best fertilizers out there? I didn’t until I started researching it.

Turns out, banana peels are a rich source of nutrients your plants crave: Potassium, phosphorus, and calcium, along with a host of other minerals your plants need.

Here’s the deal:

Using them in your garden is a snap – and since it’s free fertilizer, adding them to your garden is a no-brainer. (Before adding peels to your garden, however, be sure to remove those stickers.)

So before you toss that peel: Here’s 10 ways you can add banana peels to your garden, and keep it as natural as possible.

1. Banana Peel Tea

Like compost tea, this fertilizer uses nutrients leeched from banana peels to give your plants a mineral boost. To make it, fill a mason jar with water, and add a banana peel. Let it sit for 48 hours.

After 2 days, discard the peel (using one of the other methods in this article, hopefully!), leaving the water in your mason jar. Water your plants as usual with your banana tea.

2. Chop the peels, then add to your garden’s soil directly

If you made the banana peel tea above, you’ll have leftovers to use up. Consider adding them to your garden directly.

Here’s one way to do it: To do so, chop your banana peels into 1/4 inch pieces – by chopping them, you kick start the composting process, and release some of the beneficial vitamins and minerals in the peels.

Bury them anywhere from 4 inches down to just beneath the surface of the soil. If you choose to bury them inches below the soil, do so before you plant your vegetables at that location, or where you aren’t in danger of hitting your plants’ roots. As the peels decompose, all the valuable vitamins in the peels will reach the roots, giving you plants a nutrient bump that will make them happy.

3. Toss leftover banana peels into a compost pile

If you want to feed your red wigglers and indirectly use banana peels in the garden, toss your leftover peels in your compost pile. It’s not the most inventive way to use the peels, but it’s a valuable method, nonetheless. Over time the peels will decompose and turn into rich compost.

When preparing your beds for planting, or when your plants begin to flower, side dress with the compost to aid in fruit and vegetable development – your plants will love the extra nutrients.

4. Dry the peels, then grind them into a fertilizer

Similar to the spray version, you can dry your banana peels and grind them into a fertilizer.  If you only have a few peels to use up, but want to use them effectively on many plants, this is a great option.

Here’s the deal: Dry your banana peels using the method I go into at the end of this article. Once dry, grind the peels in a coffee or spice grinder. Add to your garden soil directly, either by sprinkling as a side dressing or gently incorporating into the dirt, making sure to avoid your plants’ roots.

5. Add the whole peel to your garden

A very straight forward way to use banana peels in the garden is to add the whole peel to the soil when planting. The seeds will get a nutrient kick at the start of their lives, which will translate into healthier plants and a better harvest.

Here’s how to do it: When you plant your seeds, dig a trench a couple inches deep. Lay the peels flat in the trench, and add your seeds on top. Fill the trench in when you’re done laying the peels and the seeds. As the seeds germinate, form roots, and continue to grow, the peels will decompose, creating a rich fertilizer.

6. Create a banana peel spray

A step-up from banana peel tea, this spray is a fertilizer that also uses eggshells for a calcium boost and Epsom salt for magnesium. If your plants are established, and you just want to give them a nutrient boost, try making a fertilizer spray. Why? Because you can hit many plants at once without needing a ton of banana peels (and without having to chop them all up).

Here’s how to make it: To create the fertilizer spray, you’ll need banana peels, egg shells, Epsom salt, and water. Dry the banana peels (see tutorial at the end of this article for how) and egg shells, then once they’re dry, grind them together. Add the peels and shells to a spray bottle, along with the Epsom salt, and fill the sprayer to the top. Spray on your plants as needed. Get the full recipe to make fertilizer from banana peels here!

7. Create an insect trap

You can create a simple insect trap with banana peels and apple cider vinegar.

Image from OregonState.edu

If flies are a problem, and you’re looking for a non-toxic solution that’s pet friendly, creating this trap might be for you. It’s also a great way to reuse a disposable plastic container and keep it out of the landfills.

Here’s how to do it: To make an insect trap using banana peels, combine small pieces of the peels with the vinegar, and shake to mix and release the scent of the banana.

If you follow this blog at all, you’ll know I’m in love with homemade vinegar, and of course that’s what I will recommend you use in this banana peel, apple cider vinegar project. Drill holes large enough to allow bugs to get through into your plastic container, and pour your banana mixture (peels and all) into the container. Place outside in your garden to keep down the insect population (great for gnats).

The bottom line: Will this solve all your insect problems?

No. But neither do fly traps that contain chemicals and pesticides that you’re trying to keep away from your veggies.   You’ll still get bugs, but you will get less of them, and you’ll keep your garden free of harmful chemicals.

8. Keep Aphids Away

One reported use for banana peels in the garden is as an aphid deterrent. These little pests can decimate a garden before you can say “tomato sauce,” so keeping them away is important. To use banana peels to prevent aphids, place chopped peels just under the soil line. I’m not sure why, but there’s something in the peels that aphids hate.

And here’s the kicker: You’ll also be adding fertilizer to your garden, since as the peels decompose, their nutrients will unlock and release into the dirt.

9. Ferment Peels For Bigger Blooms

For bigger blooms and healthier plants, use fermented banana peels in your garden. This is particularly good for healthy roses, but any flowering plant will benefit.

How do you ferment banana peels? Put your peels in a mason jar, and cover with enough water so they’re submerged. You’ll want to put some sort of weight on the peels so they remain under the water.

Cover with cloth and rubber band or a loosely fitting top (I personally use a loosely fitting top). Let the mixture sit for a week while the good bacteria does its job and unlocks the nutrients in the peel. If you see a cloudy must, that’s ok. If you start to see black mold, you’ll have to throw it away and start again. As long as the peels are below the surface of the water, you’re probably okay. Let your nose and your judgement be your guide.

After a week, put the peels in a blender and puree (save the water for other plants). Side dress your blossoming plants with the puree, being sure to incorporate it into the soil gently so it doesn’t attract unwanted critters like squirrels and raccoons. If they’re a particular concern, dilute the puree in water to help it distribute into the ground better.

10. Create banana peel vinegar (for acidic soil-loving plants)

If you’re looking to give your blueberries a nutritional boost, create some banana vinegar for them – it will give them the acidic soil they crave while unlocking the nutrients in the bananas for a healthier plant.

To create banana vinegar, follow the steps above to ferment the peels.
After a week, remove the peels, and allow the water to sit, covered, until the mixture ferments into a vinegar. This can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks, depending on conditions such as temperature.

Let your nose tell you when it’s turned to vinegar – it will have that unmistakable vinegar scent. If the mixture seems especially potent (you’ll know by the scent), dilute it with water right before using so you don’t accidentally burn your plants.

Bonus: How to Dry Banana Peels

You can either dry peels whole, or cut them into strips (1/8″ – 1/4″) and place them so they’re not touching on a cookie sheet. For both methods, dry them at 140 degrees, leaving the oven door open 1-2 inches, until they’re dried through.

Maat van Uitert

Maat van Uitert is a backyard chicken and sustainable living expert. She is also the author of Chickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock, which was a best seller in it’s Amazon category.   Maat has been featured on NBC, CBS, AOL Finance, Community Chickens, the Huffington Post, Chickens magazine, Backyard Poultry, and Countryside Magazine. She lives on her farm in Southeast Missouri with her husband, two children, and about a million chickens and ducks. You can follow Maat on Facebook here and Instagram here.

Is banana peel useful in the garden? Photo - Botanichka

On the Internet you can find many articles about the miraculous power of a banana peel. For example, it is recommended to add it to the planting holes when planting roses for lush flowering. Many gardeners soak the peel in water to make a "tea" out of it and use it as fertilizer for houseplants. Some recommend drying the peel, then grinding it into a powder and using it for top dressing. But is there any scientific basis for such advice? Let's take a closer look. nine0003 Is banana peel useful in the garden?

Let's say you just finished eating a banana and you still have the peel. Can you use it to give your houseplants and garden plants extra nutrients? On the Internet, there are a lot of sources of unproven information about this. And, unfortunately, most of the myths about growing plants are not supported by science. It's hard not to notice the hype around the banana peel and its almost miraculous properties in plant growing. But relying on banana peels as the best plant food is not the best choice. nine0003

Banana peels are high in phosphorus and potassium, and have no nitrogen at all.

This idea probably came from people hearing that bananas are high in potassium. But in reality this is not entirely true. Bananas do have more potassium than some other foods. For example, if you compare bananas to cereals and meats, then bananas definitely win. However, all fruits and vegetables contain more potassium. So there is nothing special about bananas. Tomatoes, potatoes and beets also contain potassium, and often there is more of it than in the well-known banana. By the way, many other plant residues contain more potassium and magnesium than bananas. These include trimmings from avocados, potatoes, pumpkins or melons. nine0009

It is also often mentioned that the content of macronutrients in the banana peel is as follows: 0% nitrogen - 25% phosphorus - 42% potassium. Is it so? First, no one will argue that the banana peel is part of the plant.

A plant needs protein to function (this is a feature of all living organisms), and protein contains nitrogen. Therefore, zero indicators for nitrogen are an unrealistic thing. No living organism, including the entire plant world, has zero nitrogen values. nine0003

In our country, most likely, the banana peel was not studied for the presence of nutrients, but in the West these studies were carried out. Research shows that banana peels contain 0.6% nitrogen, 11.5% potassium, and 0.4% phosphate. These data are valid for dry peel. In the raw peel, these same indicators are even less. For comparison, cattle manure contains NPK (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) in a ratio of approximately 1-1-1.

Yes. Banana peels do contain minerals, especially potassium, and once decomposed, they can be used to fertilize plants. However, many garden soils lack nitrogen, and magnesium and potassium are quite sufficient there. After all, plants are designed in such a way that they will absorb minerals only if they need them, and not for the future. Therefore, adding more minerals to well-fertilized soil will not improve plant growth at all. nine0003

So if you "feed" your plants only with banana peels, they would most likely have serious problems.

Is "banana peel tea" good for you?

Some gardeners say that banana peels should be soaked in water. To do this, it is recommended to either use boiling water, or simply leave the skins for several days, soaked in water in the sun, and then water the plants with tincture. However, during the preparation of "banana peel tea" there is not complete, but limited decomposition, which means that most of the nutrients contained there remain in the peel and will not pass into the water. nine0003

Potassium leaches out of organic matter faster as it is not chemically bound and banana peels have higher levels of potassium, so "tea" may not provide much and the infusion will be too low. In addition, we should not forget about fruit flies and mushroom gnats, which will really like such a tasty delicacy if you feed your house flowers with “banana tea”. If you've ever made banana peel tea, you'll notice that it has a sweet, putrid smell. Soil watered with this tincture will continue to smell attractive to soil pests and become a breeding ground for the aforementioned fungus gnats and fruit flies. nine0003

Batch-to-batch variability is often seen in the making of banana peel tea. Some composted banana teas appear to contain higher numbers of beneficial microbes that compete for space on the leaves and fruit, depriving pathogens of a place to colonize. Others, however, contain antimicrobial chemical compounds that are formed as a result of decomposition and inhibit the growth and development of pathogens. Still others may contain them in small quantities. However, when making banana peel tea at home, it is very difficult to predict how the infusion will turn out this time and whether it will have a positive effect on plants. nine0003

Save yourself a lot of work and time. And just put the banana peels in the compost heap, because the use of "banana peel teas" for top dressing has absolutely no scientific justification.

Is Banana Peel Tea Healthy?

Banana peel when planting roses

A very common tip that is circulating on the Internet: before planting roses, put a few banana skins in the planting hole. Sometimes they are also advised to cut into small pieces for greater efficiency. This idea probably also came from the fact that people have already heard that bananas are high in potassium, and potassium supposedly stimulates roots (in fact, phosphorus stimulates rooting more). nine0003

The harsh reality is that when a banana peel is composted, it turns into a black pulp, which is not good for young, tender roots. Rather, planting a banana peel in the bottom of the planting hole to feed the plant will do the plant more harm than good. As the peel decomposes, an air pocket remains at the bottom of the pit, which no longer contributes to good rooting. Then the soil will most likely settle, and the bush will be too deep, which is also not good for the plant. nine0003

Bury banana peels under plants

In addition to adding banana peels to the planting hole, gardeners often recommend digging up the soil around roses and other plants and adding banana peels to the soil. However, we should not forget that the roots of roses and many other crops grow in the upper layers of the soil and digging around the base of the bushes is not always a good idea. In addition to the risk of damage to the roots, a banana peel is guaranteed to attract ants, which are known to spread numerous aphids. nine0003

Banana peels decompose very slowly, so even if the nutrients are beneficial, they certainly won't be there anytime soon, and the plant may need nutrition now.

As discussed above, banana peels are relatively high in potassium compared to nitrogen and phosphorus. This is not an ideal ratio for plants. And to compensate, some people add eggshells to the soil. But eggshells do not decompose in most types of soil, so this will not solve the problem of soil enrichment. Also, as the banana peel decomposes, it absorbs valuable nitrogen from the soil, depriving your plants of food. nine0003 Bury banana peels under plants

Conclusions:

There is nothing wrong with using banana peels in the garden, as long as you understand that it is just organic matter. All organic matter is good for soil and plants, and all provide a source of carbon and nutrients as they decompose. However, banana peels are not a "mega-organic" substance or a "superfood" for plants. Banana peels are a good source of "natural" fertilizer along with any organic waste, and are best composted instead of thrown in the trash anyway. nine0003

Academic sources and professional gardeners generally consider the practice of using banana peels in the garden to be pointless at best, and recommend the use of well-balanced fertilizers for optimal plant health.

If you want a guaranteed benefit, banana peels are best used in a compost bin with organic waste mix. Each of which, with their own strengths and weaknesses, comes together to create a truly great garden product: compost. Never forget that there are no superstars in the compost heap. Good compost requires many different ingredients. nine0003

Banana skin fertilizer: 15 unusual uses

Banana skins can do wonders for our gardens. Dried, powdered, fresh or infused, they work as organic fertilizer, foliar food, pollinator attraction, and that's not all they can do.

Here are 15 unusual ways to use banana peels in the garden that you didn't even know existed. nine0003

Benefits of banana skins

Bananas provide the human body with potassium and phosphorus. Banana skins do the same for our plants. They decompose very quickly in the soil, so the simplest fertilizer is prepared easily and naturally: the skins are cut into pieces and buried under tomatoes, peppers, roses and all other vegetable and ornamental crops.

Natural organic banana peel fertilizer contains the following elements:

How to use banana peels in the garden

Method 1. Dry banana peel fertilizer

Dried banana peels make an even more valuable fertilizer than fresh ones. When dried, the content of potassium in the peel increases. Therefore, many summer residents dry the peel in the sun or in a special dryer for vegetables, and then grind the skins into powder using a coffee grinder. nine0003

The resulting fertilizer can be used for all crops, but it is especially good to add it to the soil for seedlings of plants such as tomatoes, peppers or eggplants.

For tomatoes, banana skins can generally be the number one fertilizer. They are able to replace all top dressings with mineral salts. So if you do not favor industrial fertilizers, from planting seedlings to harvest, feed tomatoes with bananas.

Method 2 Banana Peel Compost Tea

We have already talked about the beneficial properties of compost tea in one of our previous articles. Banana skin tea is just as good: it will enrich our vegetable and flower beds with minerals and nutrients that will ensure intensive plant growth.

And this fertilizer is very easy to prepare. It is enough to forget a few banana skins in a bucket of water for 4-5 days, and the job is done.

Method 3 Composting banana skins

The easiest way to use banana skins in your garden is to add them to your compost. The banana peel decomposes very quickly, thereby starting the process in the entire compost heap. You can compost the skins whole or crushed or left over from the preparation of other types of fertilizers. nine0003

The addition of banana peels increases the potassium and phosphorus content of the finished compost.

Method 4: Banana peel in pest traps

The sweet smell of banana attracts flies and other flying insects, so the peel is often used in traps.

A simple fly trap you can make with your kids: Pour some apple cider vinegar into a jar and add 2-3 pieces of banana skin. From a sheet of paper we fold the bag and lower it into a jar so that the narrow end is on the border with vinegar. Tape the top of the jar tightly with tape. A fly that has arrived at the smell of banana and vinegar falls into a paper bag, and then into a liquid, from where it can no longer get out. nine0003

Method 5. Banana skins as a flowering stimulator

As is known, potassium is required in particular for plants to prepare for the budding and flowering phase. And there is a lot of potassium in banana skins! So if you want a lush and long flowering of your flower bed, we recommend top dressing with mashed or fermented banana skins (detailed recipe - HERE).

Method 6. Banana peel for organic gardening

Banana skins are also useful when arranging warm beds. The crushed banana peel attracts worms and beneficial microorganisms, which in a close community improve soil structure and increase its fertility. Banana skins are recommended to lay in the lower layers of the beds.

Method 7 Banana Skin Liquid Fertilizer

Banana skins are used to make an excellent organic foliar food for the whole garden. Spraying this nutrient solution on the leaves is effective even in adverse weather conditions when the roots slow down. nine0003

And when the weather conditions allow, you can water the plants under the roots with the same top dressing, as usual. A detailed recipe for liquid top dressing from bananas is HERE.

Method 8: Planting seeds with banana skins

When planting seeds in open ground or in a greenhouse, you can immediately provide them with a decent supply of nutrients for rapid growth. To do this, the seeds are planted along with banana skins. In the prepared groove or hole, banana skins are first laid out with the inside up, and seeds are already on them. From above, the seeds are covered with loose soil and watered. nine0003

After the seed germinates and the first roots appear, the seedlings will not need to be fed - they will have enough nutrition from the decaying banana skin.

Method 9. Dried banana peel as an animal food additive

If you breed animals, you can safely add dried banana skins to their feed. They are sweet in taste and very popular with chickens and pigs. All trace elements from the banana peel will be beneficial for health and, in particular, for the reproductive function of animals. nine0003

Method 10. Banana skins for feeding earthworms

Do you have a worm farm? If yes, then don't miss the opportunity to feed your pets with crushed banana peels. But even if you do not specifically breed worms, bury the skins in the soil, the worms will definitely come for a banana snack, enriching the soil with humus along the way and improving its permeability.

Method 11 Attract pollinators with banana skins

Butterflies, birds, wasps and bees will also complain about the sweet smell, they will not stand aside. Especially to attract bees, gardeners make special elevations above the beds, where they lay out the peel of bananas (it is possible along with the contents) and other sweet fruits. In sweet baits, holes are even made to enhance their properties.

There is also a downside: how not to lure unnecessary butterflies and caterpillars to the "yummy"! Therefore, at night all the "fruit plates" are removed, and they are usually placed on the beds with those vegetables that the caterpillars do not favor. nine0003

Method 12. Banana skin vinegar for top dressing

Some plants in our gardens (eg azaleas, rhododendrons, gardenias and blueberries) like "sour". Therefore, from time to time the soil around them can be sprayed with vinegar from banana skins. A small amount of banana vinegar increases the acidity and iron content of the soil, and this, in turn, allows "acid-loving" crops to grow and develop well.

Banana peel vinegar is prepared as follows: eight glasses of water are needed per kilogram of banana peels. All this is placed in any suitable container, covered with a lid and fermented for seven days in a warm place. You can add 1.5 cups of sugar and a little yeast to the skins, you can splash apple cider vinegar. After a week of fermentation, the liquid is filtered and left for another six weeks to form vinegar. nine0003

Banana vinegar can be thinned slightly with water to spray the plants themselves.

Method 13: Banana peel for pest control

It is said that aphids do not like banana skins. To test this hypothesis, fresh banana skins can be hung on the affected plants, and dry peel or fresh cut into pieces can be buried to a depth of 2.5-5 centimeters around the plant.

Aphids cannot stand the smell of bananas and soon disappear. At least, gardeners have such a theory. nine0003

Method 14. Banana skins for insect bites

The inside of a banana skin is rubbed with a mosquito bite to get rid of itching.

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