Banana peel water fertilizer for plants
Please Don’t Make Banana Peel Compost Tea Fertilizer For Houseplants – Honestly Modern
Jump to How-ToAlways on the hunt to reduce food waste, I saw a bunch of people share about banana peel compost tea (or liquid fertilizer) on social media. Intrigued by this little food waste reduction experiment, I tried it, and I will never do it again. Read on for more about my disappointing experience with this trendy soil amendment and why I think there are so many better alternatives.
A few months ago, we bought this Vitamix blender and have been eating lots of smoothies for breakfast. This mango and banana green smoothie is my favorite, and I make some version of it nearly every morning. As a result, we have an excessive number of banana peels piling up in our compost bucket.
I know they will go to good use in my compost pile, but I have a growing collection of indoor houseplants that I wanted to feed too. Enter banana peel compost tea fertilizer (a liquid soil amendment). If banana peels make a compost bin happy, surely they would make soil happy, right?
Nope! Stop right there. Please skip the banana peel compost tea fertilizer (at least the simplified version that’s popular on social media). Let me explain.
Banana Peel Compost Tea Experiment Planning
A couple of months ago, with plenty of banana peels at my disposal, I decided to try making banana peel tea fertilizer for some of the plants in my house. It was popular on social media, after all, so why not try it? (Note to self: social media popularity alone is not a good reason to try something new…)
I’m a houseplant newbie. I dove headfirst into houseplant territory just about a year ago with my Succulent Studios subscription and have been steadily adding to my indoor garden. But I’m far from an expert on the deep science of soil, so a bit of due diligence was in order.
I did a little research to ensure I would not burn the roots of my plants or cause other damage with my banana peel fertilizer experiment.
Admittedly, I didn’t dig that deep into the archives of the internet, but I didn’t see any immediate red flags. Planning complete.
What did I have to lose besides a couple of small houseplants that became my experimental ground?
How To Make Banana Compost Tea Fertilizer
After cutting up a few brown bananas to put in the freezer for smoothies, I chopped up the peels and shoved them into repurposed glass jars. I have (probably) too many repurposed glass jars, so I made a few batches of this supposedly miraculous liquid fertilizer and perfected my patience.
The trendy banana peel compost tea fertilizer is a cinch to make (which is probably why it’s so popular on social media). The bright yellow peels pop on a pretty Instagram feed too! It all just makes social media sense. I’ve included the simple recipe at the bottom of the post, but it goes like this:
Ingredients + Materials
- 3-4 banana peels
- Quart-sized jar – we use repurposed pasta jars
- Water – to fill the jar
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add chopped banana peels to the jar.
- Fill the jar to the top with water, enough to cover the banana peels.
- Close the jar and allow it to rest for a few days or a week.
- Remove the peels and water plants with the banana peel tea fertilizer.
- Watch magic happen!
Because I got carried away with life, I let it sit for a couple of weeks in the jar. Then I watered a few of my houseplants with the fancy water and waited.
Update: Since initially posting this, I’ve received several (mostly well-intentioned) emails suggesting the recipe is incomplete. Specifically, readers have recommended using aeration tools and/or straining the compost tea to prevent any fruit chunks from ending up in the soil.
If you choose to make banana peel compost tea, I assume these additional steps would create a better final product. That being said, I’m still not sold this is the best way to fertilize plants (which I explain in more detail below).
Furthermore, I used the recipe above to test the common, simplified version I’ve been seeing on social media.
I included the recipe so you can see what didn’t work, and then decide for yourself if another banana peel compost tea recipe might be better.
In my opinion, as a regular ol’ lady on the Internet, this simplified version doesn’t seem to work. But telling you my recipe didn’t work without actually sharing what I did doesn’t seem particularly useful. So… recipe details are included.
Banana Peel Compost Tea Epic Fail
Things started to get murky pretty quickly.
As soon as I opened the jars, I didn’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling about the banana peel tea fertilizer. It smelled suspiciously sweet (like it would attract bugs), and the whole process was kind of messy.
Immediately, I noticed stains on several of the leaves of my plants. While the stains appear to be permanent, they don’t seem to have caused harm. But who wants to stain their beautiful plants when they water them?
Also, the soil continued to smell like a combination of sweet and somewhat rotting banana peels for many days after watering it.
This made me nervous about the lasting effects.
Within just a few days, the real problem began. I started noticing little gnats flying around the soil. I’ve had several plants in my home for over a year. I’ve had no persistent issues with bugs in my home… until this banana compost tea situation.
Hindsight is 20/20, but I soon realized that I forgot to research other potential side effects. I started to dig a little deeper into the science behind why banana compost tea might work or not work and found some opinions about its lack of efficacy that were quite compelling.
I threw out the remaining banana peel compost tea and continued watering the plants at regular intervals with tap water. Over the course of a couple of months, however, the fungus gnat problem grew, and they began spreading through the rest of our house.
Little gnats flew into our faces while on Zoom conference calls. They buzzed in our ears as we fell asleep at night. They even showed up in our bathroom, and are flying in my face as I write this post.
It’s gross! And now I don’t know how to get rid of them.
After some further research, I’ve come to believe that the sweet remnants of rotting bananas with which I watered the soil attracted the fungus gnats and became food for their families. They continue to lay eggs in the soil, and I’ve got quite the project ahead of me to stop the reproduction cycle to get these guys out of my house!
Update: We eventually resolved our fungus gnat issue. First, I watered the plants as infrequently as possible (without killing them) to limit the moisture in the soil that attracted the gnats. I also sprinkled food-grade Diatomaceous Earth on the soil of each plant to help get rid of fungus gnats. Many readers recommended it, and it worked quite well.
Then, I placed these glue board traps near the plants. They caught a lot of fungus gnats to slow the reproduction cycle. Be careful with these traps. They are incredibly sticky, as you can imagine, so keep them away from children and other small animals.
Why Would Banana Compost Tea Fertilizer Even Work?
In retrospect, and after doing quite a bit more research, I applied my knowledge of composting to this experiment. I’m not a scientist or compost expert, so I’m not purporting to have all the definitive answers on banana peel compost tea. I’ve never done any replicable or peer-reviewed research on which to base formal conclusions about the efficacy of banana peel compost tea.
But the more I think about how it might work and why it might work, the more I think it’s relatively useless. I think banana peel compost is only popular because it looks pretty on Pinterest and Instagram.
P.S. Banana peel compost tea is trending on Pinterest this year, so banana-fanatics beware.
Additionally, I followed up my experience by reading the book Compost Teas For The Organic Grower by Eric Fisher. Despite going into great detail about many types of compost teas, different aeration systems and recipes, and a whole lot more information about why various types of compost tea are best for certain gardening situations, the author never mentions banana peel compost tea.
In fact, he doesn’t even mention bananas in the book as far as I recall. If banana peel compost tea is so great, wouldn’t it have been in a book like this?
How Does Banana Peel Tea Fertilizer Help Plants Thrive If It Even Works?
The lore goes that bananas are good for plants because they provide a lot of potassium, and potassium is an essential element for plant growth. Potassium helps plants grow strong roots, use water effectively, and resist drought. It also enhances fruits and vegetables, so it can be particularly helpful for growing edible gardens and food crops.
If soluble potassium (or potassium that plants can access through water) is deficient in soil, plants may experience stunted growth or other symptomatic issues that cause plants to be weak and more vulnerable to unfavorable conditions.
Did you know that potassium is a mobile nutrient, meaning a plant can reallocate potassium throughout itself? As a result, older (lower) leaves on a plant tend to show signs of potassium deficiency before the younger (higher) leaves because the plant sends what little potassium it has to the younger, developing leaves.
Isn’t this a neat function of how plants look out for themselves and their future health? I digress…
To the extent potassium from the peels decomposes in the jar and becomes water-soluble, it only makes sense that plants that love potassium would love banana peel soil amendments. Right? Even humans eat bananas for their potassium. All plants need some level of potassium, and it helps plants more effectively absorb other nutrients in the soil as well.
But there are a few key points where the logic breaks down (unlike the banana peels in my airtight jar of water).
- Plants don’t eat bananas; plants absorb nutrients from the soil.
- Plants need more nutrients than just potassium; they want a balanced diet.
- Bananas aren’t the best source of potassium, so why do they reign supreme on the potassium pedestal?
Let’s address each one individually.
Plants Don’t Eat Bananas
Unlike humans, plants don’t eat bananas. Plants absorb nutrients from the soil and can only do so after complex nutrients are broken down by microbes and fungi into a form that is available to plants.
In order for plants to benefit from a potassium boost from banana peel tea fertilizer, the peel needs to breakdown such that the potassium becomes soluble in the water. If not, the potassium will remain in the banana peel that you end up removing from the jar and tossing into the compost pile.
In ideal conditions in a compost bin flush with oxygen, water, nitrogen, and carbon, we can speed up nature’s natural decomposition process. But the process to break down organic matter still takes at least a couple of weeks, and this is a best-case scenario.
We know from composting at home, that finished compost (that is ready to feed plants) takes months to decompose without sufficient air and active management. Why then would banana peels break down with abandon in an enclosed glass jar of water on my counter at room temperature in a few days into something suitable for plant absorption?
In other words, my rational (though admittedly not professorial-level) science brain doesn’t believe any sort of suitable decomposition happens in two days to a week… or even two weeks if we’re being generous.
Thus, that smelly solution I served my plants was most likely just brown-tinted water with a spattering of rotting banana peel pieces attracting fungus gnats.
Fantastic! (Please tell me you can hear my sarcasm through the screen…)
Plants Prefer a Diverse Diet of Nutrients and Minerals
Plants need lots of different nutrients and minerals to survive and thrive. Variety is the spice of life. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are three of the main nutrients that are vital to their health and growth. However, different types of plants prefer varying levels of these (and other) nutrients in the soil.
Just for fun, let’s suppose our precarious banana peels could break down in two days to a week and create a liquid fertilizer lush with water-soluble potassium our plants will eat right up. Is banana peel compost tea fertilizer a complete nutrient solution?
Probably not. Bananas and banana peels are high in potassium, but they aren’t particularly loaded in nitrogen and all the other nutrients that plants need to grow.
If the peels aren’t high in a variety of nutrients, they won’t provide those nutrients to plants. So your plants will probably need some additional, more complete fertilizer every once in a while.
Alternative conclusion… banana fertilizer compost tea is pointless (except when it causes fungus gnat infestations in your home, and then it’s straight-up annoying)!
I’m being a little dramatic, of course, by saying that it’s pointless. Some plants need a lot of potassium and might benefit from an occasional potassium punch in addition to general fertilization. But I don’t think banana peel compost tea, at least as seen on social media, is the answer.
Better Sources of Potassium Than Bananas
Aside from the fact that I’m not even sure banana peel compost tea actually works, bananas aren’t necessarily the best source of potassium. For example, a medium-sized baked potato has twice the amount of potassium as a medium-sized banana. A half-cup of pinto beans has about as much potassium as a banana.
And papaya and prune juice can go toe-to-toe with a banana when competing over potassium levels.
Heck, why not butter up my succulent soil with baked potatoes and quench my plants’ thirst with prune juice?! Because it’s gross, and it attracts pesky bugs, just like banana peel compost tea. There’s more to life than a pile of potassium…
If Banana Peel Tea Fertilizer Doesn’t Work, What Other Organic Fertilizers Can I Use?
Compost. Compost. Compost.
I might be a tad bit biased. I’m a self-proclaimed compost nerd, after all. There are many ways to fertilize plants, including a variety of organic and natural options, but composting is queen. Compost is one of nature’s most effective methods for regenerating soil and recycling nutrients for renewed life.
We compost (in all the ways), so we use finished compost as a soil amendment in our garden and on our houseplants. Because finished compost is created from a variety of organic matter, it will naturally compromise a greater variety of nutrients for growing plants than a lone banana.
If you have finished compost, that’s always a great way to feed your soil and help your plants flourish.
So What About The Banana Peel Tea Fertilizer?
Banana peel tea fertilizer is potentially a fun way to feed your outdoor plants. If you’re really keen to try it, at least consider aerated banana peel compost tea instead of soggy, brown banana peels drowning on your counter.
However, I have yet to see any decent research that shows banana peel compost tea being any more effective than traditional compost, aerated compost teas, or even water. If you have seen such research, I’d be stoked if you could link to it or share it in the comments. I’d love to read about it.
Honestly, I’m not sure I ever want to take the risk of introducing this in my home again. I’d much rather just compost all these banana peels. There are so many ways to compost at home. Even if you have a garden and no compost system, bury the banana peels in the soil outdoors before attracting pesky insects into your home with rotting fruit.
We’re still making lots of smoothies for breakfast, so I have a pile of banana peels each week that are way too good to waste. Ours will all end up in one of our compost bins. If you’ve successfully used banana peel fertilizer, I’d love to hear about your experience. I’m curious to know two things: 1) How did you make it without attracting annoying insects into your home? and 2) How do you know it actually worked?
Drop some knowledge on me while these fungus gnats are driving me bananas!
Materials
- 3-4 banana peels
- Water - to fill the jar
Tools
- Quart-sized jar - we use repurposed pasta jars
Instructions
- Add banana peels to the jar.
- Fill the jar to the top with water, enough to cover the banana peels.
- Close the jar and allow it to rest for a few days or a week.
- Remove the peels and water plants with the banana peel tea fertilizer.
- Watch magic happen!
What to Know About Making and Using Banana Water
Bananas are one of the most popular fruits in the United States. But after eating the banana, you're left with the banana peel which, unless it is composted, it ends up in the household garbage and eventually in a landfill. Some ideas about re-purposing banana peels have surfaced and one of these ideas includes making banana water from the peels for use as a plant fertilizer. While the intention is laudable, it is a questionable gardening practice. Not only are the benefits not supported by science and research, banana water can actually harm your plants.
Here's what we've learned about banana water including why it can do more harm than good, along with some tips about composting banana peels.
What Is Banana Water?
Banana water is similar to compost tea but it comes only from one source, cut up banana peels. The peels are immersed in water and steeped for anywhere from one hour up to a few days.
Soaking time varies according to different recipe sources. Some instructions even tell you to keep a pitcher with banana water in your fridge and add more banana peels over several weeks. After the recommended amount of time, the liquid is then strained and added to plants as a fertilizer.
Suggestions include using banana water both for house plants and outdoor plants. Some instructions include aeration to prevent the peels from fermenting. But is banana water good for plants? Here is what we found out.
Is Banana Water Good for Plants?
Bananas are touted for being rich in potassium even though their potassium content is not particularly high. Other fruits and vegetables such as kiwis, acorn squash, and avocados are richer in potassium. One of the three macronutrients crucial for plant growth and reproduction, potassium (K) is also referred to as the nutrient that ensures plant quality. Potassium in plants improves resistance to drought or excess water, extreme temperature fluctuations, pests, diseases, and nematodes.
The main problem with banana water is that soaking the peels does not extract potassium to make it available to the plants. Plants can only absorb nutrients that have been broken down by microbes and fungi. Like most raw materials, banana peels should be composted because the process of decomposition is a necessary step for release of the beneficial nutrients. Water, by itself, is insufficient for releasing the potassium.
ChiccoDodiFC / Getty Images
How Banana Water Can Harm Plants
Adding banana water to your plants may actually backfire.
Most plants need a balanced fertilizer that supplies the macronutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. If you fertilize your plants with just banana water, they might get a tiny amount of potassium at best, but none of the other nutrients.
Banana water can also attract insects such as gnats and vinegar flies (fruit flies).
Also keep in mind that conventional banana farming is pesticide-intensive.
One of the insecticides widely used in production is the neurotoxicant chlorpyrifos. The peel prevents it from getting into the edible part of the banana, which is why bananas are not listed by consumer watch groups as a pesticide contaminated food. Using banana water made from peels that have absorbed pesticide means you may be introducing those contaminants into your plants, causing an undesirable result, especially when used with edible plants and herbs.
Alternative Fertilizer Choices
Instead of taking your chances with banana water, it is best to use a commercial organic fertilizer that lists exactly which nutrients you are adding to your plants. Organic fertilizers are marked with a label from the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), which makes them easy to identify.
You can also compost banana peels although they can take up to a year to break down into usable compost.
The 9 Best Fertilizers of 2022
Jenny Dettrick / Getty Images
Safely Composting Banana Peels
Adding banana peels directly to the soil as in trench composting will give the same result as using banana water.
Until the peels have completely broken down, any nutrients available will not be taken up by the soil or by any plants grown in it. This means waiting to plant until the raw materials have fully broken down. Unless you bury them deeply, you also risk attracting pests and rodents. Unless you plan to leave an area of your garden fallow for this purpose, there is no real benefit to trench composting as opposed to working a compost pile separate from your planting area.
Add your banana peels to your compost bin or pile or consider alternatives for indoor composting. Most pesticides licensed for use in the United States will also break down and be rendered harmless through composting. Keep in mind that most commercially grown bananas, however, are not grown in the United States, so composting organically grown peels is the safest bet.
Banana Peel Fertilizer for Houseplants and Flowers
Contents
- Banana Peel Fertilizer for Houseplants
- First Recipe - Dried Banana Peel
- Recipe Two - Fresh Banana Peels
- Recipe Three - Infusion Recipe banana peel
- Fourth recipe - banana peel fertilizer for spraying plants and flowers
- Five recipe - banana, citrus and sugar fertilizer
- Is banana peel fertilizer safe? But not all lovers of home flowers and owners of suburban areas are aware that banana peel fertilizer can be prepared, which is suitable for indoor plants and for plantings in summer cottages.
Banana peel fertilizer recipes for houseplants
There are many recipes for preparing fertilizer. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, as well as rules of application.
Many growers use banana peels to make fertilizer.
First recipe - dried banana peel
Wash and dry the banana peel. To do this, you can use the oven, battery or a place with direct sunlight. As soon as the peel becomes brown-black and brittle, it must be ground in a coffee grinder.
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This powder is good to use during plant transplantation, mixing it with the soil in a ratio of 1 to 10. Banana powder is also used as mulch.
Important. You need to add this fertilizer once a month.
The dried rind may not be ground. It is enough to break it finely and put it on the bottom of the pot when transplanting indoor plants. In this case, the peel will serve not only as fertilizer, but also as drainage.
Recipe two - from fresh banana skins
Fresh, thoroughly washed skins, cut into small pieces and buried in the ground. Most often, this method is used for indoor flowers. Although simple, this method also has its drawbacks. First, it is difficult to calculate the exact volume of the peel. Secondly, it becomes necessary to use nitrogen fertilizer so that the skins decompose faster without having to rot.
Fresh banana peels can be crushed and added directly to the soil.
Recipe three – banana peel infusions
The recipe for preparing the infusion in this case depends on which plants it is prepared for:
- For indoor flowers. The washed and crushed peel is placed in a liter jar, poured with ordinary water and allowed to infuse for a day. Then the infusion is filtered and the resulting liquid is diluted with water to a total volume of 1 liter.
- For greenhouse plants. Skins of 3 bananas are washed and placed in a 3-liter jar, filled with water.
After 2 days, the infusion is filtered and water is added in a ratio of 1 to 1. This infusion is well suited not only for greenhouse plants, but also for watering indoor plants, although the unpleasant smell of this fertilizer repels most flower growers.
Fourth recipe - banana peel fertilizer for spraying plants and flowers
Take the peel of 4 bananas and dry. After that, it is crushed to a powder state and mixed with 20 gr. magnesia and two teaspoons of eggshell powder. The resulting mixture is poured into 900 ml of water and thoroughly mixed. The finished solution is put in the refrigerator and home plants are sprayed once a week.
The main advantage of this recipe is its useful properties and ease of use. Of the shortcomings, one can single out only the need to purchase magnesia.
Well-dried banana skin is crushed and used to prepare a spray solution.
Recipe five - banana, citrus and sugar fertilizer
Natural houseplant food can also be prepared by mixing several ingredients.
Take chopped zest and banana peel in a ratio of 1 to 1. Fill a 3-liter container with this mixture by one third. Sugar (1 tbsp) is poured on top and poured with water slightly warmer than room temperature. [adsp-pro-5]
This tincture should be kept in a warm place for about 3 weeks. Every 4 days, the mixture must be shaken, and after the specified time, the infusion is placed in the refrigerator, where it will be stored.
Important. Before feeding home flowers, the fertilizer must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 20. This fertilizer can be used no more than once a month.
Is banana peel fertilizer safe
An important point regarding the safety of banana peel. Everyone knows that bananas in the process of growing and processing receive a large dose of carcinogens. They are needed to increase productivity, give a presentable appearance, as well as for normal transportation.
Fertilizer can only be made from those bananas that have not been treated with preparations dangerous for plants.
In addition to more or less safe stimulants, unscrupulous manufacturers can also use very dangerous substances. These can be preparations of the dust group, which are poisons that have long been banned for use, etc. Almost all plantation owners also use a mixture of ammonium sulfate and chlorine in their activities. These substances are poured into huge vats, where the process of soaking bananas takes place to cleanse them of milky juice.
Taking into account the possible risks, it is worth taking a responsible approach not only to the choice of the place of purchase of bananas, but also to their processing. Each fruit should be thoroughly washed in warm water as soon as it is brought home. Although this is not a 100% guarantee, it reduces the risk of infection of your indoor flowers with any pathogenic bacteria, and poisoning with toxic substances.
Useful tips from flower growers and fertilizer reviews
Maria. We started using banana peel as a fertilizer for orchids 7 years ago.
We tried several recipes for making, but settled on dried skins. Firstly, they are stored for a long time and do not take up much space. Secondly, they are convenient to add to pots. After the first noticeable results (the orchids looked more alive), we began to apply this fertilizer to other indoor flowers. Only our main rule is to buy bananas from the same seller. This is the only way we can be sure that they are brought from a certain manufacturer, and, therefore, are not dangerous for flowers. Tatiana. In order to be able to add fresh peel to the soil every time in a summer cottage or in a greenhouse, we simply freeze it. To do this, in our refrigerator there is a special tray, which is periodically supplemented with new skins.
In the video, the florist talks about how to properly make fertilizer from banana skins and how to apply it.
Banana peel fertilizer for indoor plants
Healthy Author Anna Sakhnova
What do you know about bananas? They are tasty and healthy, they are loved by children and adults, and they are also the most popular fruits in the world.
In addition to all that has been said, banana skins turn into natural fertilizer. How to properly prepare a miracle top dressing for indoor plants and how to make it, we will analyze with you. Benefits of banana
Banana has long ceased to be exotic, its fruits can be found in any market or supermarket. What is the reason for the popularity of bananas and what benefits do they have? If you look at their chemical composition, questions will disappear by themselves. Banana fruits contain a lot of fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, B vitamins and vitamin C. They are natural antidepressants and quickly replenish energy. But why has banana peel fertilizer become so popular in gardening?
Benefits of banana for plants
As mentioned above, the banana has a very rich chemical composition and all of the listed elements are necessary for plants. Let's take a closer look:
- Potassium is one of the essential nutrients for all plants.
It increases resistance in the fight against diseases and pests, plays a role in the synthesis of proteins, there is no photosynthesis without potassium, plus it is responsible for resistance to adverse factors. In addition, potassium is involved in dozens of other processes necessary for the normal development of the plant. - Phosphorus is another essential plant nutrient. It is responsible for metabolic processes, regulation of respiration and photosynthesis. Phosphorus is necessary for the roots and is involved in the formation of seeds and buds. Without this element, you should not expect long flowering.
- Plants need calcium no less. It affects the water balance and is necessary for the roots; without its participation, other macro- and microelements will not be able to be normally absorbed by the plant.
- Magnesium is necessary for the formation of chlorophyll, and therefore important for photosynthesis and respiration.
In addition, it is needed for a dozen other processes.
As you can see, banana fruits contain many elements necessary for the plant. Therefore, organic fertilizer and composting enthusiasts constantly use banana peels in their recipes.
Do-it-yourself banana fertilizer
Making your own banana peel fertilizer is not difficult. The choice of application method depends only on whether you want to bother or not.
Banana peel application at planting
Decided to start transplanting plants, and there is a banana in the refrigerator? It's time to eat it. Thus, you will be energized and prepared to create natural fertilizer with your own hands. What should be done?
- Rinse and dry the banana peel.
- Cut the peel with a knife or scissors.
- Insert chopped banana peel into planting pot to a depth of 10 cm.
- Plant a plant.
Banana peel as a dry top dressing
Banana peel is applied to already planted plants.
To do this, it is: - Rinse well.
- Cut into pieces.
- The peel is dried in the sun, vegetable dryer or otherwise.
- After drying, it is ground in a coffee grinder or hand blender.
This will give you a dry, concentrated banana peel fertilizer. It can be mixed with the soil or sprinkled with earth in a thin layer around the plants. For this method, it is better to collect more peel, because after drying, its volume will decrease significantly.
Banana peel infusion
It's time for the most popular recipe - banana peel infusion. For him we take:
- Well-washed skins from three bananas and grind them. This can be done with a knife or in a blender, it is important to get a uniform consistency. I recommend not to use the tail, it is hard to cut.
- We put the crushed peel in a three-liter jar and fill it with boiled water.
- We put it in a dark cool place for two days.
- The infusion is ready. For irrigation, it is diluted with water 1: 2.
The pros and cons of using banana peels
Natural fertilizers should be used wisely, especially homemade fertilizers. And so let's analyze the benefits of a banana peel:
- Bananas are always available.
- Fertilizer preparation is quite simple.
- If you are an adherent of intelligent consumption and proper waste disposal.
Disadvantages of banana fertilizers:
- Cannot be used fresh. Firstly, unrotted organic matter attracts midges and can cause rotting. Secondly, there is a lot of water in the fresh peel, and the decomposition process takes a long time, so the useful elements will not get to the plants soon.
- Bananas, like other industrial plants, are subjected to a large number of treatments and can accumulate harmful substances.
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