For banana lovers, it will be useful to know that the peel from this delicious fruit can be quite useful. If you have your own garden, the peel can be used as fertilizer for vegetable crops.
But this method is also quite suitable for home flowers: the fruit is rich in vitamins, so the flowers after such feeding will bloom well and hurt less. Just like after a herbal infusion for plants.
But today you will learn how to use banana peels as fertilizer for indoor plants, as well as for the garden.
What are the benefits of banana peels as fertilizer for indoor plants?
First of all, the peel of this vegetable is rich in potassium and magnesium. Both in fresh and dried form, this fertilizer also contains other minerals and beneficial elements that have a good effect on the growth of garden and vegetable crops.
Thus, banana peels contain phosphorus, iron, sodium, manganese, and calcium.
One of the advantages of using fertilizer in the form of banana peels is that it protects vegetables from certain pests. Since this vegetable contains a lot of potassium, aphids will not appear, because they absolutely cannot tolerate large amounts of potassium. Therefore, fertilizing will be useful not only for the good growth of vegetable crops, but also for protection from insects.
The only disadvantage of making natural fertilizer from banana peels is the smell. When it starts to decompose, the smell will be far from pleasant. In this regard, bugs and larvae may appear in fertilized areas.
Here are some ways to use banana fertilizer:
- When planting vegetables, place the skins directly into the holes. This is especially true for tomatoes.
- Bury small pieces of chopped peel directly into the soil. This method is good for lethargic, weak and frail plants.
- Water the infusion of plant peels and seedlings.
- Using peel compost. The method is recommended for bulbous crops.
However, such fertilizer must be used with caution: the fact is that, like any other fruit, bananas are treated with chemicals - at least hexochlorocyclohexane and ethylene. The first substance is a carcinogen.
Therefore, bananas, even for fertilizer, must be thoroughly washed under water, preferably hot. These substances, getting into the ground, can accumulate in the soil, which will then have a bad effect on soil fertility and further plant growth. You should not buy fruit from unverified suppliers.
For houseplants, the peel is also very effective as a feed and for controlling aphids. Flowers will bloom beautifully when fertilized with a high potassium content.
But for indoor flowers, it is recommended to use oven-roasted peels to ensure that all bacteria are killed. Flower growers recommend using dried rind to repel various pests - this also applies to garden flowers.
Reviews from gardeners
Tatiana
Banana peels make excellent flower food. The fruit remedy is rich in many microelements that indoor plants require. I water the soil in small doses so as not to harm the flowers, so the nutrient acts on them unobtrusively, moderately.
Of course, there are disadvantages to using such fertilizer. Midges and flies flock to the sweet suspension. The presence of chemicals on banana peels can harm the flowers. The product will not be able to provide the plant with all the necessary components, which means that it will have to be fed additionally. Therefore, before use, you should think about the pros and cons of the fertilizer and whether it is advisable to use it.
Svetlana
Usually in winter I start saving banana skins, cut them up, then put them in the freezer. In the spring, when I transplant seedlings, I bury a piece of peel in each pot. A little later the result appears, the weak shoots grow stronger and begin to grow lush foliage. At the same time, the banana remains rot in 10 days, thanks to soil microorganisms.
How to make an infusion from banana peels for watering flowers
For indoor and garden plants, you can prepare an infusion of the peel to water the plants. This will ensure they develop a strong root system and stable flowering.
But there are some nuances: it is advisable to use peels for infusion after the drying or freezing process. This is due to the fact that fresh peels can destroy the flowers. It is also necessary to remove white pulp and fibers from the crusts.
So, to prepare banana fertilizers yourself, you need to take:
- Suitable containers for infusion (preferably glass);
- Pre-dried or frozen peels (it is enough to take the peels of 3-4 bananas);
- Settled water at room temperature.
The peels are first chopped, but not too finely. Then they need to be placed in a suitable container and filled with settled water. Under no circumstances should the water be hot.
In this form, the container with the peel must be left to infuse for two days at room temperature.
After two days, the crusts must be pulled out and thrown away, and the infusion must be strained through cheesecloth. To the finished infusion you need to add more water at room temperature - add exactly the same amount of water as the infusion itself.
The prepared mixture can be used to water indoor and garden flowers, but no more than once a week. By the way, this infusion can be stored for no longer than a week, so it is not recommended to prepare a lot of banana infusion at once.
But you can have a raw banana peel, after you have eaten it, 1 piece, it should be large, cut. Place in a liter jar and fill to the top with water, leave for several days and filter. I dilute 1:1 with water.
This method is also suitable not only for watering, but also for spraying flowers. The method of use is the same, only the liquid needs to be poured into a spray bottle and used in moderate quantities no more than twice a week.
The frequency of using liquid as a spray depends on the type of indoor plants: if they are very frail and do not bloom, then you can carry out the procedure 2-3 times a week little by little.
You need to water indoor plants with banana peel infusion once every six months between main waterings.
Answers to frequently asked questions
When is it more beneficial to use banana tincture for indoor plants?
It is better to apply fertilizer in the spring, since after winter, even weakened indoor plants will benefit from additional strength.
Can banana skins be frozen?
Yes. Freezing will help prepare fertilizer for future use. Store the product in the freezer until use.
Is it necessary to wash the skins of the fruit?
Yes. It is advisable to wash the banana peel thoroughly so that the chemicals remaining on it do not reach the soil of the plant.
Recipe for preparing banana peels as fertilizer for indoor plants
In general, gardeners recommend trying at least two banana fertilizer recipes to determine which type of fertilizer is best suited for indoor flowers.
Therefore, in addition to watering from the infusion, you can try feeding your house plants with one of the suggested recipes.
Before cooking, the raw materials must be thoroughly washed to remove any remaining pulp and fibers. Ideally, the raw materials still need to be dried.
The fertilizer can be prepared as follows: first prepare the raw material, then dry it and bake it in foil in the oven. After this, cut the peel into small pieces and bury it directly into the soil of your home plants. If you leave the peel on top of the soil, the process of rotting of the product and the proliferation of bacteria will begin, so it is important to bury the peels.
Another good way to use fertilizer is peel powder. It is easy to prepare at home. First you need to prepare the raw materials and dry them thoroughly in the sun.
The crusts should turn black. After this, they need to be crushed into powder in any convenient way.
The resulting powder can then be used as a fertilizer for home and garden flowers. How to use: sprinkle a small amount of powder under the roots of plants. It is recommended to use this fertilizer no more than once a month. The prepared powder can also be used for seedlings of tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, adding it to the soil at the root of the plants in the same way.
Common mistakes
Sometimes gardeners make some mistakes when using banana residues as fertilizer.
- The desire to quickly improve the growth and budding of plants leads to the abuse of fruit nutrition. In this case, the flowers, on the contrary, weaken and turn yellow, immunity decreases, and leaves become lethargic.
- Do not leave the peel of the fruit on the surface of the soil - this will lead to the formation of mold. To solve the problem, it is recommended to place the fertilizer on the bottom of the pot, or to deepen it 2 cm into the soil.
- You should not use only one infusion from a tropical fruit; sprouts need different nutritional elements. If you use a tropical remedy in doses, follow the recommendations and your indoor plants will develop beautifully.
How to use banana peels for your garden
The easiest and most beneficial way to use vegetable peels in your garden is to compost.
It is enough to add banana skins to the general compost pile, and then use them in finished form as fertilizer with a large amount of phosphorus and potassium.
But you can prepare the fertilizer in liquid form - it is suitable for all vegetable crops. How to prepare: you need to take fresh peels from several bananas, place them in a container and fill them with water at room temperature.
Be sure to close the container with a lid and leave to infuse for 5 days. It is advisable to keep the container in a cool place. After this, remove the peels and throw them away, strain the liquid, add another five parts of water and use the finished infusion to water any vegetables.
Liquid fertilizer can be prepared in another way - a method that helps get rid of possible chemicals on the peel. So, the skins must first be washed, fibers removed and cut into medium pieces.
Next, they need to be filled with hot water and put on fire. Wait until it boils, turn the heat to low and wait 12-15 minutes. Next, the solution needs to be cooled, filtered, and five parts of water added to it. Use for watering garden and vegetable crops.
This fertilizer can be poured into a spray bottle and used to water plants that grow poorly or do not bloom.
Drip irrigation scheme
For plants that need constant moisture support, there is drip irrigation. Even in the absence of the owner of the house, the flowers receive the necessary nourishment. To do this you need:
- Install droppers specially purchased for drip irrigation or make them from improvised means (plastic bottles, hoses, etc.) with your own hands.
- Provide water supply by filling a bottle or other container.
- Holes made in the cap of an inverted plastic bottle will ensure a constant supply of moisture for the compost.
- If necessary, pour in the infusion of banana skins.
Banana peel infusion for tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers
Tomatoes will grow very well if you add a little banana powder or dried banana skins to the hole when planting.
But tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers can also be watered with infusion from the peel for good growth. According to this recipe, the infusion can be stored for up to three weeks.
After this period, the fermentation process of the infusion will begin and it will no longer be suitable for vegetables. It is recommended to store the prepared infusion in a cool place.
How to prepare the infusion: you need to take the skins of three bananas, rinse them thoroughly and add three liters of water. Leave to steep for at least three days, but it is better to wait up to five days. The liquid should darken.
After this, you can throw away the skins, strain the infusion itself and add to it the same amount of water as the infusion itself.
For tomatoes, watering with this infusion should be done no more than once a week: in this case, you need to take about half a glass of infusion per bush.
Top dressing for roses
A popular tip is to bury banana skins under roses. However, this trick can be harmful because the banana can become a source of harmful pathogens that promote the development of fungal diseases. In order for potassium from the peel to get into the substrate, it must first decompose, which requires nitrogen from the soil. Therefore, it is better to use infusions. Nevertheless, flower growers respond very positively to feeding roses with banana infusions; roses begin to bloom more abundantly and longer.
Composition and properties
Banana peel contains a large number of elements beneficial to plants. The most important of them are:
- phosphorus, potassium - necessary for the formation of ovaries, long flowering, bright color of flowers;
- magnesium - activates the process of photosynthesis;
- calcium - improves the solubility of nutritional compounds and their digestibility by the plant;
- nitrogen - in a small amount, but sufficient for the development of the green mass of the flower.
Interesting! This fertilizer retains growth-stimulating hormones, which have a positive effect on the rapid rooting and development of the plant.
