No need to throw out your banana peels! Gardeners know that they are beneficial when used as a fertilizer due to their nutrient content. They contain significant levels of potassium, as well as smaller amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus, which are essential nutrients for plant growth.
Potassium helps regulate water movement in plants, enhances fruit quality, and aids in disease resistance.
Nitrogen supports leafy growth, while phosphorus is crucial for root development and flower formation.
When banana peels decompose, they release these nutrients into the soil, enriching it and providing a natural source of fertilizer for plants. Additionally, banana peels can attract beneficial organisms like earthworms, which further contribute to soil health.
Overall, using banana peels as fertilizer is an eco-friendly and cost-effective way to improve soil fertility and promote plant growth.
There are different ways to use banana peel fertiliser in your garden, here is our guide to help you.
How to use chopped banana peel as fertiliser
If you chop your banana peels into smaller pieces, they will decompose faster. Gardeners usually prefer chopped peels for this very reason.
Chopped peels release the nutrients faster. Depending on how you go about it, some gardeners add the peels into a jug of water to release the extra nutrients.
Here is how you can use the banana peel water method:
- Chop banana peels into smaller chunks of about 1-inch square bits, pack them into an empty glass jar and fill the jar with water.
You can use banana peel water to water your plants before adding the chopped peel pieces into the compost.
- Bury the chunks in the dirt near your plants and put them under the mulch but on top of the soil.
- When the peels break down, they will release nutrients that your plants then absorb making your plant roots stronger
- Now sit and watch while your plants grow bigger and stronger.
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Dried banana peel as fertiliser
If you do not feel like chopping up banana peels. You can use a simpler method. This method is usually done for indoor plants to avoid attracting ants and other bugs with chopped banana peels.
- Put the banana peels in the sun outside
- Leave the peels for a couple of days until they’ve dried out.
- After, bury the dried banana peel into your houseplant, carefully( so you don’t damage your plant)
- Then water your plant. This will allow for a slow release of nutrition into the root of the plant.
Image Credit: Unsplash
Banana peel fertiliser is inexpensive and sustainable. It is also organic because of the natural nutrients this method releases into the plants.
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A version of this article was published in Garden&Home Magazine.
