A gardener has shared a clip showing how he uses his leftover banana peels to make a fertliser for his plants that helps them grow stronger. There are many ways to create a natural fertiliser at home, including using your leftover food waste. Expert gardener, @agriculture5639 on TikTok, shared a short clip showing how he uses his leftover banana peels to do just that and says which plants it is particularly beneficial for.
Banana skins have a number of nutrients that are beneficial for a variety of plants, such as potassium. The video, which has been viewed nearly half a million times, shows the gardener first chopping up his banana peels into very small pieces, placing them into an aluminium container and covering them with tinfoil. The next step is the one that requires the most effort but, according to this gardener, it’s one that is worth doing.
Having sealed the tinfoil over the container tightly, he puts it over heat for “about an hour”. By doing this, he explains, you will be “creating a homemade fertiliser rich in potassium”.
This process is called pyrolysis, a scientific method for seperating and extracting compounds from organic matters. “What you’re doing is heating the peels without oxygen to transform their organic matter into mineral ash, especially rich in potassium, a key nutrient for the development of flowers and fruits” he explains.
He lets the container cool down and reveals how the bananas have become darker and smaller, resembling charcoal. Then, he crushes it into a “very fine powder” and says that it can be used as a fertiliser to place on soil.
Meanwhile, it can also be added to your existing compost to give it an extra boost. The video creator explains that this fertiliser works expecially well for tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and fruit trees.
“Plus, it’s a great way to recycle kitchen waste and reduce what you throw away,” he adds. “It’s simple, sustainable, and great for your garden,” he wrote in the clip caption.
Other TikTok users took to the comments section of the video to share their thoughts, with many saying they opt to use their banana peels as fertiliser via different methods. “I usually chop the banana peels and then just add it to my plants. I think that in this way is helpful too for the plants and easier,” said one person.
Another wrote: “Soak in a glass jar of water overnight and pour over plants.”