A keen gardener has urged people not to throw away their banana peels, as they can be used as a ‘secret plant booster’
You don’t need to throw banana peels straight in the bin(Image: undefined via Getty Images)
Bananas reign as the UK’s favourite fruit, with each person eating an average of 100 bananas, or 10kg, yearly. Considering the sheer volume of bananas enjoyed in British homes, it seems wasteful not to leverage every part of them.
Known for their abundance of potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and other beneficial nutrients that aid digestion and heart health, bananas also have another, less commonly known use: plant nourishment for your garden.
Digital influencer @peymak, prominent for sharing gardening tips on TikTok, has recently been advocating for the repurposing of banana skins, calling them a “secret plant booster”. Accompanying her video advice, she added: “Don’t toss ’em, turn them into fertiliser magic. Your garden will thank you!”.
The clip features her suggesting: “Don’t throw away your banana peels. Use them as fertiliser.”
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She also points out their “rich in potassium” attribute. PlantIn corroborates the benefits, citing that banana peels contain vital plant-growth nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium.
For garden enthusiasts, the creator advises immersing banana peels in water for at least a day before applying this homemade fertiliser to plants. “Your plants will thank you later,” she promised.
The video has sparked a wave of positive reactions on TikTok, with hundreds commenting in appreciation. One user responded: “Such a good tip!!! I did this last year in our garden!” while another exclaimed: “How neat is this!!! so good to know!!!”.
Leanne Samuelson from Prestige Botanicals has shared a tip for garden lovers on how to create their own fertiliser using kitchen leftovers. She explained: “All you need is a banana, an egg, and a cup of coffee. These breakfast scraps are a slow-release fertiliser, pest deterrent, and soil booster, all rolled into one.”
Elaborating on her unique fertilising technique, Samuelson disclosed: “I pop my banana peels, crushed eggshells, and coffee grounds into a big zip-lock bag. I then stash it in an opaque bag in the bottom drawer of my fridge. When I’m ready, I mix them into the garden soil, and my plants thrive.”
Beth Murton, Homes and Gardens’ Head of Gardens, also supports this eco-friendly approach. Commending the use of banana peels in gardening, she stated: “Banana peels contain lots of potassium, which is one of the three main macronutrients that plants need, and also phosphorus. However, they do not contain nitrogen.”
Highlighting the benefits of such organic nourishment, Murton added: “That makes them a good fertilizer for specific circumstances. Potassium encourages both fruiting and flowers, so that makes banana peels a great fertilizer for fruit and vegetables like tomatoes or peppers, or any flowering ornamental plants.”
Murton also pointed out the additional advantages of using bananas in the garden by mentioning: “Bananas also contain calcium, which is a vital nutrient in combating blossom end rot in tomatoes.”
Gardeners are reminded, however, that while banana peel fertiliser can benefit certain flora like banana trees, roses, tomatoes, and Staghorn fern, it may not be universally effective due to its lack of nitrogen. Thus, for some plant types, supplementary fertilisation might still be necessary to ensure optimal growth.