However, you won’t need to fork out for any chemical or commercial plant fertilisers, as the gardening expert recommended looking toward your kitchen for a natural alternative. When it comes to food scraps, many have hidden benefits for your garden, including bananas. Ish said: “Bananas make a really tasty snack, but they also make a really good food to boost the flowers on your winter annuals.”
All you need to do is fill up a jar with water and cut the banana peels into small pieces. Place the peels into the water and allow to soak for around one to two days.
The water will start to turn brown, which indicates that the nutrients have leaked out from the peels. The banana water can then be used to water plants and give them a nutritious boost.
Ish continued: “And as a result, it should give them a nice longer flowering season. The skin itself can go in the compost bin, and as for the actual banana, well, that’s a free snack.”
Bananas contain a number of nutrients that will help your plants flourish, including potassium for bright and big blooms; phosphorus for healthy roots and shoots; and magnesium for photosynthesis.
Calcium in banana peels is also an important nutrient for plant growth. Drew Swainston, a gardening expert for Homes & Gardens, said: “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.
“Bananas also contain calcium, which is a vital nutrient in combating blossom end rot in tomatoes.”
If you don’t want to soak the banana peels in water, you can also dry them out to make a fertiliser and reap the benefits. TikTok creator The Container Gardener advised their followers to dry banana peels in either the oven or an air fryer.
This should be done on a low temperature with the oven door slightly ajar. The Container Gardener dried them for six and a half minutes at 180℃.
The skins should be brown and crispy when they’re done. The peels should then be crushed or blitzed into a fine powder.
Sprinkle the homemade fertiliser onto your soil or plant pots. If you’re not using the fertiliser straight away, store in an air tight container or jar.
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