How to Make Simple Banana Peel Fertilizer for Your Plants
Plants love potassium and banana peels are a rich source of potassium that is very easy for plants to absorb.
So, Banana peel fertilizer makes sense as it is simple to make and good for all garden plants especially those that flower and fruit!
Simple Banana Peel Fertilizer
There is a lot of information buzzing around the internet these days on banana peel fertilizer.
Make sure to read through this post to learn more about this popular method of reusing banana peels.
Instead of tossing your banana peels onto the compost pile (or in the trash) save them to make this nutrient-rich organic plant food for your garden.
Read on to discover how to make simple banana peel fertilizer for your garden and how it will help your plants grow better as Plants need Potassium!
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Simple Banana Water Plant Food
Instructions:
Place 1 banana peel in a quart jar of water. Place the lid on the jar tightly and allow it to sit for approximately 7 days.
[Only use certified organic bananas to keep chemical insecticides and pesticides out of your garden and compost pile.]
Remove the banana peel from the jar. Strain mixture.
Dilute the banana water with 3-parts water (making it into 1-gallon) and use it to water your garden plants once a week.
This is especially helpful for flowering and fruiting plants. Make sure to just water the soil around the plants and not the leaves.
As an added bonus: there is discussion that the banana odor repels aphids. I have not actually seen this but will be on the lookout!
A Word of Caution:
I recommend not keeping the banana peel water fertilizer in your house and to not use on your houseplants. Sometimes banana peels can attract gnats and fruit flies.
No one needs to create new problems for their houseplants!
Boiling Method
Place 5 banana peels in a large pot and cover with a gallon of water. Bring to a low boil and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
Add enough water back in to make a full gallon allow to cool.
This banana water is ready for use on outdoor plants.
Keeping a handy watering can for your homemade banana peel fertilizer to makes it easy to accomplish this weekly task!
Benefits of Banana Peel Water
This banana peel water is good for plants and gives them an instant boost of potassium and hydration.
The peels can be removed from the water and added to the compost bin, even after soaking or boiling them, to create organic composted plant food.
The peels still contain nutrients that will be released as they decompose.
Read about the benefits of banana peels in the compost bin.
Banana peel water does for plants what Gatorade does for humans. Gatorade replenishes electrolytes, potassium, and other minerals that are lost during strenuous activity.
Growing plants expend a lot of energy as they grow and produce food, fruit, and/or flowers.
Feeding and hydrating them with homemade banana peel water is an easy, affordable, and sustainable way to keep plants growing strong.
Plants Need Potassium
Plant food, whether organic or synthetic, contains 3 main nutrients – nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
The potassium-fed plants can also withstand attacks by diseases and pests better than plants that are suffering from a potassium deficiency.
Make sure your garden has a good soil structure and nutrient balance to begin with as banana peel water is not a complete fertilizer. Think of it as an elixir that aids in flower and fruit development.
Potassium helps plants develop an all-around immunity to environmental stress caused by changing weather conditions.
When plants have been fed enough potassium, they are better able to withstand drought conditions, high heat, too much water, low temperatures, and neglect.
A simple banana peel fertilizer, fed to the plants once a week, can make them healthier and more productive by keeping their potassium level stable.
Make sure to keep your plants healthy with compost, compost tea and an all purpose organic fertilizer are a must for a healthy garden.
Some people even like to use leftover coffee grounds as a fertilizer!
Here are some helpful posts on making homemade compost and one of the top commercial organic all purpose fertilizers to help you have your best garden ever!
Potassium Deficiency In Plants
Symptoms of potassium deficiency in garden and houseplants include leaves turning brown and that appear like they have been scorched.
The leaf tips may curl and there may be yellowing between the leaf veins.
Purple spots may also appear on the underside of leaves.
Plant growth will be stunted, root development will cease, the production of food or flowers will be reduced.
With this reduction in flowers, the seeds will be fewer and less likely to germinate in potassium-deficient plants.
Using banana peels as fertilizer can prevent a lack of potassium in plants so none of these symptoms will show up on your plants.
How To Use Banana Peel Fertilizer
Apply the potassium-rich banana peel fertilizer to the soil at the base of the plants.
Wetting the leaves of plants makes them more susceptible to diseases and pest infestation, so avoid watering the leaves when possible.
Feed the plants once a week except during times of heavy rainfall.
Apply banana water early in the morning when plants are best able to absorb liquid.
How to Make Banana Peel Fertilizer
Homemade Potassium Rich Banana Peel Fertilizer
Materials
- Quart Jar
- Gallon Jar
- Banana Peel
Tools
- Sauce Pan or Kettle
- Way to Boil Water if Using Boil Method
Instructions
Banana Peel Fertilizer Soaking Method
- Place 1 banana peel in a quart jar of water.
- Place the lid on the jar tightly and allow it to sit for 7-10 days.
- Remove the banana peel from the jar, Strain mixture and pour into a small pots. Bring this solution to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes..
- Dilute the banana water with 3-parts water (making it into 1-gallon)
- Use it to water outside garden plants once a week.
Banana Peel Fertilizer Soaking Method
- Place 5 banana peels in a large pot and cover with a gallon of water. Bring to a low boil and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Cool banana water and remove peels. Pour into a gallon container.
- Adding enough water to make a full gallon.
- This banana water is ready for use on your outdoor garden plants.
- Use it to water plants once a week.
Here is addition helpful information on the benefits of banana peel water in your garden and banana peel in your compost.
In Conclusion
Since plants love and need potassium and banana peels are a rich source of potassium, it only makes sense to utilize this convenient, inexpensive potassium rich peel as a plant fertilizer.
Plus, what make banana peel fertilizer so great is that this form of potassium is very easy for plants to absorb.
So remember, banana peel fertilizer is simple to make and good for all garden plants!
What a perfect way to repurpose those unwanted banana peel!
