Almost everyone loves bananas. However, few people thought that their peel can be successfully used for feeding domestic plants. After all, it contains almost all the vitamins and minerals necessary for indoor flowers.
Can I use it?
Banana peels have been used as an organic fertilizer not so long ago - since the time when these yellow fruits ceased to be exotic on the Russian table.
Advantages:
- Stimulates the growth of indoor plants.
- Improves the immunity of flowers.
- Makes the soil looser, thereby increasing air exchange.
- Heals the earth.
- Helps lead effective pest control.
- Allows indoor flowers to perceive the lack of sun in winter less painfully.
- Reduces stress borne by flowers during transplanting.
Flaws:
- Banana peels are unable to provide indoor plants with all the nutrients necessary for growth.
- Frequent feeding based on it can harm home flowers. As with any other organic fertilizer, application dosages must be followed.
- Before transportation, bananas are coated with special substances that are classified as carcinogenic. They are capable of accumulating in the soil. Therefore, it is forbidden to take unwashed fruits for fertilization.
It is better to buy bananas for food and for further use in hypermarkets, where a quality control department works, and there are no non-certified products on the shelves.
Composition and properties
Banana peel contains potassium and phosphorus, calcium and magnesium, as well as negligible amounts of nitrogen. All these minerals help houseplants to fully develop and bloom.
Nitrogen helps plants grow better, phosphorus - accelerates their development, stimulates bud formation and further abundant flowering, promotes root growth. Calcium also enhances the growth of the root system, and with a lack of it, the flowers cease to fully absorb nutrients from the soil.
Magnesium helps photosynthesis, and therefore it is indispensable in the autumn-winter time, when the lack of light takes on a chronic form.
Potassium helps indoor flowers more economically, more productively consume moisture, accelerates the process of supplying food to the plant, and has a beneficial effect on the roots.
The vitamins contained in banana skins increase the plant's resistance to various flower diseases.
The smell that comes from the peel-based tinctures repels some pests.
Application methods
Banana skins are used as fertilizers in several ways. As raw materials, you can use:
- Whole bananas.
Banana pulp acts more gently on plants and more easily penetrates the soil. It should be thoroughly crushed (1 piece is enough), pour 200 ml of water, stir and pour into a pot. When crushed, the pulp will easily seep inside and deliver all the necessary nutrition to the roots.
This method is rarely practiced. Few people would buy bananas solely as organic fertilizers.
- Fresh peel.
They will come in handy when transplanting. Sprinkle indoor flowers on top of the drainage with finely chopped peel.
Top dressing based on fresh skins requires careful application. It is able to burn the roots of plants in the process of overheating, since it emits much more heat than ordinary manure.
It should be especially noted that fresh peels can be stored in the refrigerator, but no more than 5 days.
- Recycled skins.
The withered or completely dried peel serves as mulch. But fried and then chopped skins are usually poured into a flower pot about once every 30 days (1 large spoon each).
Harvesting and processing
Dry powder
Banana skins keep dry well. First, the peel is cut into small pieces. Then dry well. Some put it on batteries, others put it in special electric dryers for vegetables, berries, herbs. The easiest way is to hold it in the oven for a while. In this case, the skins should always be placed with the inner surface up.
After complete drying, they are crushed and stored in an airtight container. When indoor plants are preparing for flowering, you can safely sprinkle them with such dressing. And then spill it thoroughly. The approximate dosage for 1 pot is 2 dessert spoons of powder.
Infusion
To make a good liquid top dressing, you need a banana peel and boiling water. For 10 flower pots, 3 peels are enough. The latter are crushed and poured with boiling water, left for 3-5 hours. After complete cooling, the infusion is filtered and used. The consumption of this fertilizer is 50 g per plant.
Homemade violets are very responsive to such feeding. Especially in need of such nutrition are those of them that still cannot begin to bloom.
Freezing
Sometimes there is no time at all to prepare fertilizer from the skins. Then experienced florists are advised to stay on a proven method - to freeze raw materials. The peel is preliminarily placed in portioned sachets, and, if necessary, removed and thawed.
Ferns and begonias, cyclamens and violets will like this feeding.
Fertilizer based on frozen skin contains much more nutrients than dried in the oven.
Compost
It is quite simple to make it, the main thing is to find the right container for laying the biomaterial. The order of work is as follows:
- Banana skins and fertile soil are mixed in equal proportions.
- Then a special liquid catalyst is added. You can use "Baikal".
- Allow the composition to brew for 30 days. Then Baikal is added again.
- After 1.5-2 months, the peel will completely decompose and you will get a first-class organic fertilizer in terms of its nutritional value.
Both garden and home bulbous plants, such as hyacinths, will be delighted with such feeding.
Many people also add earthworms to the compost, which not only fertilize, but also loosen the future fertilizer.
How to use it correctly?
Houseplants
Ferns, saintpaulias and cyclamens are most fond of fertilizer based on banana peel, begonias and ferns. They vitally need a full-fledged potash feeding, especially during the period of rapid flowering.
The easiest way to feed is to put finely chopped and dried skins in a pot. They serve as both drainage and an excellent fertilizer.
Banana powder is also suitable for these purposes. The skins are thoroughly dried. Grind into powder and add half a teaspoon under each flower. The minerals contained in such a small amount of powder will last for about a month. Then it is advisable to repeat the procedure.
Perfectly fertilizes indoor flowers and banana solution. The skins of 3 bananas are taken, poured with a liter of boiling water, infused for 3 hours. Then the solution is filtered and used for feeding. For 1 plant, 50 ml will be enough. The procedure should be repeated at least 1 time per month, and during the period of active growth and development - 2-3 times.
Garden crops
Fertilizer based on banana peel, due to the high content of potassium and other minerals, is perfect for fruit and vegetable crops and garden trees: tomatoes, cucumbers, garden strawberries, zucchini, potatoes, pumpkins, apple trees, gooseberries, currants.
Well stimulates the growth of spring tomato seedlings infusion of skins. It is prepared like this: cut two banana peels into pieces and put them in a 2-liter jar. Insist 48 hours, filter. This infusion can be used only after preliminary dilution with water (1: 1).
All house flowers growing on a garden plot in an apartment should be fed regularly. This will allow them to develop and bloom profusely. A banana peel fertilizer for indoor plants is an excellent natural and ecological supplement. In addition, this does not require significant material costs from the grower.
The benefits and harms of banana feeding
Experienced gardeners often use banana peel flower food because they are confident in its effectiveness. The advantages of such fertilization lots of:
This fertilizer has its own minuses:
- If the peel is folded directly onto the soil, it will rot and develop mold, which causes an unpleasant odor.
- A sweet flower fertilizer made from banana peels can be a breeding ground for ants.
- Banana peel infusion smells unpleasant.
Indoor Plants Application
There are several ways to use banana peels as fertilizer. One of them is watering.
Each plant needs its own approach, but there is no one-size-fits-all method. You need to apply fertilizers only to wet soil so as not to damage the roots of the plant. There are several points to consider when watering indoor flowers:
Banana compost can also be made, but this option is only suitable for growers who have their own garden area. A recess is made in the ground, which is enclosed by a fence - so that the heap does not crumble.
For the compost heap, you need to pick up 50 centimeters of soil, and then there are "layers":
- banana peel;
- Earth.
- watering with clean water.
The heap should "stand" for about a year, and at the same time its layers can be increased. By the next summer season, the gardener will receive an excellent fertilizer for his garden.
One of the uses for banana peel is as a tropical cocktail. You need to take two banana skins and grind them in a blender. Add 300 ml of water to the mass. This freshly prepared cocktail can be used once a month for any plant. For a houseplant, one teaspoon of the composition for a three-liter flower pot will be enough.
The owners treat houseplants with trepidation and love. Flowers bring comfort to the house, delight with beauty, moisturize and saturate the air in the apartment with oxygen.
Timely feeding of the plant allows you to achieve the desired flowering and growth. Not every housewife knows that to prepare a useful fertilizer for plants, containing such trace elements as phosphorus, calcium, potassium, nitrogen and magnesium, it is enough to use banana peels. Often this valuable product is simply thrown away, but in vain. The zealous owners fertilize them with violets, begonias, cyclamen, citrus fruits, coffee tree, avocado. Natural potash fertilizer promotes abundant flowering and growth of any plant.
Peel processing methods
The peel is thoroughly washed and dried. It is impossible to store the product in its natural form for a long time, so they resort to drying and freezing. The peel is used fresh, dried and processed into a powder. They also prepare infusions based on fresh or frozen skins.
You can dry naturally in the sun, on a radiator or in the oven. To do this, cut the peel into small pieces, put the inner side up. When it dries to a dense state, it is crushed into powder and placed in an airtight jar or bag.
Decoctions for watering are prepared from fresh, dried and frozen skins. The peel of 3 fruits is crushed and poured over with 1 liter of boiling water. The container with the resulting mixture is left for 4 hours for infusion. Then it is filtered and used for watering flowers.
The fresh peel is used in a mushy form. It is ground in a blender with a glass of water. The resulting mixture is added to the flower soil.
Miracle plant nutrition
How to make banana flower powder
To prepare dry potash fertilizer, take the peel of a banana, rinse and dry. After complete drying, the hard pieces are ground in a coffee grinder or by hand in a mortar to a powdery state. Such a powder is stored in an airtight container for a long time.
For indoor plants, dry powder is used in a volume of 0.5-1 teaspoon per flowerpot. It is poured evenly over the surface of the soil, and then the plant is watered. The frequency of application is monthly.
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A combined dry powder is also prepared. To do this, take dry pieces of banana peel and grape twigs in equal quantities, grind and apply.
Especially indoor flowers need potash fertilizer during the budding and flowering stages. Dry banana dressing is also used when transplanting a plant; for this, 1 teaspoon of the powder is mixed with the soil. A flower is transplanted into the resulting soil mixture. With this method of plant feeding, potash fertilizer is not used for another 2-3 months.
Preparation of decoctions and infusions
Unlike powder, the preparation of decoctions does not require preliminary preparation, since the peel is taken fresh or frozen. It is advisable to calculate the volume of the broth in advance for one-time use, since it is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 10 days.
The broth is prepared as follows: take 3 banana skins for 10 medium flowerpots, grind and pour 1 liter of boiling water. If the peel is from the refrigerator, then defrost it beforehand. The resulting mixture is left for 4 hours for infusion, then filtered. Flowers are watered with 50 ml of broth per plant.
Recipe for infusion: for 3 liters of warm water, 2 banana peels. Insist 2 days in a cool dark place. Apply diluted 1: 1. Use this top dressing once a month.
Natural growth stimulant for flowers
Fertilizers from fresh skin
Fresh banana peels are used to improve the nutritional properties of the soil when transplanting flowers. You can use 2 ways:
- The skin is washed and crushed into 1 cm wide pieces. Drainage is laid in a flower pot, then a layer of crushed peel is laid and covered with soil.
The plant is transplanted into prepared soil after 2-3 weeks. For quick decomposition of the skin, you can add organics rich in microorganisms. - A liquid solution is prepared on the basis of fresh peel. To do this, place one skin in a blender and beat with a glass of water until smooth. On an average flowerpot, add 2 tbsp. tablespoons of the resulting mixture, mix. Cover the flowerpot with a cloth and leave in a dark place for 5-10 days. Then flowers are transplanted into the enriched soil.
Combined recipes for flowers
For external treatment of plants, the spray has proven itself well. They are sprayed with leaves and the top layer of the earth. For its preparation, use 4 dry banana skins, 20 g of magnesium sulfate, 2 teaspoons of crushed eggshells (2-3 eggs), 900 ml of water. A jar or bottle is filled with water, magnesium sulfate, banana powder and eggshells are added in the required proportion. Shake thoroughly until magnesium sulfate dissolves.
The solution is poured into a container with a spray bottle and the plant is treated. Regularity of use once every 2 weeks. The remaining drug can be stored in the refrigerator.
Another combined solution of banana peel and citrus fruit is popular with flower growers. These ingredients are taken in equal proportions, crushed and placed in a 3-liter jar, filling it by a third. Fall asleep 2 teaspoons of sugar and pour warm water. The container is placed in a warm and dark place for 3 weeks, shaking the contents in the jar regularly. After the time has elapsed, the resulting mixture is diluted in water 1:20 and houseplants are fertilized.
- The peel in its pure form, being on the surface of the soil, grows moldy.
- Banana food is a natural preparation that fights aphids.
- Fruit must be washed thoroughly before use, as it is treated with pesticides and chemicals during growth, ripening and transportation.
- The use of a fresh product attracts insects: ants, fruit flies, bees.
- This potash fertilizer can also be used on a personal plot.
- The inside of the banana peel is rubbed with the leaves of houseplants to give them shine and dust.
- After applying the described fertilizers, the plant needs nitrogenous feeding, since the amount of this element in the banana peel is insignificant.
Should you use organic fertilizer? The recipes described above have proven to be effective and are popular with florists and gardeners. Natural organic fertilizer, which is easy to cook at home, is undeniably analogous to expensive industrial products.
Organic soil nutrient
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Supporters of maximum environmental friendliness, both in food and in everyday life, highly recommend banana peel fertilizer for indoor plants. They do not require any additional costs, the skins are still regularly and aimlessly thrown away, so why not use them?
What is good about banana
Before running to make from a banana peel, let's figure out how useful and useful it is. The main advantage of the winter delicacy is its high potassium content. In addition to it, but in smaller quantities, banana contains phosphorus, nitrogen and magnesium - everything that your flowers need. This homemade banana peel fertilizer for indoor plants is also good because all substances enter the soil gradually, in small doses - that is, your green pets are protected from chemical burns and overdose. This top dressing is especially good for flowering plants - it gently and unobtrusively feeds them with the most necessary. However, do not forget about the second side that any medal has.
Dubious properties
The main disappointment that the banana peel fertilizer provides for indoor plants is its attractiveness to insects. Ants, bees, flies and fruit flies are ready to travel a long distance for this treat. And if you can isolate yourself from flying applicants, then what to do with creeping ones - cockroaches and ants?
A clear disadvantage is the possible presence of pesticides. They are not scary for indoor plants, but if you are going to such fertilizer for edible plants, then you should think about the advisability of this several times.
Some growers have questions about the surface treatment of the skin in order to prolong the banana. It is not possible to find out the exact formula of the composition, and how much this treatment can harm the flowers is difficult to predict.
And the last: the inability to calculate and provide all the necessary substances using only fertilizer for indoor plants from banana peel. There are plants that need an increased dose of phosphorus, and there are those who need nitrogen. Therefore, experienced flower growers are advised to combine purchased dressings with homemade ones.
Banana peel as fertilizer
There are several ways to apply skins for this purpose.
- When transplanting. Fresh peel is cut and placed on top of the drain. The same method can be used in vegetable gardening - it gives simply delicious results when planting tomatoes and peppers.
- Drying from the peel. As the fruit is consumed, the skin is cut and dried. In the spring, you can simply mulch the surface of the soil with it, stepping back five centimeters from the trunk of the flower.
- Infusion. It is made from both fresh and dried rind. Fresh is passed through a blender and mixed with water - you can use such a fertilizer for indoor plants from a banana peel right away. The dried skin will have to be insisted: for a liter of water, the "clothes" of four bananas are taken and left under the lid. The infusion time is a matter of controversy. Some growers claim that 4-5 days should pass, after which the liquid is filtered and diluted. Others believe that a day is enough: after 24 hours, the peel turns sour and at least begins to smell unpleasant. You will have to decide who to join based on your own experience.
If you intend to use bananas in the gardening direction, it is better to pass them through a compost pit.
There is another secret: when using plant fertilizer from banana peel fresh, not dried, you can sprinkle it with a layer of soil from a pot. It then decomposes faster and attracts unwanted insects less. And when watering, useful substances are evenly distributed over the soil.
Additional bonuses
In addition to potassium (and other elements, albeit in smaller quantities), indoor flowers receive benefits not provided by you from banana peels. For example, when fertilizing with it, aphids will never attack your plants - the smell of the skin is unpleasant for her. And it is quite difficult to fight these insects on domestic plants: most insecticides require fresh air.
Many plant breeders recommend wiping large leaves with the inside of a banana peel - they say, from such treatment they begin to shine and develop more actively. On the other hand, some flower growers have the impression that from such a procedure unaesthetic streaks and veins from the skins remain on the leaf plates. What opinion is fair - see for yourself.
What other fertilizers can you make yourself?
Banana isn't the only houseplant fertilizer you can make yourself. Most flowers are constantly in need of calcium. And here it is worth remembering the folk recipes for pregnant women experiencing similar needs. The easiest option is to water the indoor flowers with water left over after boiling the eggs. Those who agree to work a little can make an infusion from the shell - pour warm water and hold for a week. The disadvantage of this fertilizer is the smell. It is better to apply top dressing at a time when the pots are taken out to the balcony.
It is actively advised to use a cold infusion (not tea leaves!) Of green tea. In combination with the same, not only fertilizer is obtained, but also a growth stimulator, which does not deplete the flower, but only gives an impetus for development.