Banana peel fertilizer is a great way to help plants grow healthier while reducing waste. Instead of banana peels being put in a transfer station, they can be made into rich organic fertilizer.
If you are a compost veteran, composting banana skins is a no-brainer.
Throw them in there, and let them decay. However, in a cold compost bin, this can take a long time, up to a year, before banana peels are decomposed.
A hot heap will decompose them faster, but you still have to wait for several months before being able to add them to your garden.
If you are looking for a faster way to use banana peel fertilizer in your garden, there are several methods to try.
Bananas are really good for your health, even if they do get a bad name for the number of natural sugars they contain. We go through a lot of bananas in our home, so we end up with leftover banana peels.
I’d much rather our children eat a banana than a cookie. Bananas are a natural energy booster, because of the sugar they contain.
They are also good to eat in the green/yellow stage. In the green stage, bananas are great for digestion health, and your gut.
They are even known to lower blood pressure. In later stages, when they start to turn black, the sugar in bananas is more developed.
Because of this, bananas can help give you more energy. This energy comes from natural sugars. If you are a diabetic, bananas will still raise your blood sugar, so be careful.
We know plants need a lot of elements, compounds, and nutrients to function and thrive.
Not only does supporting plants with all-natural methods create stronger plants; but it also produces food that is healthier for you.
Healthy soil = healthy plants = healthier you.
Banana peels are incredible for the garden. An easy way to add them is to chop the peel into small pieces and bury them in the garden.
Whole banana peels will rot naturally underneath the soil, but this method takes a long time for the nutrients to break down enough for the plants to be able to use it.
Below are 3 ways to make banana peel fertilizers that are useful in your garden right away, as well as how to use each method.
Banana Peel Fertilizer Benefits
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Garden plants need nutrients for healthy growth. NPK is three elements that every plant needs to grow. NPK stands for Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Banana peels don’t have much nitrogen, but they can have phosphorus up to 25%, and 42 percent potassium. Potassium helps by strengthening your plants and protecting them from disease.
Banana peels also contain moderate amounts of calcium, manganese, phosphorus, and even sodium and sulfur.
Organic sources of potassium are not as readily available to the backyard gardener as some other fertilizers. Banana peels are one way to add potassium to your soil.
Potassium is used to sustain growth and increased root structure. improving drought tolerance, pest resistance, and photosynthesis.
Adding banana peels to your plants will not only increase flower blooms and fruit production. It also helps promote a really strong root system and general plant health.
How To Make Banana Peel Fertilizer
Banana Peel Tea (Liquid Fertilizer)
Get some water in a mason jar, or even a five-gallon bucket. Remove any stickers on the bananas. Fill the bucket with as many bananas peels as possible.
Cut the banana pieces into small pieces to fit more in.
Fill with water just above the banana skin line. Make sure the water covers the peels completely. Keep it out of direct sunlight at room temperature for two weeks.
Add water throughout the weeks so the water level stays above the peels. The longer it soaks, the more nutrients it will withdraw. However, it will start to smell if you wait too long.
Be sure to cover the peels with water to prevent mold growth.
Strain the banana peel water fertilizer, and discard the spent banana peels into your compost pile. Use the liquid form of fertilizer as a one-to-one strength as a foliar spray or water your plants directly.
The foliar feed gets nutrients into your plants slightly faster, so this can be a great way to give them a boost right away.
Liquid banana peel fertilizer can attract fruit flies. Use caution when using this homemade fertilizer indoors.
Dried Banana Peel Fertilizer
Layer banana pieces on a metal baking tray, and leave them out in the sun to dry them out. Leave out in the sun for a day or so.
If they crack when you break them, then they are ready. If still bendy, dry out for several more hours.
You could also do this in the oven on low heat (100-150*F). Don’t use too high heat, to keep the nutrients intact.
Also, using a dehydrator would work great as well.
Grind dry banana peels up into a fine powder. Grinding them up gives more surface area, and helps them break down faster.
You can use a food processor, a blender, or a mortar and pestle to break the banana peel into fine pieces.
This is the best method of using banana peels for fertilizer. Once properly dried, store it in glass jars in a dry place. This will keep well for months.
Moisture will cause this mixture to rot, so be sure it’s dry before grinding.
Use 1 tbsp of dried fertilizer per gallon of soil. Once per crop cycle. Mix it into your favorite potting soil. You can also add it to the topsoil of existing row crops or pots.
Add some to the hole when transplanting tomato plants.
Its also been researched that if you drink 1 tsp of this in a warm tea, it can help with insomnia, high blood pressure, fatigue diabetes, and even Parkinson’s.
Banana Peel Smoothie
This method is great if you want to you fresh fertilizer right away. In a blender, place banana peels and water. Blend well.
Apply to the base of plants just when they start to flower.
How often to Use Banana Peel Fertilizer
Banana peel fertilizer is a slow-release fertilizer, meaning it takes a while for it to break down. That being said, you can add it to your transplants while planting.
Also, adding it into the soil of your garden beds in spring is a great time to add dried banana peel fertilizer.
Banana peel smoothies can be added to your tomato, peppers, and flowers throughout the flowering season.
I would recommend giving them some nutritious banana peel fertilizer at the beginning of the growing year, as well as during the flowering stage.
Bananas contain generous amounts of phosphorus and potassium, which helps with flowering, and fruit production. It also encourages healthy root systems.
Disadvantages of Banana Peel Liquid Fertilizer
Are there any disadvantages to banana peel liquid fertilizer? The biggest problem that you can face is that bugs love the sweetness of bananas as well.
When using banana peels in liquid fertilizer, bugs can be attracted to it. You don’t want bugs indoors, which is why I don’t recommend using it inside.
Using dried banana peels will help prevent this problem.
Another disadvantage is mold. If there is any mold growth on your liquid or dried fertilizer, then discard it into your compost pile.
It will not contaminate your compost pile, but I would not use the fertilizer.
Using banana peel fertilizer in your garden is a great way to use up banana peels that usually end up in the wastebasket.
Not only is it an effective natural potassium supplement for your garden, but it also provides many other nutrients such as manganese, magnesium, and calcium.
Healthier plants will produce more fruit than weak plants. They grow a stronger root system and are more resistant to pests.
The humble banana peel can be used to make a banana tea, dried fertilizer, or banana smoothie.
Banana Peel Fertilizer is a cheap, all-natural fertilizer that is great for plants all around.