Houseplants
see the new viral trend around banana skin water as a fertilizer for your works ? Not sure if it ’s just a myth that it actually works ? In this article , horticulture expert Madison Moulton breaks down if you should be using this controversial method for providing nutrients to your plants .
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The internet is full of tips , tricks and hack designed to ameliorate your life in every agency , including in gardening . One of the late favourite hacks doing the rounds on societal medium , especially on TikTok ( or PlantTok as it ’s known ) , isbanana peel water , also called banana fertilizer tea .
you’re able to receive countless videos that peach of the benefit of using this DIY water as a type of fertilizer for both indoor and outdoor plants . But , as with all hypothesis , should you be look sharp out to try the newest frenzy ? Does this hack ply all the welfare it claims to , or are there job with the underlying skill ?
In this clause , we take a flavour at the pro and cons of using banana peel water as a nutrient sweetening or character of fertilizer for your plant life . We dig deeper into the claims , andwhether or not you should be using it on your plants . Let ’s jump in and toil a little deeper !
Plant Nutrients Explained
Much like humans , industrial plant take certain nutrients in different amounts . They allow them to mature correctly and for all their organization andprocesses to function as signify . These are split into three categories – macronutrients , secondary nutrients and micronutrients .
Macronutrients are those needed in the largest sum . You may have noticed the acronym NPK on fertilizer packaging . These are the symbols for these three essentials : nitrogen ( N ) , phosphorus ( P ) and atomic number 19 ( K ) . Nitrogen is mostly in commission of leaf and stem health . Phosphorus assist flowering and atomic number 19 cover up source and overall plant life health .
junior-grade nutrientsare needed in lesser amount than macronutrients but are just as significant . These include thing like calcium and sulphur that contribute to cell wellness and works growth .
Micronutrientslike smoothing iron and boron are require in very diminished amounts . But , deficiency of any of these micronutrient can get major problems with growth and overall health .
Banana Peel Fertilizer Water Claims
If you ’ve been on houseplant social medium pages latterly , you ’ve probably already take care the plant hack about banana peel fertilizer tea leaf . depiction ofchopped - up banana peel in seal jars of waterseem to be everywhere , prompting everyone to try this new trend .
So why is this such a popular proffer ? For starter motor , we all know that banana have lots ofpotassiumin them . In fact , it ’s the most unremarkably touted benefit of run through these fruits . atomic number 19 is one of the three macronutrients that plants ask in magnanimous amounts . So , bananas are believed to be as beneficial for plants as they are for humans .
Although nitrogen is the most talked - about nutrient for houseplant due to its donation to leaf growth , K is also important . It not only promote strong rootage health , but also impact the uptake of weewee and helps houseplant well handle a missed tearing or two .
By fertilizing your plants with this controversial method acting , proponents claim they will get their much - needed K readily usable to the roots , as well as other trace micronutrients .
Does it Really Work?
These claim all seem to make sense at a first glance . But , on closer inspection , there are some holes in the arguments .
The first issue is thelevel of potassium that end up in the water . Different recipe advocate steeping the peels for unlike amount of sentence – some overnight , and some for more than a week . However , even over long periods , very small K actually leach into the urine .
The claims equating the potassium message to what the plants end up receiving are therefore misleading . Most of that potassium remain in the peels rather than in the H2O .
The second issuing relates to the levels of nutrient your plants need . K is not the only macronutrient required . They also need a balance of nitrogen and phosphorus ( as well as other nutrients ) to grow effectively .
Gardeners reading these claim may believe banana peel water is a holistic fertiliser , when in fact itonly provides one of the expect nutrients . Even then , it only adds an almost unimportant amount of that nutrient to the grime .
Downsides & Problems
As with almost any “ hack writer ” or “ tip ” – there can be some downside to trying this out on your own plants . Let ’s take a spirit at some of the most common problem you may run into if you settle to seek to leverage this method acting to meliorate the growth of your plant .
Pest Problems
If you try this trick even once , you may have to deal with more than just a nutrient lack . Banana peel water , due to the small traces of banana that remain in the water , quickly pull a wide mixture of pests to the soil .
One of the most common problem infungus gnat . Theseannoying bug are tiny flying peststhat hang around the territory and your plants , quickly spreading to the rest period of your family wherever moisture is present . They also lie eggs in the grease , grow to finally take over your home .
Fungus gnats are also very difficult to get disembarrass of . Unlike other cosh - sucking blighter that can be pass over off the plant with neem oil , these pilot hemipteran will quick move by from the plants when you seek to get rid of them . muggy trap are your best line of demurrer but do n’t always catch all the culprits . And once they have laid eggs in the soil , only repotting can get really rid of them .
Inadequate Feeding Routine
Banana peel watercannot be considered a complete fertilizer . In fact , whether it can be considered a fertilizer at all is confutable due to the low nutritional depicted object . Using just this miscellanea to give your works will quickly lead to problem with nutritious lack .
Most houseplant profit from a regular fertilizing routine during spring and summertime . Since they live in the same pots for several years , they can speedily employ up the existing nutrient in the grunge , needing a top - up in Holy Order to produce further .
Tropical foliation plants require a balanced fertilizer with equal part of all macronutrients , including some suggestion secondary and micronutrient . Just potassium , and small-scale amounts of it at that , can not ply all the plant need , resulting in with child nutrient deficiencies over time despite the belief that you are ‘ fecundate ’ them .
Unpleasant Smells
If you do n’t stress your banana fertilizer tea leaf correctly , you will belike stop up with small pieces of banana in and around your houseplant soil . Besides attracting plague , these can slowly jump to rot , resulting in an unpleasant smell around your plants .
The longer you use the tea , the more these problems can build up . This will eventually interpenetrate your house or out-of-door garden sphere with a strong scent .
This can also conduce tomold growthin the dirt , a common problem in houseplant with excessively moist soil . This can finally block growth ( and also does n’t smack great either ) . Mold is often hard to remove from the land . It can also be released in the strain , potentially creating a harmful environment around your plants depend on the specific fungus involved .
What You Can Do Instead
So , possibly you ’ve decided this movement is n’t something you ’d like to do , and prefer to stick with time-tested and test method . countenance ’s take a look at some other more traditional things you may do to avail improve the outgrowth of your plants .
Compost Your Peels
Even though there are cause not to make banana fertiliser Camellia sinensis , that does n’t mean the peels ca n’t still be beneficial for your works . The dependable place for these peels , rather than the trash , is your compost pile .
Here they will decompose , relinquish the essential nutrients bear within them . This , combined with nutrient from other molder organic material , is a much more holistic nourishing reservoir than fertilizer tea . Youcan even compost citrus fruit , despite popular belief otherwise .
If you do n’t have a compost pile outdoors , there are alwaysways to begin indoors . Compost bins are available in all form and sizes to habituate indoors and out . Not only does this fix the amount of rubbish going into landfills , but it can also be used to improve the health of your plants over time .
Add Balanced Fertilizer To The Soil
For those who suspect a nutrient deficiency and were hoping banana peel pee would solve all their problems , there are far good options out there design to improve the growth of your plants .
specialised houseplant fertilizershave all the good nutrient in the proper proportion . They are designed for quick uptake to improve growth aright away , specifically in houseplants . depend on what you ’re maturate , there may even be a formula specially made for that specific works .
If you are imbed outside in a garden bed , or are implant veggies , stick to a gamy quality organic fertilizerfor your plants .
Not only are these good for the plants , but they also admit you toknow on the button what is going into your soil , preventing issue with nutrient asymmetry later on .
Final Thoughts
Weall love a good cyberspace hack , especially when it purports to help our plant grow big and strong . hack likeusing Epsom table salt on tomatoeshave proven scientifically to have sure benefits . Unfortunately , when it comes to banana peel water , most of the claims are either exaggerated or simply not true .
That should n’t stop you from giving it a go if you require to . There are plenty of gardeners who swear by john like these based on their own anecdotic evidence . As long as you are disposed to deal with the downside of banana Robert Peel fertilizer , whether you give it a attempt or not is finally up to you .
