Supporters of extreme environmental friendliness both in food and in life highly recommend fertilizer for indoor plants from banana peels. They do not require any additional costs, skins are still regularly and aimlessly thrown away, so why not use them?
What is good banana
Before you run to make fertilizer for indoor plants from a banana peel, let's figure out how much it is needed and useful. The main advantage of a winter treat is its high potassium content. In addition to it, but in smaller quantities, the banana contains phosphorus, nitrogen and magnesium - all that your flowers need. This homemade fertilizer for indoor plants from a banana peel is also good because all the substances enter the soil gradually, in small doses - that is, your green pets are protected from chemical burns and overdose. Such top dressing is especially good for flowering plants - it gently and unobtrusively feeds them the most necessary. However, do not forget about the second side, which any medal has.
Doubtful properties
The main disappointment that fertilizer for indoor plants from banana peels delivers is its attractiveness to insects. Ants, bees, flies and fruit flies are ready to cover a great distance for this delicacy. And if you can fence off mosquito nets from flying applicants , then what to do with creeping - cockroaches and ants?
A clear drawback is the possible presence of pesticides. For indoor plants, they are not scary, but if you are going to such a fertilizer for edible plants, then it is worth several times to think about the appropriateness of this.
For some growers, the treatment of the surface of the skins also raises questions in order to extend the shelf life of the banana. It is not possible to find out the exact formula of the composition, and it is difficult to predict how much this treatment can harm the flowers.
And the last: the inability to calculate and provide all the necessary substances using only fertilizer for indoor plants from a banana peel. There are plants that need an increased dose of phosphorus, and there are those who need nitrogen. Therefore, experienced gardeners are advised to combine the purchased dressing with home.
Banana peel as a fertilizer
There are several ways to apply skins for this purpose.
- When transplanting. Fresh peel is cut and laid over drainage. The same method can also be used in gardening - it simply gives amazing results when planting tomatoes and peppers.
- Drying from the peel. As the fruits are consumed, their skin is cut and dried. In spring, you can simply mulch the soil surface with it, backing off five centimeters from the trunk of a flower.
- Infusion. It is made from both fresh peel and dried peel. Fresh is passed through a blender and mixed with water - you can use this fertilizer for indoor plants from a banana peel immediately. The dried skin will have to be insisted: the “clothes” of four bananas are taken per liter of water and left under the lid. Infusion time is a matter of debate. Some gardeners claim that it should take 4-5 days, after which the fluid is filtered and diluted. Others believe that a day is enough: after 24 hours, the peel sours and at least starts to smell unpleasant. Deciding who to join will have to be based on my own experience.
If you intend to use bananas in the garden direction, it is better to pass them through a compost pit.
There is another secret: when using fertilizer for indoor plants from a banana peel in a fresh form, not dried, you can sprinkle it with a layer of soil from a pot. It decomposes then faster and less attracts unwanted insects. And when watering, useful substances are evenly distributed on the ground.
Extra bonuses
In addition to potassium (and other elements, albeit in smaller quantities), from banana peels, indoor flowers receive benefits that are not provided for by you. For example, when it is fertilized, aphids will never attack your plants - the smell of the skin is unpleasant to her. And to fight these insects on domestic plants is quite difficult: most insecticides require fresh air.
Many plant growers recommend wiping large leaves with the inside of a banana peel - they say, from this treatment they begin to shine and develop more actively. On the other hand, some gardeners have the impression that from such a procedure unaesthetic stains and streaks of skins remain on leaf blades. Which opinion is true - see for yourself.
What other fertilizers can you do yourself
Banana is not the only household fertilizer for indoor plants that you can build yourself. Most flowers constantly need calcium. And here it is worth recalling folk recipes for pregnant women experiencing the same needs. The easiest option is to water indoor flowers with the water remaining after cooking 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 when pots are carried out on a balcony.
It is actively advised to use cold infusion (not tea leaves!) Of green tea. Together with the same banana peel , not only fertilizer is obtained, but also a growth stimulator, which does not deplete the flower, but only gives an impetus to development.