Proponents of extreme 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 good is a banana
Before you run to make fertilizer for indoor plants from a banana peel, let's figure out how necessary and useful it is. The main advantage of winter delicacy is the high content of potassium in it. In addition to it, but in smaller quantities, a banana contains phosphorus, nitrogen and magnesium - all that your flowers need. This homemade banana peel fertilizer 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. Such top dressing is especially good for flowering plants - it gently and unobtrusively feeds them with the most necessary. However, notyou should forget about the second side that any medal has.
Questionable properties
The main frustration with banana peel houseplant fertilizer is its attraction to insects. Ants, bees, flies and fruit flies are ready to travel a long distance for this delicacy. And if you can fence off flying applicants with mosquito nets, then what to do with creeping ones - cockroaches and ants?
A clear disadvantage is the possible presence of pesticides. For indoor plants, they are not terrible, but if you are going to use such a fertilizer for edible plants, then you should think several times about the appropriateness of this.
Some growers also have questions about the surface treatment of the skin 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 processing can harm the flowers.
One last thing: the inability to calculate and provide all the necessary substances using only banana peel houseplant fertilizer. 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 use skins for this purpose.
- When transplanting. Fresh peel is cut and placed on top of the drain. The same method can also be used ingardening - it gives simply amazing results when planting tomatoes and peppers.
- Drying from the peel. As fruits are consumed, their skin is cut and dried. In spring, you can simply mulch the surface of the soil with it, stepping back about five centimeters from the stem of the flower.
- Infusion. It is made from both fresh peel and dried. Fresh is passed through a blender and mixed with water - you can use this fertilizer for indoor plants from a banana peel right away. The dried skin will have to be insisted: “clothes” of four bananas are taken per liter of water and left under the lid. The time of infusion is a matter of controversy. Some flower 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 garden direction, it is better to pass them through the compost pit.
There is another secret: when using banana peel houseplant fertilizer fresh, not dried, you can sprinkle it with a layer of soil from a pot. It then decomposes faster and attracts less unwanted insects. And when watering, nutrients 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 for by you from a banana peel. Tofor example, when fertilizing it, aphids will never attack your plants - the smell of the skin is unpleasant for her. And it is quite difficult to deal with these insects on house plants: most insecticides require fresh air.
Many growers recommend wiping large leaves with the inside of a banana skin - they say, from such treatment they begin to shine and develop more actively. On the other hand, some flower growers are left with the impression that such a procedure leaves unaesthetic stains and streaks from the skins on the leaf plates. Which opinion is right - see for yourself.
What other fertilizers can you make yourself
Banana is not the only homemade houseplant fertilizer you can make yourself. Most flowers constantly need calcium. And here it is worth remembering folk recipes for pregnant women experiencing similar needs. The easiest option is to water indoor flowers with water left after boiling 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 cold infusion (not tea leaves!) Green tea. In combination with the same banana peel, not only fertilizer is obtained, but also a growth stimulator, which at the same time does not deplete the flower, but only gives impetus to development.
