After consuming bananas, their peels are often thrown in the trash, but they can be used to enrich houseplants. Banana peels contain nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium, allowing them to be used as a natural homemade fertilizer. Notably, creating organic fertilizer from banana peels does not require purchasing special ingredients from a store.
If you have pots of various sizes on your balcony, roof, or near a window, instead of throwing away banana peels, you can use them with the following five simple methods. Below is how what is considered waste can be turned into organic fertilizer.
Methods for making fertilizer from banana peels
1. Making fertilizer from soaked peels
The simplest way to create fertilizer from banana peels is by preparing a water solution from these peels. You need to cut the peel into small pieces, place them in a clean jar or container, and cover them with water so that the peel is completely submerged. Leave this mixture for about two to three days. Then, strain the water and separate the peel. The resulting solution should be diluted before applying it to plants and added to the soil. The remaining peels can be added to compost for future use.
2. Boiling and making liquid fertilizer
If you want to prepare a liquid feed in a slightly different way, you can try the following method. First, cut the peel into small pieces and soak them in water for two to three days. After that, boil them for about 30-45 minutes. Let the liquid cool completely, and then strain it. Before applying this liquid mixture to plants, it must be diluted with clean water. It is advisable to avoid pouring the thick solution directly onto the plant soil.
3. Drying the peel and direct application to soil
If you do not want to prepare liquid fertilizer every time, you can simply dry the banana peel. Cut the peel into small pieces and dry it thoroughly in the sun. It is also possible to dry it in an oven at a low temperature. It is important to ensure that the peel is completely dry. After that, it can be mixed with the soil in small pieces. Dried peels can be stored for some time.
4. Using powder from dried peel
Making powder from dried banana peel is also quite simple. When the peel is completely dry and crispy, grind it in a blender, food processor, or coffee grinder. The resulting powder can be mixed with a small amount of soil. It can also be given to plants by mixing it with water. The advantage of this method is that the powder is easy to store and dose in small amounts for plants.
5. Fermented liquid from banana peel
If you have more time, you can prepare a fermented liquid from banana peel. For this, take equal parts of ripe banana pieces and dark brown sugar, place them in a container, and let them ferment for about two weeks. However, caution should be exercised when using this method. Due to the presence of sugar, flies and other insects may appear. Therefore, before applying it to plants, be sure to dilute the liquid with water.
Important points when using fertilizers from banana peels