Category: Organic Fertilizers Read: 10 min Views: 528
Banana is an excellent nutritional option. This fruit contains a significant amount of the most useful components for plants. Banana contains a lot of potassium, a component that helps crops thrive and flourish. Banana peel as a fertilizer for indoor plants is a wonderful option for complete and healthy feeding.
The benefits of banana peel
A wide variety of nutritional supplements can be found in gardening stores. But natural products are always better than chemicals. Banana peel, used as a fertilizer, has the following health benefits:
- is a prophylaxis against aphid infestation;
- contains potassium in its chemical composition, which assiduously helps plants to bloom beautifully, luxuriantly and for a long time;
- phosphorus, which helps to strengthen the immunity of plants and, accordingly, helps flowers to actively develop and resist the attack of pathogens and infections;
- contains magnesium, a component essential for all plants that lack natural sunlight.
Fruit dressing contributes to the saturation of the soil with useful trace elements, which are necessary for the normal growth and development of flowers, as well as the root system. In terms of its chemical composition and active properties, fruit dressing is not inferior to any complex mineral fertilizers and, at the same time, confidently remains a natural plant raw material.
The benefits of banana peel for plants
Banana peel as a fertilizer in gardening is not a novelty, it has been used for a long time. The advantages of home feeding, in comparison with store counterparts, are that the first product does not contain chemical additives. The benefits of banana peel:
- improvement of microflora and soil health;
- harmless growth stimulation;
- strengthening the immune system;
- stimulation of disease and pest control;
- saturation with useful microelements, as a result - plants tolerate transplantation, lack of sunlight and heat less painfully.
Chemical composition
The composition of the peel of a banana is almost the same as the pulp of this fruit, but there are some differences. The minerals contained in the skin are:
- potassium;
- sodium;
- phosphorus;
- manganese;
- calcium;
- iron;
- magnesium;
- nitrogen.
More than 90% of the mass of banana peel is liquid and organic nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, lipids). The amount of water in the skins depends on the time of harvest, the degree of ripeness of the fruit, and its shelf life. Such a component composition has found practical use of banana peel in industrial production.
Almost every mineral or organic component is a useful substance necessary for the normal development and functioning of the organic system of a person, animal or plant. Their consumption is mandatory, otherwise general malaise of the body develops. Getting the nutrients from banana peels must be correct as they also contain some harmful toxic elements that accumulate in the skin.
Mechanism of action
Having studied the composition of the peel, it is immediately clear that such waste is ideal for plant nutrition. The mineral complex, which is part of the fruit and the peel, is useful for growth, development, flowering and fruiting. The peel of vegetables and fruits very often contains a rich vitamin and mineral composition - this has become a prerequisite for the use of banana peels in horticulture. When all these trace elements are decomposed, they perfectly nourish the roots, stimulating active growth and flowering.
The skin contains a large amount of plant growth hormone. fruits are picked unripe and treated with substances for ripening at the time of sale. Top dressing from banana peel activates seed germination, rooting of seedlings, and the development of young shoots. Such fertilizer is used to stimulate the growth of vegetable seedlings, feed greenhouse crops or indoor flowers, especially those that do not have enough sunlight and heat. Magnesium promotes photosynthesis, so winter greenhouse and indoor plants will “like it”.
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Cons of banana feeding
Almost every fertilizer has its drawbacks. There are also "minuses" for the banana dressing.
- If the peel of the fruit is on the surface of the soil, then over time it begins to mold and give off an unpleasant odor.
- Banana food attracts ants and some other insects. Therefore, if the flowers are fed with such a mixture, then the risk of insects on the plants increases.
- The fruit infusion has a specific smell.
Application of fruit fertilizer
Banana peels are often used by experienced growers who know that fruit infusion helps plants to bloom beautifully, stay strong and healthy. Moreover, banana dressing has a positive effect on the brightness of the inflorescences, and also significantly increases the duration of the flowering period.
The main nuances that need to be adhered to when using fruit dressing:
- Cacti should be fed with a nutrient mixture only in the summer season. When preparing the working solution, add more water and less concentrated fruit substance. Too concentrated banana infusion can burn the root system of cacti.
- When organizing fruit nutrition for indoor plants, it is important to remember that not all flowers need abundant watering. If a plant variety requires low humidity, then fertilize it not earlier than the moment when the soil in the pot dries out by 1/3. For flowers that love high humidity, you should also not overdo it with fruit dressing. Too frequent fertilization can give a completely opposite result - the flower will become lethargic, stop blooming, and the root system will begin to rot.
- For flowers that need drip irrigation, continuous banana fertilization can be arranged. But it is important to take into account that it will be necessary to use a weakly concentrated solution for plant nutrition. Therefore, when preparing the working infusion, you will need to add most of the water and less - the fruit concentrated mixture.
- When fertilizing occasionally, always make sure that the soil in the pot is not too wet. If the soil is still wet, then the application of top dressing must be postponed to a later date. Neglect of this rule can provoke rotting of the roots, and then the death of the flower.
Beneficial features
Banana peel for flowers - organic, which is prepared with your own hands. It contains a lot of nitrogen, potassium, magnesium and calcium. Gardeners know that for lush vegetation and abundant fruiting, these substances are essential. "Waste" began to be used for indoor "green favorites".
The shell contains vitamins of groups A, B, C, E, PP, necessary for the growth of flowers. The skin contains trace elements and macronutrients. The presence of components, replaces factory potash-phosphate fertilizers. Organics have a beneficial effect on the "green pet":
- improves the composition and structure of the soil;
- stimulates growth;
- enhances the immune system of flowers;
- protects against pests;
- saturates with useful elements.
Indoor flowers need magnesium, without it they cannot grow fully. It is important to be careful as the soil must match the plant variety. If in doubt, it is worth supplementing the fertilizing with humates. They are inexpensive and have minimal consumption.
Growers who are accustomed to using commercial fertilizers are skeptical about homemade banana peel mixtures. Oh, in vain! Top dressing based on it is not inferior to purchased preparations, and perhaps even better. They consist of natural ingredients, therefore they are harmless to the human body and plants.
When is the best time to use a banana dressing?
Banana peel fertilizers are versatile. They work well for home flowers of all kinds and sizes. It is recommended to add fruit mixtures to the soil during the period when the flowers begin to form buds. It is useful to use banana dressing in the spring, when the plants wake up after the winter rest and are deficient in essential components.
Regular application of fruit dressing at the time of vegetative growth of the flower promotes lush and long flowering. Top dressing has a positive effect on plant development and growth. Banana peel helps to restore diseased and weakened flowers, helps young plants to take root better after transplanting.
Banana peel fertilizer properties
The introduction of the peel of tropical fruits into the soil enriches it with potassium, manganese, sodium, calcium and iron. The use of these substances as top dressing:
- potassium - improves metabolic processes at the intercellular level and makes the stems stronger;
- magnesium - normalizes the process of photosynthesis, which is especially important for flowers on the windowsill;
- phosphorus - increases frost resistance and stimulates flowering.
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But the skin also contains other compounds that, when accumulated, have a negative effect on the development of plants - they slow down growth, stop the intake of nutrients, shorten the growing season of the plant and can lead to decay:
- saponins - increase the risk of decay;
- hydrogen cyanide - protect the plant itself from pests, but if it enters the fruit of a plant in which it does not accumulate, it can provoke intoxication in humans;
- oxalates - enroll the soil;
- tannin - increases the resistance of the aerial parts of plants, but impairs the taste of the fruit.
When cutting bananas, they are treated with growth stimulants, pesticides and preservatives to increase shelf life and prevent spoilage. When the skins are used as fertilizer, they also enter the soil and then into the plant.
Attention! Even if the fruits are washed with soap before use, the chemicals will not wash off.
These compounds, getting into the soil, enter the plants along with nutrients. The use of fruit crops with such a "supplement" negatively affects the digestive tract, can provoke a deterioration in health in adults and intoxication in children. Houseplants, in which toxins have accumulated, release them into the air - the atmosphere in a closed room becomes unhealthy.
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Banana Fertilizer Preparation Methods
There are several ways to prepare the most useful dressings based on this fruit. In any case, banana peels, as a fertilizer for indoor plants, will have beneficial and nutritious properties.
A mixture of soil + banana peel
Before planting a flower in a pot, you can mix the soil with chopped banana peels. It is advisable, after mixing the main ingredients, to let the soil stand for a couple of days, and then start planting the plant.
Over time, the peel of the fruit will begin to rot and supply the soil with nutritious and beneficial components. Flowers, receiving the necessary supply of vital elements from the soil, will be distinguished by strong immunity, good appearance and long flowering.
When using this method, it is important to make sure that the peel particles do not "peek" out of the soil, as the soil surface will instantly become covered with a layer of mold.
It is very convenient to use crushed fruit peels in combination with a drainage mixture. In this variant, the fruit substance is distributed at the bottom of the pot, saturating the plant root system with all vital nutrients.
Powder
For the preparation of nutritious feeding, the peel of the fruit must be thoroughly dried. You can dry the product in the open sun (in summer). To do this, the peel is placed on a wooden surface, then taken out into the street (you can on the balcony) and dries under the influence of sunlight. If the weather is rainy, the product must be removed indoors.
Another option for drying the peel is a heating battery. Spread a paper towel on the battery, put the skin of the fruit on it and leave to dry. Periodically, the peel needs to be turned over. This method can only be used in winter when hot water (gas, steam, etc.) is supplied to the heating radiators.
Dry the product until it becomes dark brown. It should be completely dry to the touch. After drying, the product must be grinded in a coffee grinder or blender.
Powdered feeding is used once a month. The fertilizer is spread over the topsoil in the pot.
This method of obtaining nutritious feeding is recommended for weakened plants. Banana powder helps to strengthen the defenses, which helps plants to recover from illness or pest infestation.
Compost
To make an active mixture, it will be necessary to dig a small hole in the ground.
Compost pit preparation:
- dig a small hole in the ground;
- enclose it with a fence 50 cm high (this will later help the plant heap not to disintegrate).
Banana peels are laid in layers in the compost pit, then the soil, after which the heap is poured with warm water. Periodically fill the compost pit with layers of peel and soil.
It will be possible to use banana dressing only after at least 6 months. During this time, the vegetable mixture must be overheated.
An iron barrel can be used instead of a compost pit. But it will be necessary to store a container with plant materials in a well-ventilated and cool room (in a barn), since the compost has a specific smell.
Composting requires a large amount of banana peels.
Tropical cocktail
To obtain the most useful mixture, you need to grind the peel of 1-2 bananas in a blender. Pour 300 ml into the resulting substance. cool water. To stir thoroughly.
Use a tropical cocktail immediately after preparation. If you leave it for storage, then within a day it will acquire an unpleasant aroma, and the top layer of the mixture will be covered with mold.
The tropical cocktail is used in the form of a nutritional supplement once a month. For indoor plants growing in a 3 liter pot, it will be enough to add 1 teaspoon of the nutrient mixture.
Foliar top dressing
When using this type of fertilizer, plant foliage is sprayed. During the procedure, the soil is simultaneously moistened and the entire structure of the flower is processed. As a result, the plant receives full nutrition.
Preparation of the nutrient solution:
- powder from the peel of 2 bananas mixed with 1 teaspoon of ground eggshell and 20 gr. magnesium sulfate powder;
- mix the mixture thoroughly in 1 liter. cool water.
Spraying with a nutrient composition is carried out no more than 1 time a week, otherwise you can overfeed the flowers.
The prepared solution is allowed to be stored for 2 months, but always in the refrigerator.
Banana broth
Rinse the skin from 1 banana, transfer to a glass jar and pour 300 ml. steep boiling water. Insulate the jar with a woolen scarf or terry towel and leave for 3 hours. After cooking, strain the broth.
Use the banana broth immediately after preparation. It is not recommended to store such a mixture.
Calculation of the nutrient mixture: per 3 liter pot. no more than 50 ml is required. banana broth. Feed the plants with a nutrient mixture every 2 weeks.
Infusion
To prepare a banana infusion, you need to chop the peel from 1 banana. Then transfer the resulting mixture into a liter glass jar and pour cool water into it to the top. Cover the jar with a layer of gauze and leave to infuse in a warm dark room for 1 day.
Banana peel infusion has a specific smell, so it is recommended to use it immediately after preparation. If necessary, the infusion after preparation can be filtered and stored in a cool place for 2 months.
Banana & Citrus Nutritious Blend
Very nutritious for indoor flowers is a composition prepared on the basis of:
- banana peel;
- orange peel;
- Sahara.
Cooking method:
- Fill 1/3 of a 3-liter jar with chopped banana peel and orange zest.
- Pour in 1 sec. a spoonful of sugar.
- Pour the mixture with cool water up to the "shoulder" of the jar.
- Insist for a month.
- Strain with a layer of gauze (fruit sediment cannot be used as fertilizer).
Before adding to the soil, the infusion is diluted with warm water in a ratio of 1:20. The frequency of top dressing is once a month.
The fruit fertilizer can be kept cold for up to 6 months.
Nutritious Green Tea Banana Blend
An excellent growth promoter for indoor flowers is a nutritional mixture made from green tea and freshly prepared banana peel infusion (the ingredients are taken in equal proportions).
To obtain a tea infusion, you need to take a loose infusion of quality tea. 2 tbsp. pour 500 ml of tea leaves. cold water. Leave to infuse for 1 day. Then strain.
Nettle & Banana Nutritional Blend
To prepare herbal infusion, 2 tbsp is required. pour 250 ml of nettle spoons. cold water. Put the mixture to infuse for 1 day in a warm room. In the future, mix the strained nettle infusion in equal proportions with the banana peel infusion.
Before use, the concentrated nutritional infusion must be diluted with warm water in a ratio of 1: 3. You can fertilize the flowers with the resulting composition no more than once a month.
The finished infusion can be stored cold for up to 3 months.
Banana & Grape Blend Nutrient
Banana peels contain significant amounts of phosphorus as well as potassium. Almost the entire periodic table is present in grape branches. If, when planting a flower, mix the soil with 1/2 banana peel and art. with a spoonful of chopped branches (the calculation is given for a pot with a capacity of 3 liters), then the plant will be provided with a full range of vital substances.
Preparation of raw materials
Before using banana skins as a fertilizer for vegetables, you must first remove harmful substances from their composition (ammonium sulfate, pesticides and other substances). You can properly prepare the raw material by drying it in the sun. To do this, you need to choose a sunny and preferably a little windy day, cut the banana skins into narrow strips 2-3 cm wide, string them on a thread and hang them to dry in the open air.
To prepare fertilizer for seedlings, the skins are scalded with boiling water and left in it for 1-1.5 hours. After that, the liquid is drained, and the swollen mass is used as raw material for the preparation of dressings.
Precautions
Do not use banana peel fertilizer for indoor plants too often. Plants overfed with nutrient mixture will begin to wither, their foliage will be covered with yellow spots.
If the plant is overfed with nutrient fertilizer, then the subsequent application of the fruit mixture must be stopped. It is important to give the flower a "rest" from the nutrients, so the feeding is stopped for at least 3 months.
The composition of the banana peel contains a large amount of potassium and active phosphorus, but nitrogen is completely absent. Nitrogen compounds are as important to flowers as other nutrients. Nitrogen has a beneficial effect on the process of growing greenery and promotes the rapid growth of flowers. In order for the plant to be fully provided with the entire set of nutritional components, it is recommended to alternate potassium-phosphorus fertilization with the application of nitrogen-based fertilizers.
Rinse the banana peel thoroughly before preparing the formula. For transportation and long-term storage, fruits are treated with active chemical compounds that can harm the immunity of flowers.
Indoor Plants Application
There are several ways to use banana peels as fertilizer. One of them is watering.
Each plant needs its own approach, but there is no one-size-fits-all method. Fertilizers need only be applied to wet soil so as not to damage the roots of the plant. There are a few things to consider when watering indoor flowers:
- The cactus is watered exclusively in the summer, and the fertilizer concentration should be lower than for other flowers.
- Some types of indoor flowers need a break from watering, and their soil should dry out before the next top dressing.
- Flowers that need constant soil moisture can be fed with such fertilizer constantly. The composition must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 2.
- You need to carefully monitor the moisture content of the soil. Too wet soil will start to rot. You should not overdo it with watering.
What else do you need to know?
Banana peel flower dressing is very effective. But not many people know that the peel of the fruit can be used in other ways. With the inner side of the banana peel, it is convenient to peel the leaves of large indoor flowers - monstera, dieffenbachia, etc. Such fruit peeling gives the foliage brightness, saturation of shades and freshness. Moreover, the leaves receive the necessary nutrition during processing, which has a positive effect on their appearance.
But you should not get carried away with the process of peeling the foliage with a banana peel. Nutrient overload can be harmful to the flower. It is recommended to peel the leaves no more than once a month, and at other times use clean water to remove dust and dirt.
Banana dressing has many advantages - it saturates the soil with organic matter, improving its quality composition, helps the flowers to actively develop and bloom luxuriantly. But too much fruit mixture in the soil can negatively affect plant health. Therefore, in everything it is important to observe the measure and not try to overfeed indoor flowers.
It is also important to remember that no fertilization has an immediate positive effect.To see the results, nutrient mixtures need to be applied to the flower soil regularly.