Banana peels are a valuable fertilizer for peppers, cucumbers and eggplants, but the most noticeable effect of feeding can be seen on tomatoes. Banana peels contain the elements most necessary for the formation, growth and ripening of tomato fruits; using fertilizer from them can significantly increase the volume and quality of the harvest.

Banana peel as a top dressing

The benefits of banana fertilizer for tomatoes are not limited to its ability to stimulate the formation of ovaries and increase the mass of fruits, although this quality is primarily valued by gardeners in fertilizer. But besides this, the substances contained in the peel also have a beneficial effect on the growth of bushes, root development, and increasing plant endurance.

Useful elements in banana peel:

  1. Potassium. The concentration of this element in raw materials is especially high - 7.8% of the total mass. The substance is necessary for the formation of ovaries, development and ripening of tomato fruits, promotes the accumulation of sugars in their pulp, increases immunity to diseases and resistance of tomatoes to unfavorable growing conditions.
  2. Manganese. Participates in the processes of photosynthesis and transport of nutrients to plant organs, promotes the accumulation of vitamin C in fruits.
  3. Calcium. Stimulates the growth of roots, shoots and fruits of tomatoes, as well as the process of ovary formation.
  4. Iron. Required for shoot growth and ovary formation.
  5. Phosphorus. The element is significant for the processes of flowering and fruit formation of tomatoes, the development of a strong root system, regulates metabolism, promotes the absorption of nitrogen, ensuring good growth of bushes.
  6. Magnesium. The substance is necessary for the production of chlorophyll and the normal course of photosynthesis processes, provides cellular nutrition, and participates in the process of phosphorus absorption. With a lack of magnesium, the formation of ovaries and ripening of fruits does not occur.

On a note!

Manganese also prevents the accumulation of nitrates in plant tissues in the case of fertilizing with nitrate forms of nitrogen (for example, calcium nitrate).

When and why is fertilizing useful for tomatoes?


The set of nutrients in banana peels makes fertilizer from it a valuable supplement during all phases of the tomato growing season.

  1. The high need for potassium in tomatoes at the stage of formation of 3-4 leaves makes fertilizing appropriate for feeding young seedlings.
  2. Banana peel fertilizer applied a week before transplanting seedlings into a greenhouse or open ground will increase the adaptive qualities of plants and help them quickly take root in a new place.
  3. Banana peel fertilizer can be used as a routine phosphorus-potassium supplement during the flowering and fruit formation phase. The composition of the elements contained in the raw material makes it an ideal organic means for stimulating the formation of ovaries.
  4. Fertilizing applied during the period of fruit ripening promotes the formation of large and sweet tomatoes on the bush.

Advantages and disadvantages of fertilizer


Banana fertilizer has its supporters and opponents among gardeners - despite the beneficial qualities of banana tops for feeding tomatoes and other garden crops, there are also serious arguments against its use.

The disadvantages of banana peels are:

  • toxicity - during the growing process, banana fruits are subjected to several chemical treatments to delay, and after stimulating ripening, and it is in the peel that the bulk of harmful substances removed from the pulp accumulate;
  • the need for processing - banana peels decompose very quickly, even for short-term storage it is necessary to carefully prepare the raw materials;
  • the appearance of insects - fertilizer from banana skins during the process of preparing raw materials or during use can attract flies, ants and other insects into the house or garden.

But, in addition to the effectiveness of fertilizing for tomatoes and other crops, the fertilizer also has other positive aspects that compensate for the shortcomings:

  • economical - no need to buy fertilizer, tomato tops are waste that can be easily accumulated in the required volume for the summer season;
  • environmental friendliness is an organic fertilizer that does not contain “chemicals”.

Banana peel feeding recipes


To increase the number of ovaries on tomatoes and the size of fruits, it is advisable to use liquid fertilizing options, since in this form the fertilizer is safe for plant roots, and the elements contained in it are absorbed as quickly as possible. You can also make compost, mulch, and ash from the peel, but you cannot add fresh raw materials, since the concentration of nutrients in it is too high and can harm the roots of the tomatoes.

  • Infusion. To prepare 10 liters of infusion, you will need the skins of 17-20 bananas. The peel should be filled with warm water and, tightly closing the container with a lid, kept in a dark place for about 5 days. After straining, the product can be stored for up to a month under a closed lid or used immediately. Before watering, 1 part of the infusion should be diluted with 2 parts of water.

The container for preparing the infusion must be sterilized by boiling; it is also recommended to boil the water for 10-15 minutes. This will prevent the solution from rotting.

  • Mousse. In a blender, beat 0.5 liters of water and pre-cut skins from 2 bananas. After this, 1 teaspoon of the mass is diluted with 250 ml of water and this volume is poured under 1 adult bush.

  • Compost. You need to grind about 10 skins and mix them with a bucket of garden soil. The mass is filled with water (you can use compost starter) and left to ferment for a month, stirring occasionally. After the expiration date, the compost must be refilled with water (or starter), mix the mass thoroughly and leave for another 30 days. The finished mixture is spread on top of the soil in the tree trunks of the bushes.
  • Ash. The dried banana peel is burned over a fire, after which the fertilizer can be used like any other ash - scattered dry around the bushes or prepared an ash solution.
  • Powder. It is not necessary to burn banana peels; the dried raw materials can be ground into powder and used similarly to ash - in this case, more valuable substances will be retained. To feed one bush, you need to scatter 1 teaspoon of powder in a circle near the trunk (after this the plant needs to be watered) or brew 2 teaspoons per 1/4 liter of water using the tea method.
  • Mulch. The skin dried in the oven or dried in the fresh air should be cut and placed in the circle of the bush.

Tips and Tricks for Using Banana Tops

Gardeners have tried many ways to use banana peels as a fertilizer, having empirically identified a number of subtleties, the observance of which will help avoid harm to plants and increase the impact of fertilizing.

The best harvesting methods


To fertilize your tomato planting you will need a lot of banana peels. It is possible to collect the required volume of raw materials over the winter, but the peel quickly decomposes and therefore requires processing.

  1. Freezing is considered the best way - rotting of raw materials is excluded while maintaining the maximum of useful elements in it, while harmful organic substances are frozen out. The method is extremely simple - fresh skins are placed in a container with a tight lid, which is placed in the freezer.
  2. Drying in the oven is a more complex and expensive (electricity consumption) method. In addition, when organic matter is destroyed under the influence of high temperature, harmful products of its decomposition remain in the peel. But this method guarantees long-term storage without spoilage of raw materials. Dry the peel at a minimum temperature, spreading foil on a baking sheet. After drying, grind it into powder and store it in a paper bag.
  3. Drying naturally - the advantage of this method compared to the previous one is that the decomposition products of organic compounds volatilize. The downside is the duration of the process, during which the raw materials can rot or become moldy.

The easiest way to feed


As a rule, infusions are prepared from fresh peel, but it can also be used without processing. Preparation of fertilizer comes down to grinding the raw materials. In this case, you should isolate the plant roots from the peel with a layer of soil, for example, by placing fertilizer at the bottom of the seedling container or hole and covering it with soil. Damage to the roots is unlikely because banana peels decompose quickly in the soil - in about 10 days. When the roots grow into the area where the peel was buried, there will be only nutrient-rich soil. Therefore, such feeding is advisable only for seedlings.

Attention!

It would be a mistake to mulch your tomato beds with fresh banana peels. The raw materials quickly become moldy and can attract insects to the planting, and in this case the absorption of nutrients will take a long time.

How to Make Fresh Peel Safe for Roots


The biological activity of raw materials can be reduced while preserving all the useful elements by drying the skins. To do this, strips of peel are strung on a thread and left to dry in the open air, hanging. The method is convenient in that it prevents the tops from rotting, but it can only be used in dry, preferably sunny and windy weather.

The scalding method, used for the same purpose by some gardeners, cannot be considered effective - active substances that are dangerous to the roots remain in the peel even after immersion in boiling water, while a large proportion of useful elements are lost as a result of the procedure. Therefore, when preparing infusions, banana peels are poured with warm, but not boiling, water.

Alternative uses


Banana peel infusion can be applied using the foliar method. The product can also protect tomato plants from aphids, since insects do not like potassium. Spraying can be carried out throughout the season, but not more than once a week. It is important to irrigate the bushes with a warm solution, the optimal temperature is about 20°C.

The variety of methods for applying fertilizer, recipes for its preparation and methods for preparing and storing raw materials should be considered another advantage of banana peels. You can choose the most convenient option for yourself, providing the plants with high-quality and highly effective fertilizer.

For some, such a concept as banana peel fertilizer,- the thing is quite familiar and acceptable. And someone may be surprised at such a non-standard use of waste. In any case, each of you, dear readers, will be interested to know why banana peel is considered one of the best bases for preparing seedlings and you will learn the simplest and most interesting recipes for preparing this miracle remedy, and you will also be able to verify in practice the life-giving properties of this product.

Banana peels as fertilizer

The fact that banana skins are ideal for can be understood immediately by studying the composition of this. Bananas contain large amounts of potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. This complex of vitamins and minerals is very useful not only for the human body, but also for growth, flowering and fruiting. And as you know, the peel of fruit often has an even more saturated and rich composition of microelements than the fruit itself. This became the prerequisite for the use of banana peels for both outdoor and greenhouse plants many years ago. When all these organic elements decompose into they perfectly nourish the plants, promoting vigorous growth and flowering.

Did you know? The peel of commercial bananas contains a large amount of growth hormone, since they are picked unripe and specially processed to ripen at the time of sale. Fertilizers prepared from this raw material stimulate seed germination, rooting of seedlings and the development of young shoots.

Application

Banana peel fertilizer is actively used to stimulate the germination of seedlings, as well as to nourish indoor and greenhouse plants, mainly those that suffer from a lack of sunlight and heat. After all, magnesium, which is contained in this fruit, promotes photosynthesis. This potassium potassium drug will be especially useful for winter greenhouse plants. Cruciferous vegetables are very fond of it. and they will also be very grateful to you for such a “treat”.


Chopped fresh peel

This is the simplest, but very effective way to feed seedlings and seedlings. The fresh peel is cut into pieces and buried in a hole under the root of the plant. It is interesting that after ten days there is nothing left of the skins - they completely decompose, giving themselves to the plant. After this technique, even frail and sickly greenery begins to actively grow, acquires a rich color and a healthy appearance.

Important! It is worth remembering that harmful substances that were used to treat bananas during transportation to prolong their presentation can remain on the surface of the skins for a long time. Before use, the peel must be thoroughly washed and it is better not to use this method for fruit plants.

One wash will not be able to get rid of absolutely all harmful impurities, since a significant part of them is contained in the skin itself. To protect yourself before fertilizing fruit plants, it is better to process banana peels.

Dried fertilizer

This is one of the most convenient and safe types of fertilizer for indoor plants, which can be prepared from banana peels. Of course, it can be used for both outdoor and greenhouse green pets. The dried tops are crushed in a mortar or ground with a coffee grinder, after which this powder is sprinkled on the soil in a pot or garden bed, watered and after a while admire the result - a blooming and lush healthy plant. There are several ways to dry banana peels:

  • The most popular method is drying the skins in an oven or electric dryer. To do this, they are placed in the oven for several hours at a minimum temperature. The tops dry out, but some of the beneficial substances evaporate along with the moisture, and harmful chemicals may remain in the skin.
  • Drying on a windowsill or on a radiator. This is also a fairly effective method, the main thing is to cover the skins with gauze. The downside is that this is a rather lengthy process, and during the entire process the raw material may rot in the sun.
  • Dry the banana peels in the sun, hanging in the fresh air. To do this, banana peelings are strung on a thread and hung in a sunny, well-ventilated place, like mushrooms. Thus, the entire complex of vitamins and minerals remains in the composition, and no trace remains of harmful impurities.

  • Did you know? In addition to dessert sweet varieties of bananas, there are also table varieties called plantains. They are fresh and taste like They can be fried, baked, stewed, boiled and even made into chips.

    Liquid fertilizer

    This method is universal and works well for all types of plants.


    This method is also effective in combating these insects. They do not tolerate potassium and its excess, so by watering the flowers with such a banana extract, you will forever repel them from your pots and beds.

    There is also a simple recipe for a banana peel fertilizer shake.

    • The skin of one banana.
    • Glass of water.
    Beat it all in a blender and, without straining, add a couple of spoons to the soil once a month. This is a kind of natural growth and flowering stimulator. It will be useful when transplanting plants from one place to another.

    Another recipe for liquid feeding is a spray. This fertilizer is based on banana tops.


    In order to prepare banana compost, you just need to add a few finely chopped banana skins to good black, greasy soil, pour it all over with any leaven, such as Baikal, and mix thoroughly. After a month of infusion, you can fertilize the beds with such compost, and



    Freezing waste

    Freezing is one way to remove all harmful chemicals from banana skins, as well as keep them fresh so you can feed yours with fresh fertilizer at any time. Just keep a tray in your freezer for banana peels and, instead of throwing them away, toss them in with fresh scraps as they arrive.

In farm stores, high-quality fertilizer is not cheap. Why overpay if you can use what we throw in the trash can as fertilizer? For example, banana peels are an excellent way to improve the nutritional value of soil for seedlings.

Beneficial properties of banana peel as a fertilizer

It is worth giving preference to banana peels as a fertilizer, as they have many benefits.

  • the peel contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorus: these substances are necessary for the favorable growth of seedlings of fruit and indoor plants;
  • Magnesium is essential for greenhouse seedlings, providing them with useful nutrition.
  • The peel contains plant hormones that stimulate growth and fertility.

It makes sense to use banana fertilizer for seedlings only in combination with well-structured soil.

The main advantage of such feeding is the low cost. The disadvantages include the release of harmful chemicals from the peel, so it is recommended to feed the soil together with humates, which create a barrier to the penetration of nitrates.

How to prepare fertilizer for seedlings from banana peels?

There are many recipes for using this product as a fertilizer. We will talk about those that are the most popular among gardeners due to their high efficiency.

The easiest and fastest way

You need to cut the peel into small particles and bury each of them in the ground. Gardeners claim that after such feeding, even the frailest seedlings began to grow.

After 10 days, not a trace remains of such fertilizer; it is completely absorbed by bacteria.


Heat treatment

Fertilizer made from fried banana will greatly benefit the soil in which the seedlings grow. The process of its preparation consists of the following steps:

  1. Carefully place foil on a baking sheet.
  2. Place banana peels on foil. It is recommended to first cut them into small components.
  3. Place the baking sheet in the oven or oven preheated to 180 degrees. You can prepare the fertilizer in parallel with baking the dish.
  4. After about 20-40 minutes the skin will be fried. It needs to be cooled down.
  5. The final step in preparing the fertilizer is softening it with a fork or blender. Then it needs to be transferred to a sealed bag.

You need to carefully add 1 tablespoon of complementary food to the ground for each seedling bush. A positive result will not keep you waiting long.


Dry powder

Banana peels can be used to make a powder suitable for feeding. The preparation process is quite long, but the fertilizer is convenient to use and combine with other substances beneficial to the soil. The process for preparing the fertilizer is as follows:

  1. The skin should be thoroughly washed and placed in sunlight or on a radiator.
  2. Its readiness for use will be indicated by its black or dark brown color and fragility. Depending on the temperature, this can happen either in a day or in a week.
  3. The dried product should be ground in a blender or coffee grinder until it reaches a homogeneous consistency.

There are two options for using the powder:

  • You can sprinkle it on the plant in small quantities, approximately 1-2 tablespoons per unit.
  • When planting seedlings, it is permissible to mix it with soil in a ratio of 1 to 10.

After feeding, it is imperative to water the plant abundantly.


Soaking in water

The method of preparing fertilizer by soaking in water is only suitable for greenhouse plant seedlings that require sunlight. It is made as follows:

  1. Place the peel cut into small particles on the bottom of a three-liter jar.
  2. Fill the container with water at room temperature and close the lid tightly.
  3. After two days, strain them and fill them again with clean water, but in equal proportions.

Water the seedlings growing in the greenhouse with the resulting tincture.


Freezing

Freezing is the surest way to create fertilizer for long-term use. In the freezer it will be possible to preserve the benefits and integrity of the product.

Throughout the year, you can collect the skins and store them in a tray in the chamber. In summer, fertilizer should be made from it.

The method of preparing it is simple: you need to grind the peels of several bananas with one glass of water in a blender until you obtain a homogeneous consistency. It should be laid out on top of the loosened soil in the place where the plant will be planted.


Cocktail

A banana-citrus cocktail will also provide excellent nutrition for seedlings. To prepare it you need to mix several ingredients:

  • peel from one banana;
  • orange zest (in equal proportions with banana peel);
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

All ingredients must be placed in the bottom of a three-liter jar, filled with water and tightly closed with a lid. The infusion time is about 3 weeks, after which the tincture must be filtered and remixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 20. This cocktail can be fed to the plant no more than once a month.


Compost

If seedlings grow poorly at your dacha, it means they were planted in unsuitable soil. In spring it must first be supplemented with nutrients. A common source for this would be rich banana compost.

To prepare it you will need:

  1. Cut the banana peel into small pieces.
  2. Fill them with Baikal.
  3. The infusion time is 30 days.
  4. After a month, you need to refill the mass with Baikal.

In the spring, before planting, you need to fertilize the ground with compost and then plant seedlings in it.


There are at least two arguments in favor of using fertilizers prepared independently from natural raw materials - the safety of such products as opposed to purchased “chemicals” and their cost-effectiveness. In addition to common, “grandmother’s” recipes, new effective solutions are emerging. Resourceful gardeners have figured out how to make fertilizer for seedlings even from banana peels. The idea is interesting, since the chemical composition of banana tops contains many substances useful for the growth and ripening of vegetable fruits. Moreover, the cost of raw materials is not burdensome - during the autumn-winter season it is possible to accumulate a volume of this waste sufficient for a private household.

Banana skin as fertilizer

This product exhibits its valuable properties best if used for feeding:

  • seedlings,
  • greenhouse vegetables,
  • indoor plants.

The fertilizer can also be used for vegetables growing in open ground, as well as for roses and ferns.

The benefits of banana tops are determined by their high content of substances necessary for the development and growth of plants.

  • A high concentration of potassium in the peel accelerates the process of photosynthesis, increases resistance to low temperatures and pathogenic flora, stimulates the formation and growth of fruits, and also improves their taste by increasing sugar content.
  • The presence of phosphorus ensures the speed of metabolic processes that affect the growth and development of the plant and the formation of fruits. Excess phosphorus can be harmful, but banana peels contain less phosphorus.
  • The content of magnesium, which is responsible for ensuring photosynthesis, makes banana peel a particularly useful supplement when there is a lack of light. Also, thanks to magnesium, phosphorus is absorbed.

Banana peels are especially effective as a fertilizer for tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and peppers.

Among vegetable crops, it is most rational to spend banana peels on tomatoes, for the fruits of which the sugar indicator is significant. A high potassium content will provide tomatoes with excellent taste.

This fertilizer also has disadvantages. First of all, it is in the peel that harmful substances are accumulated, removed from the pulp, including those formed as a result of chemical treatment. When growing bananas, producers use pesticides, agents to slow down the ripening of fruits, and before sale, drugs to stimulate it. It is necessary to wash bananas, but this does not remove substances accumulated in the deep layers of the peel. Some banana tops treatments partially solve this problem.

The second disadvantage of banana fertilizers is their ability to attract insects such as ants and flies.

Banana peel for seedlings

Since banana fruits are harvested before ripening to extend their shelf life, their peel contains a large amount of growth hormones. This makes fertilizer from them useful specifically for seedlings. Young plants take root better and show faster growth, and this product is also used to improve seed germination.

Banana peel feeding is especially relevant for seedlings grown in the middle zone, where plants often lack sunlight in the spring. Under such conditions, the value of magnesium increases.

Attention!

Banana tops contain little nitrogen, so using them for seedlings does not eliminate the need for nitrogen fertilizing.

For seedlings this fertilizer is used:

  • fresh;
  • in the form of infusions for irrigation;
  • for mulching;
  • as compost.

Fresh skins

As a rule, fresh banana peels are used only for seedlings, because it is convenient to apply it when replanting plants. Banana tops contain substances that can harm the roots; in addition, the concentration of beneficial elements in them is too high. But if you put the peel at the bottom of the container when picking seedlings, isolating it from the roots with a layer of soil, this will avoid negative consequences. In this case, use half the peel per plant. The skin is pre-crushed or dissolved into strips 1.5 cm wide.

When planting seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse, you can bury the crushed peel next to the bush. In this case, there is also no risk of damaging the developing root system, since the fertilizer will be processed by microorganisms within 10 days. It is important that the banana peel does not lie on the surface of the ground, but is under a layer of soil, otherwise it will become moldy.

Using fresh raw materials as fertilizer can not only significantly improve the quality of the soil, but also increase the resistance of seedlings to frost. The fact is that during the decomposition of banana peels a lot of heat is released. Manure of a similar mass, when overheated, shows less heat transfer.

Infusion for watering

In liquid form, the fertilizer is convenient to use at any time. It is better to prepare an infusion of banana peels for irrigation using the “cold” method, since when fresh banana tops are scalded with boiling water, a large proportion of the beneficial minerals will be lost.

  • Water extract from bananas. Since bacteria quickly develop in these fruits, before the procedure you need to prepare the container (jar) in the same way as before canning. It is better to take distilled water; before using it, it must be boiled for at least 10 minutes.

Pour water cooled to 40°C over the banana peels without stems. 4 bananas are enough for 3 liters. The container must be tightly closed and kept in a dark place for 5 days. After this, the solution is filtered. You can store the product for about a month in a tightly closed jar. Before use, dilute with water in a ratio of 1:2.

  • Whipped bananas. One chopped banana peel and 250 ml of water need to be blended in a blender. Do not strain the mixture; add 1 teaspoon per bush, diluting it in a cup of water. Can be used no more than once a month.

Interesting!

Infusion from banana tops can protect plants from aphids if you spray the bush with it. The effect is achieved due to the high content of potassium in the peel, the excess of which this pest cannot tolerate.

Mulching

Fresh skins cannot be used as mulch; dried or dried (but not ground into powder) tops are used. Pieces of peel are placed on the surface of the soil, retreating from the stem of the plant about 5 cm.

Compost

Banana peels can be used to make very nutritious compost. Fresh peels need to be crushed and mixed with garden soil. 1 bucket will require 5-10 skins. The mixture is poured with water or, to speed up the process, with compost starter. After this, the mass must be mixed and left for a month. After aging, add water or leaven again and mix. In another month the compost will be ready. Fertilizing is carried out by spreading the mixture on top of the soil around the bushes.

Methods for processing banana tops

If it is necessary to feed seedlings between transplants, when using fresh peels is not possible, an infusion or banana peels processed in other ways are usually used. Processing is needed to reduce the biological activity of the raw material, that is, to make banana peel fertilizer safe for plant roots.

Drying

Dry feeding is convenient because it allows you to control portions. Some of the beneficial substances are lost during drying as a result of oxidation, but potassium is well preserved in the dry mixture.

Ways to dry the peel:

  • Drying in the oven. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the skins so that the hard part of the skin is on the bottom. Dry at minimum temperature. In addition to energy costs, the disadvantage of this method is that when organic substances are destroyed, their decomposition products remain in the fertilizer.
  • Drying naturally. This method is safer than oven drying, since organic decomposition products will evaporate. But there is a high risk of raw materials rotting or mold.

Dried skins must be ground in a coffee grinder or crushed in a mortar. It is better to store dry fertilizer in a paper bag.

There are three ways to add dry mixture.

  • Powder is poured 1 teaspoon under the root, then the plant is watered.
  • The mixture can be brewed like tea and cooled. Used for watering.
  • Apply foliar feeding, which will also protect the plant from aphids. To do this, powder from 4 banana skins is mixed with 2 teaspoons of eggshells and 20 grams of magnesium sulfate. The mixture is poured with water and shaken. Spraying can be done once a week. The product must be stored in the refrigerator. But you cannot use it chilled - when spraying, the liquid must have a temperature of 20 °C.

Freezing

Place fresh skins in a tightly closed container and place it in the freezer. This method is safer for plants than drying. Hazardous organic substances, as well as the products of their decomposition, will disappear when frozen, without losing valuable elements.

When freezing, there is no risk that the raw material will rot. Therefore, this is the best way to gradually collect over the winter and save a large volume of peels for spring feeding.

scalding

The crushed skins are doused with boiling water and, after allowing to cool, the mass is used as fertilizer. This fertilizer can be used following the same rules as for fresh skins, since substances dangerous to the root system remain in it. As a result of temperature treatment, some of the minerals are lost, but all growth stimulants are retained, so raw materials processed in this way will remain useful for seedlings.

Often the policy is this - we’ll buy it, plant it, and then feed it, if necessary... Feed it - it’s easy! Moreover, you can prepare several options for organic fertilizers, as they say, without leaving the cash register. A summer resident is able to feed even their kitchen waste.

Eggshells, potato peelings, sugar, banana skins, coffee grounds - everything is used. In our description we will move from the most popular and effective to the most controversial. Go…

Feeding with infusion of bird droppings

This option is used by almost every gardener as soon as he notices problems with his seedlings. The infusion is prepared as follows: manure and water are taken in a 2:1 ratio and left to ferment for 2-3 days in a sealed container. Immediately before fertilizing, the infusion is diluted 10 times. The main thing is to know and always remember that fertilizer from manure is mostly nitrogen, which means it stimulates the growth of green mass.

This feeding is good as the very first. It will undoubtedly help seedlings or indoor flowers begin to grow.

Subsequently, if you do not see signs of nitrogen starvation in plants (stunted, pale or yellowish leaves, soft stems), there is no need to fertilize with nitrogen. Fertilizing with bird droppings can be beneficial: all vegetable crops as the first feeding, ficus, palm trees, citrus fruits, dieffenbachia, monstera.

Ash fertilizer

Another popular type of feeding among supporters of natural farming. Wood or straw ash in organic farming is considered one of the best sources of potassium and phosphorus; accordingly, feeding seedlings or flowers with ash infusion is an excellent assistant in stimulating flowering and fruiting. The infusion recipe is simple: 1 tablespoon of ash per 2 liters of hot water.

The top dressing is infused for 24 hours, then filtered. Fertilizing with ash can be useful: all vegetable crops and indoor plants.

Banana peels as fertilizer

Banana peels (as well as bananas themselves) contain large amounts of potassium. Therefore, many summer residents are in no hurry to throw away the skins, but use them as homemade fertilizer. Someone dries banana peels near the radiator, then grinds them into powder, adds them to the soil when planting and forgets about potash fertilizers. Someone infuses banana skins in water ( peel from 2-3 bananas per three-liter jar of water, leave for three days, then strain), and then water the plants with the resulting infusion.

Banana peel fertilizer may be useful: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, roses, ferns, cyclamen, begonias, violets and other home flowers. The latter are usually fed at the bud stage to ensure vigorous and long-lasting flowering.

Egg shell infusion as fertilizer

Eggshells are a storehouse of microelements. Most gardeners carefully collect shells all winter to put them in compost or scatter them around the garden before the start of the season. But the shell can also help at the stage of growing seedlings.

If you soak it in water, during the decomposition process, hydrogen sulfide begins to be released, which scares us away with a disgusting smell, but at the same time perfectly stimulates plants to grow and develop. An infusion of eggshells is prepared as follows: crushed shells from 3-4 eggs are taken into three liters of warm water and infused under a loosely closed lid in a dark place for three days. Signs that the fertilizer is ready are cloudiness of the infusion and the appearance of a specific odor. Eggshell fertilizer may be useful: eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, palm trees, lemons, bay trees, cypress trees, petunias, zamioculcas, dieffenbachia.

Coffee grounds as fertilizer

Coffee lovers who are not too lazy to dry the used coffee grounds mix them with soil before sowing seeds for seedlings or replanting indoor plants. Coffee loosens the soil well, improves its water permeability and brings with it macro- and micronutrients, especially nitrogen. It is highly recommended to add coffee grounds to the soil for tomato and eggplant seedlings. Some gardeners are afraid to use coffee because they are sure that coffee deoxidizes the soil.

However, this is a myth. Unprocessed coffee can increase the acidity of the soil, but roasted and already used for its intended purpose has a reaction close to neutral. Fertilizing with coffee grounds can be beneficial: tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, roses, azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas, ferns, rhododendrons.

Fertilizing with onion peels

Gardeners are very fond of onion peels for their “two-in-one” effect. Watering or spraying with an infusion of onion peels is not only a complete nutrition for seedlings and flowers, but also a measure to combat unwanted microorganisms. Onion fertilizer is prepared from 20 grams of peels per five liters of warm water, which is infused for 4 days and then filtered. Feeding with infusion of onion peels can be useful all vegetable crops, especially tomatoes.

Feeding with a decoction of potatoes or potato peelings

It is not for nothing that plants accumulate starch in their seeds, bulbs and tubers. Starch is a kind of “storehouse of nutrients in reserve.” It is this law of nature that summer residents use by feeding the seedlings with the decoction in which the potatoes were boiled.

Or peelings are boiled specifically for these purposes. Potato fertilizer may be helpful all crops and indoor plants.

Sugar feeding

Sugar is energy in its purest form, not only for humans. Plants also have a “sweet tooth” and once a week you can pamper them with something sweet. To do this, scatter a teaspoon of sugar directly on the surface of the ground in a pot, and then simply water the plant.

Or water it with sweet water (2 teaspoons of sugar per glass of water). Since plants need mainly glucose from sugar, someone uses glucose tablets directly as fertilizer, which are sold in pharmacies. To prepare the fertilizer, one tablet is diluted in a glass of water.

Fertilizing with glucose is carried out once a month, not more often. Fertilizing with sugar can be beneficial all indoor plants, especially cacti. How else do amateur gardeners feed their mini-garden on the windowsill? Eg:

  • aloe juice diluted in water (aloe juice works perfectly as a stimulant for seed germination, and therefore will not fail as a top dressing); water left over from soaking peas, lentils, beans, other legumes and even cereals (the principle here is most likely the same , as with fertilizing with potato decoction - when soaked, part of the starch is washed out of legumes, which can serve as a nutritious “soup” for plants); decoction or infusion of dried mushrooms (again, a natural stimulant is chosen for the role of fertilizing, often used for soaking seeds before planting); citrus peels (good because they add nitrogen to the soil and repel pests with their smell; the peels are dried, crushed into powder and added to the soil); fresh or dry yeast (we wrote in detail about yeast feeding in a previous article); toothpaste (at the rate of 1/3 tube per liter of warm water, a very original way of feeding, suitable for plants that do not like acidic soils).

How effective are organic fertilizers made from “survival materials”? Gardeners do not have a clear opinion on this topic, and probably the debate over the advisability of home-made organic fertilizers for seedlings and indoor flowers will never subside. Ardent supporters of folk recipes will continue to insist on eggshells and potato peelings, and their irreconcilable opponents will once again go to the store for a bag of ready-made industrial fertilizer. Everyone is free to choose the most convenient and suitable option for themselves. We wish you success and great harvests!

Banana peel fertilizer 3 recipes

I am always extremely reluctant to throw away vegetable peels and peels; I consider it wasteful. Moreover, there are many ways to dispose of organic waste that may surprise you.

Lately I've been trying to reduce my kitchen waste as much as possible for several reasons. Why shouldn't you throw away vegetable waste?

  • The peels of vegetables and fruits often contain more macro and microelements than the fruit. You can grow healthy tops from the stems (or butts) of vegetables that are cut off. The peels can become excellent compost, instead of rotting in a landfill and producing methane.

For example, you can use banana peels to make potassium fertilizer for home and garden plants. Banana peels contain a natural balance of potassium and phosphorus.

When organic matter decomposes in the soil, phosphorus and potassium feed the plant, ensuring the formation of buds and flowering. For garden plants, preparing fertilizer is much easier than for potted ones - cut the peel, dig in, the soil microflora works. In open ground there is a lot of “correct” bacteria responsible for the process of decomposition of organic matter.

In addition, such bacteria fight pathogens - scab, blackleg, powdery mildew, and many others. Nature itself helps the beneficial microflora work to protect, disinfect and nourish plants. Potted plants are isolated from the natural environment, so we must populate the pots with bacteria artificially.

Use available biological products - such as Baikal-EM, Fitosporin. So, Homemade fertilizers can only be used in combination with bacteria. Otherwise, any organic matter will slowly rot and mold in our pots. Let’s return to our skins. You can prepare 3 types of fertilizer from banana peels: in the form of a powder, a “cocktail” and a spray.

Banana Peel Powder

  1. Dry the peel in an electric dryer, oven (at minimum temperature for a couple of hours) or at room temperature with good ventilation. Grind the dried peel in a coffee grinder. Sprinkle on the surface of the soil in the pot and water, use once every 4 weeks.

I have noticed complaints that banana fertilizers in pots become moldy - this only happens because there are no “good” microorganisms in the soil. In essence, this is the same ash (potassium-phosphorus-calcium), but is not a combustion product.

I have to buy it. I went and looked at the tomato seedlings and I liked them less and less: they were kind of small, puny. It seems that I leave the land in half from the dacha with the purchase and illumination until midnight, but something is somehow small, dwarf. And I decided to feed the seedlings.

I still had the finished Baikal from last year, but recently I read that after a year up to 80% of microorganisms had already died off, so I took another drug: Gumatem, I already wrote about it. This is a mixture of humates and the finished preparation Em-1. I watered the seedlings with Gumatem, after three days I suddenly noticed that all the seedlings, all the varieties, seemed to have risen!

The difference was so great that I immediately associated it with Gumatem. Gumatem is good because it perfectly balances all combinations of microelements and you only need a small amount of it. It is a little more expensive than SLOXA-ECO and the bottle is smaller, but I clearly saw the result, so now I will prefer Gumatem. And now about supplements, versions of which I found in periodicals.

Banana fertilizer for peppers and tomatoes

If you harvest banana skins all winter, then in the spring they can be used to make an excellent fertilizer for peppers and tomatoes. we just put them on the radiator, the skins will turn black and dry, then we put them in a bag. In the spring, a couple of days before planting tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse, we soak our skins, then we dig holes, put 2-3 of these softened banana skins in each and sprinkle with wood ash, a teaspoon of ash is enough. Then we sprinkle it with earth and place our seedling on top. Banana skins are rich in various microelements and will nourish our seedlings well.

Potato fertilizer for cabbage

The recipe is controversial, because it can lead to the proliferation of wireworms. You need to peel the potatoes so that they do not sprout and put them in the hole where you will plant the cabbage.

Potatoes decomposed in the ground will give the cabbage the necessary nutrition. This recipe is slightly doubtful to me because I heard that it is necessary to remove all potatoes from the field, even small and green and rotten ones, so that the wireworms do not multiply. I even made traps for the winter, digging up a kilogram of potatoes and marking these places. I’ll dig it up in the spring and, in theory, all the wireworms from the garden should live and feast there.

Egg dressing for vegetables

This is a pretty old recipe; my grandmother used to do it this way. All winter, and generally all year round, we accumulate eggshells. Then we take three liters of water, fill it two-thirds with crushed shells and fill it to the top with filtered or chlorine-free water. After three days, the drained water can be used to water the plants. The shells can be poured 2-3 times and then scattered around the garden.

Nettle fertilizer

So I kept thinking why I need so many tall nettles in the corner, but it turns out that they are good for feeding. We collect young nettles in a bucket, fill them with water and just wait for it to brew. After about five days. When it starts to bubble, the fertilizer is ready.

Drain the liquid, dilute it one to ten with water and water the plants. If you have a deep-well pump, you can simply pour the fertilizer into a tank of water, lower the pump there and water the garden with a hose. True, the noise is terrible, the pump is pounding against the barrel!!!

If, during the preparation process, you add trinkets of ready-made Baikal Em-1 to the water with nettles, then your top dressing will improve its quality tenfold, because now it will be a real em-technology! Spent nettles can be placed on anthills and they will immediately begin to pack their bags. I put such plant waste in the aisles between potato bushes. I have already written about how to prepare herbal infusion, so I will describe it briefly:

  • First of all, we put the barrel away from people, we take into account the neighbors too, because the stench will be terrible, worse than a pigsty, we fill the barrel tightly with grass and fill it with water from Ready Baikal. Place a teaspoon of the prepared solution on a bucket of water, cover the barrel with polyethylene, preferably black, and press the polyethylene down with a board and drain the liquid for two weeks. Be prepared for a wild stench and act only with rubber seals! And I would also pour the liquid into a five-liter bottle of purchased water and use it for irrigation (a third to a quarter cup of liquid per bucket of water). We put the herbal mass into potato bushes.

It’s better to take not a 200-liter barrel, but some small one, because for six acres you don’t need very much of this infusion, because it doesn’t need to be watered every time, but according to the feeding schemes for each plant. About the fact that plants are both domestic and greenhouse , and country ones - you can feed them with banana peels, this is not news for Russia. After all, just a few years ago the “Banana Land” project was still popular, where it was recommended to soak the skins in water until they decompose, and then water it all over.

The smell, of course, is not very pleasant, and the very appearance of the liquid is repulsive, but such fertilizer significantly improves the soil microflora and structure. But many were put off by the unpleasant sensations when making such fertilizer, and therefore most summer residents continued to fertilize their future harvest with store-bought chemicals, throwing away valuable banana peels in the trash. Fresh banana peels as fertilizer are excellent for winter greenhouse plants, which suffer from a lack of light in the cold season and warmth.

And just magnesium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus, which are contained in excess in such skins, are vital elements for the nutrition and growth of greenhouse plants. Cabbage and all cruciferous vegetables especially love potassium fertilizer. Tomatoes also respond well to such fertilizer - if you put their skins directly into the holes when planting them. Interestingly, even cucumbers fertilized with banana peels then grow larger.

How to cook meat in a banana peel - Recipe from Everything will be good - Issue 335 - 02/05/14

Method #1 - bury it in the ground

The easiest way is to cut the banana skins with scissors and bury them. Even the frailest plants begin to become densely covered with foliage and, as they say, “bloom and smell.” Interestingly, the skins themselves disappear in the ground within 10 days - they are completely eaten by bacteria.

But sometimes this method is not suitable - when dosed ready-made fertilizer is needed.

Method #2 - fry

Here is the most proven way to make good fertilizer for plants from banana peels:

  • Step 1: Place foil on a tray and place banana peels on it. Place it on the top side - so that it does not stick later. Step 2. Place the tray in the oven - it is better when you are cooking something in it at the same time, otherwise the fertilizer will be a little expensive in terms of resource costs. Step 3. As soon as the banana peel is fried , cool it.Step 4. Grind the resulting mixture and place it in a sealed bag.Step 5. Take a spoonful of this fertilizer for each plant.

Method #3 - infuse in water

For a greenhouse, it is better to make the following fertilizer:

  • Step 1. Place three banana skins in a three-liter jar, fill it to the top with water at room temperature and leave for two days. Step 2. Strain, dilute with water 1:1. Step 3. Water seedlings and “hungry” plants with this infusion.

You can also simply bury banana peels under each bush - this way your plants will grow faster and better, and the soil will significantly improve its composition. Proponents of extreme environmental friendliness both in food and in everyday life highly recommend fertilizer for indoor plants made from banana peels. They do not require any additional costs, the skins are regularly and aimlessly thrown away anyway, so why not put them to use?

What's good about a banana?

Before you run to make fertilizer for indoor plants from banana peels, let's figure out how necessary and useful it is. The main advantage of this winter delicacy is its high potassium content.

In addition to it, but in smaller quantities, banana contains phosphorus, nitrogen and magnesium - everything that your flowers need. This homemade fertilizer for indoor plants from banana peels 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.

This feeding is especially good for flowering plants - it gently and unobtrusively feeds them with the most necessary things. However, do not forget about the second side that any medal has.

Questionable properties

The main problem with banana peel fertilizer for indoor plants is its attractiveness to insects. Ants, bees, flies and fruit flies are ready to travel long distances for this delicacy.

And if you can fence yourself off from flying applicants with mosquito nets, then what to do with the creeping ones - cockroaches and ants? An obvious drawback is the possible presence of pesticides. They are not terrible for indoor plants, but if you are going to use such fertilizer for edible plants, then you should think several times about the feasibility of this. Some plant growers also raise questions about treating the surface of the skin in order to extend the shelf life of bananas.

It is not possible to find out the exact formula of the composition, and how much this treatment can harm the flowers is difficult to predict. And lastly: it is impossible to calculate and provide all the necessary substances using only banana peel fertilizer for indoor plants. There are plants that need an increased dose of phosphorus, and others that need nitrogen. Therefore, experienced gardeners advise combining purchased fertilizers with homemade ones.

Banana peel as fertilizer

There are several ways to use skins for this purpose.

  1. When transplanting. Fresh peel is cut and placed on top of the drainage. The same method can also be used in gardening - it gives simply amazing results when planting tomatoes and peppers. Drying from the peel. As the fruits are consumed, their skins are cut and dried. In the spring, you can simply mulch the surface of the soil with it, stepping back about five centimeters from the trunk of the flower. Infusion. It is made from both fresh peel and dried peel. Fresh fruit is passed through a blender and mixed with water - you can use this fertilizer for indoor plants from banana peels immediately. The dried skin will have to be infused: a “clothing” of four bananas is taken per liter of water and left under the lid. Infusion time is a subject of debate. Some gardeners 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 gardening direction, it is better to pass them through a compost pit. There is another secret: when using fertilizer for indoor plants from fresh banana peels, not dried, you can sprinkle it with a layer of soil from the pot. It then decomposes faster and attracts less unwanted insects. And when watering, beneficial substances are evenly distributed throughout the soil.

Additional bonuses

In addition to potassium (and other elements, albeit in smaller quantities), indoor flowers receive benefits from banana peels that you did not expect. For example, when fertilizing with it, aphids will never attack your plants - the smell of the skin is unpleasant to them.

But it is quite difficult to fight these insects on houseplants: most insecticides require fresh air. Many plant growers recommend wiping large leaves with the inside of a banana skin - they say, from this treatment they begin to shine and develop more actively. On the other hand, some gardeners are left with the impression that this procedure leaves unaesthetic stains and veins from the skins on the leaf plates. Which opinion is correct - see for yourself.

What other fertilizers can you make yourself?

Banana is not the only homemade fertilizer for indoor plants that 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 your indoor flowers with the water remaining after boiling the eggs. Those who are willing to work a little can make an infusion from the shell - add warm water and leave for a week. The disadvantage of this fertilizer is the smell.

It is better to apply fertilizing at a time when the pots are taken out onto the balcony. It is actively recommended to use a cold infusion (not tea leaves!) of green tea. Together with the same banana peel, you get not only a fertilizer, but also a growth stimulant, which does not deplete the flower, but only gives an impetus for development.



This article is also available in the following languages: Thai

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