Using Banana Peel Water for Plants: The Benefits Explained

Because the minerals in banana peel water are crucial for plant growth and development, it can be utilized as a nutritive fertilizer for plants.

Banana peels can be used to extract minerals and nutrients that can be utilized as plant fertilizer. Banana peel water provides plants with a significant amount of potassium (K), a macronutrient that is utilized to build resistance to stress from the environment and pests while also fostering healthy plant development.

Fruits used in the kitchen frequently include bananas. In addition to potassium, which the peels are known for, they can also supply our plants with essential minerals.

This article describes the benefits of banana peels as well as the various approaches you may take to efficiently extract and supplement plant nutrients.

The Benefits of Using Banana Peel Water on Plants

What is Banana Peel Water?

When banana peels are boiled, nutrient-rich water known as “banana peel water” is produced. It gives the plant a natural source of nutrients that fosters development while minimizing deficits brought on by low potassium, which can result in browning and curling of the leaf tips.

Vitamin C, dietary fiber, manganese, and potassium are all present in bananas in good amounts.

During the boiling procedure, the banana peels’ mineral nutrients leak into the water. The peel’s fibers are broken down by the boiling water’s high temperature, which makes it easier for potassium and manganese to dissolve in the water.

Boiling typically lasts between 30 and 45 minutes to give the minerals time to leach. After straining the banana peels, the water is then collected and left to cool.

It is crucial to remember that not all minerals are destroyed by boiling, and the peels themselves still contain a significant amount of minerals.

As we will explore further in this post, the peels can still be dried off and used on plants as a supplementary source of slow-release minerals.

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The bottom watering technique can also be used to properly apply banana peel water to your plants.

How is Banana Peel Water Beneficial for Plants: Explained

Minerals that plants require to create green, healthy leaves are present in the water made from banana peels.

A cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of giving plants the vital minerals they need is through banana peel water.

Even though it only makes up a small amount of the banana, the peel has the same minerals as the edible part of the fruit.

The macronutrient potassium is the major mineral found in banana peels (K).

The breakdown of the minerals found in a medium-sized banana is provided below.

Minerals Present in Banana

Nutritional information for one medium-sized banana (100 grams) is as follows:

The Benefits of Potassium in Plants

A mineral and electrolyte, potassium carries electrical impulses in the body. This electrolyte has a similar function in plants by moving carbohydrates and water.

Due to the fact that plants absorb a significant amount of potassium (K) throughout their life cycle, it is categorized as a macronutrient. Phosphorus (P) and Nitrogen (N) are additional macronutrients that plants utilize (P). These three nutrients are the most important ones for plants, and they serve as the foundation for fertilizer production (NPK).

For this reason, when fertilizer is purchased, each individual letter has a number attached to it that denotes the amount of the nutrient that is now available in the fertilizer.X-N, X-P, and X-K

Potassium Deficiency in plants

Chlorosis (yellowing) between leaf veins and brown scorching and curling of leaf tips are typical signs of potassium shortage in plants. The undersides of the leaves may also develop purple markings. In plants with inadequate potassium levels, growth, development of the roots, and production of seeds and fruits are typically limited. [Reference: Wiki]

Plants can avoid deficiency symptoms brought on by low potassium levels by using banana peel water.

Potassium helps Plants fight Pests and Diseases

Potassium aids in the development of a broad resistance in plants against environmental stress brought on by varying weather conditions.

Potassium deficiencies make plants more susceptible to drought, excess water, high and cold temperatures. Additionally, they have lower resistance to illnesses, worm assaults, and pests.

Potassium can improve a plant’s resilience to fungus gnats, bacterial infections, and root rot when applied to indoor plants.

Basically, it can strengthen a plant’s resistance to overwatering, which can result in the issues listed above.

How to Make Banana Peel Water?

You can make banana peel water by boiling the peels or by letting them soak in water for a while. The minerals can also be drawn out of the peels and into the water by soaking the peels in water and letting them sit for a while.

These are the procedures for getting the water from banana peels:

Use this technique to make banana peel water. The quantity of peels to use will depend on how much you have on hand right now.

Banana Peel water from Boiling 

1. Put the peels in a saucepan for cooking.
2. Add water, covering the peels by 1 inch.
3. adequately stir
4. Turn the heat to medium (350 oF)
5. Boil for 30 to 45 minutes.
6. Save the water residue after straining the peels.

You can also add water to thin down the residue if it is too thick to put to your plants.

Banana Peel water from Pulverizing 

The processes for heating and pulverizing banana peel water are identical (stated above).

The banana peels are chopped up into little pieces in a blender before it is boiled, which is the only distinction.

The surface area of the banana skin exposed to the boiling water is increased as a result. As a result, utilizing this technique can result in a higher mineral content being extracted from the peel.

Banana Peel water from Soaking in Water

The minerals from the banana peels must be allowed to leach into the water for a certain amount of time in order to produce banana peel water by soaking.

Method:

1. About 5 banana peels should be added to a medium-sized jar.
2. Place water in the jar.
3. Seal the jar by covering the lid.
4. Let stand for 10 to 15 days.

With time, the peels will turn black, and the water’s hue will also alter. After the time has passed, filter the peels’ water and use it on your plants.

The soaking procedure will go more quickly if the peels are broken up into smaller pieces.

Using Pulverized Banana Peels on Plants

Even after boiling, the peel still contains a sizeable amount of minerals. To optimize their advantages, the leftover peels can still be utilised.

The residual peels are completely dried before being ground up into a powder or as finely as is practical. When applied to the soil, this makes it simpler for it to decompose and release its minerals.

The peels’ surface area increases with pulverization, speeding up the flow of nutrients into the soil.

Because bacteria will need more time to degrade the peels, adding them to the soil whole will allow for a much slower release of minerals.

Banana peel pulverization technique:

1. Spot five or more banana peels in a dry place or outside in the sunlight.
2. Give the peels two to three days to dry (the skins will become dark and hard as the water is released)
3. Blend the dry banana peels for one minute in a blender.
4. Remove the powdered peels and incorporate them into any soil that may be present around the plant stem’s base.
5. To hasten the breakdown process, cover the powdered peels with soil.

Using Banana Peel Water with Succulents 

Succulents can be watered with banana peel water while still receiving essential nutrients from it. Succulents need more dry, aerated soil than other plants, so the mineral-rich water needs to be diluted so that it can be sprayed on them.

When watering succulents as usual, you can spritz them with a solution of banana peel water. At any given time, succulents only need a modest amount of water and nutrients.

A surefire way to give succulent plants the nutrients from banana peels without overwatering and the problems that come with overwatered soil is to mist them with banana peel water.

How to Mist Succulents with Banana Peel Water 

1. Any spray bottle from a household can be used, provided it has been well cleaned.
2. The water must be thin enough to be sprayed out of the spray bottle.
3. Fill the spray bottle with the peel water.
4. The plant should be misted or sprayed on both the top and bottom of the leaves.
5. Spray some water on the topsoil as well.

To help the plant absorb moisture and nutrients, misting should be done in the early morning or late at night. Additionally, this keeps the liquid from being too rapidly dried off by the sun’s heat.

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Bottom Watering with Banana Peel Water

Another technique to provide plants with the nutrients from the banana is to bottom-water them with water from the peel of the fruit. Bottom watering will enable the soil to absorb the banana peel water completely without becoming overwatered. By doing this, the entire mass of the plant’s roots will have access to the nutrients that the water is providing.

Bottom watering is a useful technique for watering plants because it guarantees that the entire root system receives moisture without the danger of overwatering them. See the information about watering plants at the bottom of this page.

How to bottom water with Banana Peel water

1. Use a little, flat container that is two inches bigger than the planter.
2. Put the plant inside the pot.
3. Add enough banana peel water to the plant pot’s side so that the water is 1 to 1 1/2 inches high.
4. 15 to 20 minutes should be given for the plant to soak in the water.
5. Stick your finger into the soil after some time has elapsed to check for wetness.
6. You can take out the plant as soon as you notice that the soil is moist but not soggy.
7. Place the plant so that any extra water can drain away.

Check out our informative post on how to apply fertilizer when bottom watering for more information on how to correctly administer nutrients to plants.

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Plants that Banana Peel Water is Effective on

All plants can benefit from banana peel water because it contains essential minerals for plant growth. Nevertheless, the application technique would change depending on the kind of plant it was being treated to.

What are the precautions when using banana peel water?

To avoid killing the microorganisms in the soil and harming the plant, you should always make sure that the water is at room temperature or ambient when you use banana peel water in the soil.

If you plan to use the water from boiled banana peels, take this precaution.

In addition, adding banana peel water to the soil is a wonderful idea. However, when watering, care must be given to avoid overwatering the soil, which can cause root rot and yellowing of the plant leaves.

To make sure the plant receives the proper amount of water for optimum growth, we advise using the bottom watering method.

To avoid clogging the misting bottle’s nozzles with banana particles, make sure the water is properly filtered before misting.

Check out our post on adding fertilizer when misting for more information on how to effectively apply fertilizer to plants and how quickly they will absorb it.

Using Fermented Banana Peel Water as a Pesticide

It has been demonstrated that using fermented banana peel water encourages a healthy bacterial population, which in turn encourages the formation of strong roots.

In addition, the water from fermented banana peels has a sour alcohol-like smell that keeps pests like lizards, snakes, and iguanas out of the garden.

Additionally, nuisance insects such as fruit flies, gnats, plant lice, flea beetles, aphids, and other pests can be controlled by utilizing fermented banana peel water since the alcohol produced during the fermentation process irritates and sometimes even kills these tiny insects.

How to make Fermented Banana Peel Water

1. Use any jar that is on hand.
2. Fill 3/4 of the container with water from banana peels.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the water and stir.
4. Add 4 tablespoons of milk, liquid.
5. For three to four days, cover the jar and let it stand.
6. Following the specified amount of time, the solution will change from opaque to translucent.

The end result can now be used to control pests in the garden and on indoor plants.

Other Kitchen Scraps that can be Used as Plant Fertilizers

Kitchen waste can be utilized to nourish plants in an inexpensive and sustainable way. Many commonly used culinary products can provide your plants with nutrients and minerals by either putting them straight to the soil or by boiling or soaking them in water.

Boiled Egg Water on Plants

Plants can be watered with eggshell water since it contains calcium minerals and amino acids for the plants. Plants utilize calcium to support the structural integrity of their cell walls as well as to strengthen their stems and leaves. Rapid and vigorous plant development is the outcome of providing enough calcium.

The comprehensive article is available here.

The similar idea underlies the use of potato water for plants, which is a much more typical kitchen leftover.

Watering Plants with Pasta Water

Because it contains (NPK) fertilizer and minerals that plants can utilise effectively while fostering a healthy bacterial population, pasta water can be used to water plants. Plants grow healthily as a result of this. Any watering technique can be used to apply pasta water, which, when fermented, can help deter pests.

The comprehensive article is available here.

Using Rice Water on Plants

Because it supplies nutrients and minerals that plants can need while fostering a healthy bacterial population, rice water can be used to water plants. Plants grow healthily as a result of this. It can be sprayed in any way and, when fermented, can ward off pesky bugs.

See how to achieve this from our in-depth article here.

Using Plantain Peel Water on Plants

Since plantain peels may also supply plants with a considerable amount of potassium (663 mg) and magnesium, using plantain peel water on plants is similar to using banana peels (57mg).

By sprinkling, top watering, or even bottom watering, plantain peel water can also be incorporated into a plant’s fertilizer regimen.

The Takeaway

By supplying essential minerals and nutrients to the soil, banana peel water can be very advantageous to plants. It promotes the growth of bacteria, which in turn breaks down organic molecules in the soil and makes nutrients readily available for use by plants.