Why Fertilize With Banana Peels?

Banana Peels for Roses

• Rose growers in the 18th century frequently buried banana peels in the soil around their rose plants to boost vitality, according to the Ohio State University Extension. Roses thrive on phosphorus and benefit from potassium, which are in ample supply in banana peels. The peels, which readily rot in warm soil, provide other nutrients, including magnesium, calcium, sulfur and sodium.

Benefits of Banana Peels

• Banana peels are a useful fertilizer because they do not take a long time to break down, like many organic kitchen scraps. Compared with other kitchen scraps, banana peels also have significant mass and nutrient content. Applying them to the soil is an easy method of eliminating excess kitchen waste. Apple peels and carrot shreds provide the same levels of nutrients, but people often use bananas because of their greater mass and fast decomposition. Their high levels of potassium are also purported to strengthen the cane of the rose plant.

How to Fertilize

• Cut banana skins into smaller pieces for quicker absorption. When initially planting a rose bush, dig a deep hole, and place the pieces in the bottom before placing the rose bush. When adding banana peels directly to soil, place them deep enough so animals cannot reach them. Apply as often as desired, but do not apply so heavily as to create an imbalance in the soil. Banana peels should not be the sole fertilizer used for plants. A general, high-nitrogen fertilizer will complement the high phosphorus content in banana skins.

How to Compost

• If you do not use banana peels directly in the soil, simply tossing them in a compost bin has many benefits, too. Banana peels have high levels of organic content and will create rich, nutrient-filled compost that will improve soil structure and boost plant growth. Although banana skins break down readily, you can boost their decomposition by breaking them into smaller pieces. They are some of the first materials to break down in a compost pile. However, leaves of the banana plant are too tough for composting. Keep the peels below the surface of the compost heap, as they tend to attract fruit flies.