The next time your chomping down on a banana, save the skins – a TikTok lifestyle influencer has revealed how you can use banana peel to give your plants a secret boost
The next time you’re about to throw away your banana peel, hold onto it instead – a surprising viral hack shows it can actually be used to help your plants.
Lifestyle influencer mama_peyy recently came online to share her wacky trick to get her garden growing. On TikTok, she said, “Don’t throw away your banana peels, use them as fertiliser.” Banana peels make great plant fertilisers as they are rich in potassium and other nutrients which are important for plant growth.
Of course, this doesn’t mean tossing banana peels directly into your garden. Mama_peyy instructed viewers to soak banana peels in water for “24+ hours”.
READ MORE: Monty Don reveals exact reason why some gardens are inundated with slugs
She added, “Your plants will thank you later.” In the video, she shows how she uses the banana peel infusion to pour over her soil in order to give her plants a boost.
The reason why it works is because over time, the nutrients from the banana peel will gradually dissolve into the water. This then leaves you with a nutrient-rich solution you can pour onto plants.
The video has gained over a million views, with many commenters thanking the creator. One wrote: “Such a good tip!!! I did this last year in our garden!”
“That’s such a neat trick friend, thank you for the tip,” another said. “Yes! I do this! You just reminded me to do it tomorrow!” a third chimed in.
A commenter asked how often you should use the banana water. Mama_peyy responded: “I water a different plant with the fertilizer water every couple days or sometimes daily, depending on how many bananas we have!”
There’s a warning…
Although, be careful to only use the water on outdoor plants. One TikTok user warned: “Do not do this with inside plants! Fruit flies EVERYWHERE! I had to bin so many plants because they just wouldn’t die”
As for the leftover peels, you can also use them in the garden. Mama_peyy wrote in the comments: “I toss a lot of peels right into my garden bed and bury them.”
Another effective way to use banana peel in your garden is to add it to a compost pile. Over time, the tissue will break down, leaving a potassium-rich fertiliser for your plants to enjoy.
There are also many other food scraps you can use to benefit your garden. Coffee grounds and tea bags make great fertilisers, as they contain nitrogen and potassium.
Equally, unexpected items like egg shells, leaves and even pet hair can make great additions to your soil. It can be a good idea to add them to your compost pile first to allow them to break down.