A houseplant enthusiast shared her simple hack for fertilising peace lilies – and it’s not how you might think. In fact, the woman uses just one scrap each week to see her flower thrive
Peace lilies, renowned for their stunning elegance, are surprisingly hardy indoor plants that can flourish across various light levels, including dimly lit spaces.
They’re robust enough to cope with a bit of neglect, making them ideal for anyone lacking natural gardening prowess. For those keen to unlock their peace lilies’ full potential, the odd feed works wonders.
Gail Nacoste, who’s part of the Creative Gardening Facebook community, champions banana skins as her secret weapon for spectacular blooms on her peace lily. It comes after Brits are told to never put one banned item in garden bins as you could face punishment.
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Gail shared a photo of her thriving flower and wrote: “I have been watering my peace lily with banana peel water. It has been flowering like crazy with big flowers and growing faster. I have also been watering my other plants with banana water. All are going great.”
Bananas are bursting with potassium, a vital component of plant food, along with nitrogen and phosphorus. Potassium plays a critical role in helping plants move nutrients and moisture through their systems and proves especially valuable for blooming varieties like peace lilies, reports the Express.
They’re also loaded with hints of manganese, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur, all of which boost plant wellbeing. Gail outlined her technique for brewing this nutrient-packed banana skin concoction, explaining: “You put the banana peel in a jar of water with the lid on top and leave it in the water overnight or a couple of days.
“The water will look cloudy then I put the liquid in a jug to use later. Make sure you cover the peel completely with water. I use quart mason jars with a lid to soak my peels. When I use the banana water I do add some more water to it about three parts banana water to one part plain water.
“I also save the water in a jug. We both eat a banana a day so I have a lot of water to save. I water once a week or more often if needed.”
Garden enthusiasts were left gobsmacked by this nifty trick, with many either giving it a go or keen to start. One was astounded and commented: “Wow. I’ve never heard of that. I have one. Now I’m going to try that.”
Another shared their recent experience: “I just started using banana water too! So glad to see you used it in your peace lily. I’m going do that too.”
A third revealed her husband’s homemade concoction: “My husband made what he calls banana soup we had the best show of blooms on ours this year. It’s brilliant and practically free.”
One more endorsed the method, citing her centenarian mother-in-law’s wisdom. They wrote: “It works. My mother-in-law, who lived to 100 and had never used Google, swore by placing banana peel at the base of the plant to enhance growth and flowering. It’s the potassium.”
However, some argue that banana peel can’t fully replace fertiliser due to its lack of nitrogen. While peace lilies indeed thrive with fertiliser, caution is advised to avoid over-fertilisation, which can cause brown spots on leaves. If the flowers turn greener than their usual creamy hue, it might indicate an excess of fertiliser.