Peace lilies, known for their captivating attraction, are actually tough indoor houseplants that thrive in varying light conditions – even in dim corners.
They’re also surprisingly resilient to a bit of benign neglect, making them perfect for the hectic lives of many indoor plant lovers.
Nonetheless, a little TLC involving occasional fertilisation can bring out the best in these enchanting plants.
Gardening enthusiast Gail Nacoste took to the Facebook group, Creative Gardening, to share her secret for magnificent peace lilies boasting large flowers.
Accompanying an image of her peace lily, she detailed her experience: “I have been watering my peace lily with banana peel water.”
She went on to share her stunning results: “It has been flowering like crazy with bigger flowers and growing faster. I have also been watering my other plants with banana water. All are going great.”
Rich in potassium, one of the crucial triad elements in fertiliser, alongside nitrogen and phosphorus, bananas immensely benefit flowering plants such as peace lilies by helping them transport nutrients and water internally.
Besides potassium, they offer traces of manganese, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur, all of which are welcomed by plants.
Gail also divulged her simple recipe for this. She advised: “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.”
Explaining how to tell when it’s ready, she added: “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 [32oz] 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.”
Many fellow gardening enthusiasts were amazed by this hack, with Beverly McGovern commenting: “Wow. I’ve never heard of that. I have one. Now I’m going to try that.”
Other users shared their own experiences of using banana water, with Sandra Copson writing: “I just started using banana water too! So glad to see you used it in your peace lily. I’m going do that too.”
Christine Holden replied: “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.”
Kathy Davis commented: “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, banana peels are not a full replacement for fertiliser as they do not contain nitrogen. While peace lilies do benefit from fertiliser, it’s crucial not to overdo it, as an excess can lead to brown spots on the leaves.
If the blooms are more green than their usual creamy white, it’s likely a sign of too much fertiliser. The solution? Either reduce the amount or dilute the concentration.
