Don’t throw away any leftover banana peel and instead bury them at the base of your rose plants. Dig a shallow hole around the base of the rose, before throwing in the whole banana peel.
You can also cut up the peel, too. Then replace the soil on top of the banana.
By burying your leftover banana peels, the added nutrients will help for brighter blooms in autumn, as well as help stems remain sturdy. Harry Lloyd, garden expert at waste removal company HIPPO, told Ideal Home: “Bananas are beneficial to roses in much the same way as they are to humans.
“Just like the fruits themselves, banana peels are full of potassium, which can help boost your roses’ immunity, make their stems nice and sturdy, and encourage the growth of new flower buds.
“Banana peel is also high in Phosphorus, helping roses to develop more robust root systems, improving their ability to absorb water and nutrients.”
Burying banana peel in the soil can produce 20 to 30% more flowers in your autumn flush, according to experts at GardenArch. Banana peels are a great way to give roses a boost of energy because they contain a number of nutrients that will help your plants flourish, including potassium for bright and big blooms; phosphorus for healthy roots and shoots; and magnesium for photosynthesis.
High potassium content can mimic the action of commercial fertilisers, but with the added component of organic matter and micronutrients. Calcium in banana peels is also an important nutrient for plant growth.
Drew Swainston, a gardening expert for Homes & Gardens, said: “That makes them a good fertiliser for specific circumstances. Potassium encourages both fruiting and flowers, so that makes banana peels a great fertiliser for fruit and vegetables like tomatoes or peppers, or any flowering ornamental plants.
“Bananas also contain calcium, which is a vital nutrient in combating blossom end rot in tomatoes.”
If you don’t want to bury the peels in the soil, you can also add them to water. This water can then be added to the soil to deliver the nutrients.
Add chopped peels to a jar of water and leave in a moderately sunny spot for around 24 hours. The water will start to turn brown, which indicates that the nutrients have leaked out from the peels. The banana water can then be used to water plants.
