Folk remedies have long been used as fertilizers for the garden. Their advantages include accessibility, low cost, natural composition, and safety from an environmental point of view. Banana peel is a popular raw material for preparing fertilizer that can be used to fertilize seedlings. However, not everyone knows that such fertilizer is ideal for some crops, but not at all for others.
What are the benefits and harms of banana peels for plants?
Banana peels can be classified as organic fertilizers. The skin of the fruit is saturated with useful substances no less than its pulp. Bananas and their shells contain many micro- and macroelements, and most of all:
- phosphorus;
- magnesium;
- potassium;
- calcium.
The listed elements have a beneficial effect on plant roots, strengthen their immunity, promote active growth, and increase adaptive abilities (the ability to tolerate short-term drought or cold snap).
Vegetable seedlings react sensitively to both a lack and an excess of chemical fertilizers. Organic feeding will be an excellent alternative in this case. Using folk remedies, it is difficult to provoke oversaturation of the soil with nutrients. Moreover, if we are talking about vegetable crops, you don’t want to intentionally “feed” them with all kinds of chemicals. Gardeners are now trying to grow environmentally friendly products.
However, this fertilizer still has a number of disadvantages. This is due to the fact that bananas are grown on huge plantations, where they cannot do without the use of chemicals. The peel is a kind of filter that prevents the entry of harmful substances into the pulp of the fruit. The skin accumulates all the chemical compounds used during processing.
Banana pickers soak them in vats of ammonium sulfate and chlorine solutions to remove the milky juice. The containers used for transportation are lined with paper impregnated with sodium pyrosulfate so that the fruit reaches the consumer safe and sound. Before using banana peels, wash their surface with soap and water to remove any remaining chemicals.
For which crops is fertilizer suitable and for which is it not?
An ordinary buyer cannot control which supplier’s bananas he purchased and how accurately the fruit processing technology was followed before sale. That is why banana peels are used only for those plants that do not accumulate harmful substances in their pulp. First of all, this is:
- sunflower;
- eggplant;
- tomatoes;
- potato.
Fertilizing gives good results when applied to cucumbers, cabbage and other members of the cruciferous family. Such fertilizer will be especially useful for nightshade crops, as it contains a lot of potassium. In terms of effectiveness, fertilizing with banana peels is quite comparable to the results of using mineral fertilizers.
At the same time, practice has shown that such fertilizer is not suitable for bulbs and grain crops.It will, of course, not cause any harm, but there will be no visible transformation of the plants either. The form in which banana skins are added also plays a role. The method of preparing the fertilizer may vary.
Features of using fertilizer for seedlings
At different stages of their development, vegetable crops require different amounts of nutrients. Their ability to absorb minerals also changes. There are quite a few options for using banana peels as a top dressing. It is used raw, fried, or dried.
An infusion is prepared from the skins or ground into powder. Organic raw materials are also suitable for making compost. Young plants absorb the minerals most easily from fresh banana peels. All other types of feeding are suitable for vegetables at a later stage of the growing season.
Feeding seedlings with banana skins is very simple. The peel is cut into small pieces and buried in the top layer of soil, avoiding direct contact with the roots. The decomposition period of banana peels is 7-10 days. During this time, the organic matter will completely decompose, providing nutrition to the seedlings. After such feeding, even weak plants are transformed.
When using folk remedies as fertilizer for seedlings, you need to act wisely. Banana peels are great for cucumbers, nightshades and cruciferous crops. Young plants will absorb nutrients best if the skins are used fresh. Before use, the peel is washed with soap to remove harmful substances from the surface.
