Why People Have Been Making Banana Peel Water At Home
When you think of fruits and herbs to add to your water infuser bottles, you're probably thinking of reaching for refreshing lemons, cucumbers, and mint. Maybe some apples, pears, and kiwi if you're feeling adventurous. What you don't think of are bananas. Although banana tea (aka bananas simmered in boiling water) is a thing, and one that Healthline says can help with insomnia and bloating, it's understandable if you're still on the fence about slimy banana-infused water.
While you contemplate taking a plunge into the world of banana tea-drinking, what you can use banana-infused water for, however, is to feed your plants. According to Taste of Home, the idea comes from yet another TikTok video. According to the video, you should chop up banana peels and soak them in water for at least an hour, if not more, and then use the banana peel-infused water as a fertilizer to spray on your indoor and outdoor plants.
Not only does this trick put food waste to good use, but you'll also have a chemical-free natural fertilizer at home and end up saving a few bucks on the way!
Banana peel-infused water provides much-needed potassium to your plants
According to Taste of Home, banana peel-infused water is great for plants because the peels are high in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium. All of these give a much-needed boost for your plants to grow. Soaking the peels in water means that the nutrients from the peels transfer into the water, which then means that you can simply spray all the good stuff onto your plants.
Some sources, however, think that banana peel-infused water can do more harm than good. One newly turned gardener faced an unexpected problem when they used the potassium-rich water for the first time. In an article on Honestly Modern, Jen reveals that the banana peel concoction had an incredibly sweet smell. After spraying the water over her plants, she noticed a sweet smell mixed with the odor of rotting bananas from her potted plants. A few days later, the smell attracted a swarm of gnats around the house that refused to go away even after copious amounts of fresh water being watered over the plants!
Another potential problem to keep in mind is that bananas are often sprayed with pesticides that are harmful to consume (via Sfgate). These pesticides can seep into the plants as well, so if you're using the homemade fertilizer on edible plants, it's best to stick with organic banana peels.