Bananas are an excellent source of phosphorus and potassium for us, and their peels do the same for the plants. They decompose quickly, so simply chop and add them to the planting hole for tomatoes or peppers, this is one of the Banana Peel Uses In The Garden; more you can read below!

Check out some awesome corn starch uses in the garden here

Banana Peel Uses In The Garden

1. As a Spray-On Fertilizer

Feeding banana peels to plants is not just an old wives’ tale. You can use them to make a foliar spray to give a nutrient boost to your plants. For this, you’ll need banana peels, Epsom salt, eggshells, and water. To view the recipe, click here!

2. Brew a Compost Tea

Simply drop some banana peels into a bucket filled with water and let it stay put for a few days. You will get a mineral-rich banana tea that will enrich your flower and vegetable beds with nutrients and promote vigorous growth organically.

3. Encourage Blooming in Plants

The banana peels have a high concentration of potassium- the key nutrient that plants need to form big and bright blooms. Potassium also facilitates the transfer of nutrients and water between plant cells and protects them from diseases. To get their benefits, cut them into small pieces and use them as mulch.

4. Fortify Your Soil

Give a direct jolt of nourishment to your garden soil by planting a banana peel or two in it. Just dip up a trench three inches deep and long enough to accommodate the peels. Lay them flat with the inside facing up and cover them with some soil.

If you want quick decomposition, churn them in a grinder and then follow the above steps. Over time, they will release vital nutrients like iron, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus.

5. Make a Fruit Fly Trap

If flies are the main problem, and you are looking for a non-toxic way to deal with them, then using a banana with the peel is your answer.

Just chop it up, place it in a plastic container, and pour some apple cider vinegar. Then punch some holes in the lid large enough to allow the entry of fruit flies. The scent of the vinegar and banana will attract them, and they’ll enter through the holes and ultimately drown and die in the liquid.

6. Aphid Control

There are no solid proofs yet, but you can try! Cut a ripe banana peel or use dried pieces for this hack. Either drape or dig the cut-up peel or dried pieces 2-4 inches deep into the ground around the base of the affected plant.

The aphids will soon be gone from the affected plants as they detest the smell of ripe bananas.

7. Add to Compost

Banana peels are biodegradable and break down quickly, so one of the best banana peel uses is to add them to the compost pile. Just make sure you add them chopped or soaked, or as a semi-solid slurry; do not add them whole as this will attract raccoons and skunks.

8. Attract Butterflies and Birds

Encourage birds and butterflies in your garden by placing ripe banana peels on a raised platform. You can also chop them into pieces or punch a few holes, to make the fruit more appealing and accessible to the insects.

The banana is quite likely to draw the bees, wasps, and caterpillars as well, so just make sure that you place it on a platform above your plants.

9. Fertilizer for Air Plants

Common air plants and epiphytic perennials like staghorn fern and elkhorn fern do not form roots to grow in the soil like ordinary plants. Instead, they derive all their nourishment from the surrounding air.

Spraying them with banana water is a smart way to ensure they get their requisite dose of nutrients for growth and survival. For this, put banana peels in a blender or food processor to achieve a smooth consistency and then dilute the paste in water– use it to spray on air plants.

10. Feed Your Plants Banana Vinegar

Acid-loving plants like gardenias, rhododendrons, blueberries, and azaleas benefit from a quick foliar spray or application of banana vinegar. Begin by fermenting leftover banana peels and follow the instructions here.

If the concoction has a strong vinegar smell, consider diluting it with an equal amount of water to avoid burning the plants.

11. Prepare Your Garden Bed

Banana peels’ fertilizing and nutritive nature makes them perfect as a soil amendment substance for preparing the garden beds. Just chop them up and toss them into the tilled soil.

They’ll boost microbial growth and enable the beneficial worms to aerate and improve the quality of your soil.

12. Establish Air Plants with a Banana Peel

When setting decorative air plants, add a banana peel at the base. Cover it with some mulch or moss and mount the entire plant over it. The peels will act as compost and decay to release many nutrients that will benefit the plants for a time to come.

13. Fertilize Tomato Plants

If you want your tomato plants to thrive and produce the harvest prolifically, don’t forget to add banana peels. As banana peels enrich the soil with potassium, iron, and calcium, this helps the tomatoes.

14. Feed Seedlings

Cut up a few banana peels into tiny pieces and bury them in the soil, just below the topsoil of the garden bed or at the bottom of containers, whenever you plant seedlings. This will provide a much-needed boost of nutrients to the young plants. You can also spray them with banana peel water.

15. Ammend Potting Soil

You can use composted banana peels directly as a soil amendment in the fall while you are preparing the flower and vegetable beds for the winter. To do so, chop banana peels up and add them into the potting mix.

Ensure to bury them deeply under mulch if you choose to add the whole peels to avoid attracting any mammalian nocturnal invaders.

16. Boost Blooms in Roses

Banana peels are a good source of calcium, phosphates, magnesium, and sulfur that roses need to grow to their full potential. These elements help not only to boost the plant’s overall immune system but also promote brighter flowers.

There are many ways to do this: you can bury banana peel pieces in the rose bed or container, mulching is also an option, or side-dress your rose bushes with dried banana peels. Banana peel foliar spray will work as well, you can see its recipe at point number one.

  • JL

  • July 1, 2017 At 5:30 am

  • I tried the banana peels on my milk weed to get rid of the aphids but did not help. Is there anything else to use that natural I’m growing milk weed for the butterflies and catapiller so can not use anything harmful to them

  • Reply

  • Pam

  • July 20, 2017 At 1:09 pm

  • LADY BUGS. Many nurseries carry thrm. If you have kids there are cool kits that allow lady.bugs to hatch then u release them in garden kids when they are ready love it so fun.

  • Reply

  • El Pauls

  • July 11, 2018 At 2:12 pm

  • Be careful about purchased Lady Bugs. Many lady bug purchases have created big problems. The imported eggs will produce bugs with no/few enemies.

  • Reply

  • Samuel Snyder

  • October 31, 2021 At 7:38 pm

  • Natural neem oil works and is non toxic. Also treats and prevents leaf mold and fungus.

  • Reply

  • LD

  • July 1, 2017 At 10:22 pm

  • Try burying some ground coffee beans.

  • Reply

  • Phil Wachovsky

  • March 12, 2018 At 6:03 am

  • I use the peel and some water blending it up adding additional water and the adding to pots for plants.

  • I use it in.everything from birds nest ferns to dragon fruit, and everything in between. Since I started this regimen I’ve had the most beautiful ferns ever.

  • Reply

  • Aika

  • May 14, 2019 At 7:02 pm

  • My mom loves gardening and she should know about this, I’ll definitely share this article with her. I’m sure she’ll find this really helpful.

  • Reply

  • Christtopher Allen

  • April 24, 2020 At 8:29 am

  • Good idea, but these are all the same thing, not 14 different uses.

  • Reply

  • Vibeke

  • March 27, 2021 At 6:22 pm

  • Other than something you can place on the floor as an ironic reference to a bygone era when a banana peel fall was considered to be the height of comedic gold, banana peels have many weirdly useful applications for your beauty regimen, the maintenance of your leather couch, the health of your backyard garden, and more.

  • Reply

  • Jensine

  • April 2, 2021 At 1:55 am

  • Other than something you can place on the floor as an ironic reference to a bygone era when a banana peel fall was considered to be the height of comedic gold, banana peels have many weirdly useful applications for your beauty regimen, the maintenance of your leather couch, the health of your backyard garden, and more.

  • Reply

  • Anonymous

  • April 9, 2021 At 1:48 pm

  • The fly trap sound barbaric!

  • Reply

  • Nini

  • June 16, 2021 At 8:25 am

  • I use them ferment without her wasted vegetables and fruits peels to get fermented liquid to water my plants

  • Reply

  • Chagas Fernandes

  • November 3, 2021 At 7:45 am

  • Blend the banana skin in a blender, dilute the pulp and pour on the base of plant.

  • Reply

  • Karen

  • May 13, 2022 At 4:24 pm

  • I have two potted Cordyline australis ‘Red Star’ either side of Mt back garden doors, but the soil seems to dry out even tho we just planted into larger pots with John Innes compost number 3 , we have tried the cut up banana peel & watered the dryed compost , if that don’t work, I’m lost in what to do next, any advice is helpful so I don’t lost these lovely plant Ive had for about 4 yrs now

  • Reply

  • Marian

  • August 5, 2022 At 3:28 am

  • Put a squirt of washing-up liquid

  • (dishsoap) in a spray bottle fill with water, give it a good shake and spray the plant/s. Label it and use whenever needed as it doesn’t go off – works a dream for me

  • Reply

  • Marian

  • August 5, 2022 At 3:38 am

  • For aphids and those teeny tiny black bugs – don’t know what they are..

  • Put a squirt of wash-up liquid

  • (dishsoap) in a spray bottle fill with water, give it a good shake and spray the plant/s. Label it and use whenever needed as it doesn’t go off – works a dream for me.

  • To Karen: Get some self-watering plant containers or google plant pot irrigation systems – hope this helps 🙂

  • Reply

  • Julz

  • January 2, 2023 At 6:30 am

  • Try boiling 6 – 8 cloves of crushed garlic in 3litres of water. Allow to boil for half an hour or so. Let it cool down. Use a strainer, to strain off the lumpy left overs and funnel/pour into some half water half garlic mix – recycled (clean) spray bottles. When completely cool, spray

  • As a side, add a few more cloves of crushed garlic or use store bought, add to another 3 -4litres of water and boil. Again, allow to cool. Pour into larger bottles. When cool, pour onto soil affected by nasty gnats, flies and root eating larvae.

  • Have fun

  • Reply

  • Pam

  • July 20, 2017 At 1:09 pm

  • LADY BUGS. Many nurseries carry thrm. If you have kids there are cool kits that allow lady.bugs to hatch then u release them in garden kids when they are ready love it so fun.

  • Reply

  • El Pauls

  • July 11, 2018 At 2:12 pm

  • Be careful about purchased Lady Bugs. Many lady bug purchases have created big problems. The imported eggs will produce bugs with no/few enemies.

  • Reply

  • Samuel Snyder

  • October 31, 2021 At 7:38 pm

  • Natural neem oil works and is non toxic. Also treats and prevents leaf mold and fungus.

  • Reply

I tried the banana peels on my milk weed to get rid of the aphids but did not help. Is there anything else to use that natural I’m growing milk weed for the butterflies and catapiller so can not use anything harmful to them

  • El Pauls
  • July 11, 2018 At 2:12 pm
  • Be careful about purchased Lady Bugs. Many lady bug purchases have created big problems. The imported eggs will produce bugs with no/few enemies.
  • Reply

LADY BUGS. Many nurseries carry thrm. If you have kids there are cool kits that allow lady.bugs to hatch then u release them in garden kids when they are ready love it so fun.

Be careful about purchased Lady Bugs. Many lady bug purchases have created big problems. The imported eggs will produce bugs with no/few enemies.

Natural neem oil works and is non toxic. Also treats and prevents leaf mold and fungus.

Try burying some ground coffee beans.

I use the peel and some water blending it up adding additional water and the adding to pots for plants. I use it in.everything from birds nest ferns to dragon fruit, and everything in between. Since I started this regimen I’ve had the most beautiful ferns ever.

My mom loves gardening and she should know about this, I’ll definitely share this article with her. I’m sure she’ll find this really helpful.

Good idea, but these are all the same thing, not 14 different uses.

Other than something you can place on the floor as an ironic reference to a bygone era when a banana peel fall was considered to be the height of comedic gold, banana peels have many weirdly useful applications for your beauty regimen, the maintenance of your leather couch, the health of your backyard garden, and more.

The fly trap sound barbaric!

I use them ferment without her wasted vegetables and fruits peels to get fermented liquid to water my plants

Blend the banana skin in a blender, dilute the pulp and pour on the base of plant.

I have two potted Cordyline australis ‘Red Star’ either side of Mt back garden doors, but the soil seems to dry out even tho we just planted into larger pots with John Innes compost number 3 , we have tried the cut up banana peel & watered the dryed compost , if that don’t work, I’m lost in what to do next, any advice is helpful so I don’t lost these lovely plant Ive had for about 4 yrs now

Put a squirt of washing-up liquid (dishsoap) in a spray bottle fill with water, give it a good shake and spray the plant/s. Label it and use whenever needed as it doesn’t go off – works a dream for me

For aphids and those teeny tiny black bugs – don’t know what they are.. Put a squirt of wash-up liquid (dishsoap) in a spray bottle fill with water, give it a good shake and spray the plant/s. Label it and use whenever needed as it doesn’t go off – works a dream for me. To Karen: Get some self-watering plant containers or google plant pot irrigation systems – hope this helps 🙂

Try boiling 6 – 8 cloves of crushed garlic in 3litres of water. Allow to boil for half an hour or so. Let it cool down. Use a strainer, to strain off the lumpy left overs and funnel/pour into some half water half garlic mix – recycled (clean) spray bottles. When completely cool, spray As a side, add a few more cloves of crushed garlic or use store bought, add to another 3 -4litres of water and boil. Again, allow to cool. Pour into larger bottles. When cool, pour onto soil affected by nasty gnats, flies and root eating larvae. Have fun

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