According to Healthline, bananas are excellent for the heart and digestive health. That’s great for people who incorporate them into their diets in the form of plain fruit, salad, yogurt, or shake.
Apart from being healthy for humans, there’s been a rumor that banana water is great for plants too. It’s said to act like compost to give the plant its needed nutrients and help it grow.
But is it true? Here, in this article, we’ll be looking into what banana water is and whether it is actually good for plants.
What is banana water?
Banana water is, as is evident in the term, a mixture made of water and banana. Its main ingredients are cut banana peels which are immersed in water for an hour to a few days.
This liquid is then applied directly to the soil with a watering can or mist sprayer. It’s believed to work as fertilizer similar to compost tea.
Is banana water a good fertilizer?
Unfortunately, banana water is not a good fertilizer, so it cannot be good for your plants. At best, plants can only get a small amount of potassium from the banana.
As a matter of fact, steeping the banana peels in water will not transfer the potassium to the water. The nutrient has to be chemically broken down by fungi or microbes for this.
Second, for fertilizer to be of use, it has to supply balanced macronutrients of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus to the plant.
If it’s not getting balanced nutrients, then that won’t nourish the whole plant, from leaves to stems, roots, and flowers.
Can banana water harm plants?
And worse, banana water can harm plants.
There are two ways it can do so: by attracting fruit flies and gnats and by poisoning the plant, having been grown with the use of toxic pesticides.
You might think these pests are harmless, but they’re not. Fruit flies can transmit germs and dirt to your home while gnats can be a nuisance and their larvae can damage the plant.
And being sprayed with pesticides, banana peels can transfer the contaminants to the water and the container you drink in. But we don’t get them since we throw away the banana peels and only eat the banana flesh.
So, as a result, banana water can harm your plants and even make you sick if you eat an edible herb or crop that’s been “fertilized” with banana water.
Conclusion
From here, we can conclude that banana water isn’t good for your plants. And that’s not the only problem, as it can harm your plants as well.
So we suggest using organic fertilizer with vital nutrients that your specific plant needs. As for the banana peels, we advise that you mix them into your compost heap.
Know, however, that banana peels can take up to a year for them to be broken down organically. Once the mixed compost is ready, you can then use it on your plants.
