Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Frugal Uses for Bananas and their Peels in your Garden


Bananas are delicious and nutritious for humans. But did you know they are wonderfully healthy for plants as well?

Bananas and their peels are rich in potassium and phosphorous, two essential nutrients for healthy plants. Dry the peels on a screen, and then grind them up in your food processor or blender. This makes a high-quality mulch for seedlings and new plants. You can use larger pieces of cut, dried banana skins around the base of your older plants as well.

One bonus of adding banana peels to your garden is that those pesky little aphids hate them! Simply put dried or cut up peels around the base of affected plants, about an inch or two under the soil, and watch them move on to your neighbor’s vegetable patch!

The rotted fruit of the banana, and the peels are both good additions to your compost pile. Just be sure to bury the fruit deep in the middle. Otherwise you may attract skunks, raccoons and other night-visitors looking for a midnight snack.


Do you want to attract birds and butterflies to your yard? Put over-ripe bananas, and other sweet fruits such as mangoes and melons on a raised platform in your yard. Your winged friends will make a bee-line for it! Some nature enthusiasts recommend punching some holes in the bananas and filling them with sugar water from a hummingbird feeder, or some sports drink. It makes it easier for the butterflies to feed on the fruit.

Bananas are good for houseplants as well. Instead of misting the leaves with water to clean them, rub the leaves with the inside of a banana peel. It gives the leaves a nice shine.



Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making.
Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com

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I am a freelance writer, Reiki master, and educator, with diplomas in teacher's aide and child psychology, and numerous writing courses. I home schooled my son, who was born 10 weeks early and was expected to have developmental and learning lags. In 6th grade, he took an 8th grade standardized achievement test, and scored as a college sophomore in math and English. It inspired me to write a book, which I have given away for free! It is called Make your Kid a Genius, and can be downloaded at my website http://www.irenehelenzundel.com I am passionate about alternative healing methods; especially Reiki, aromatherapy, acupressure, therapeutic massage and music and sound therapy.