Banana Peel And Eggshell Fertilizer: Use Them For Good

Nowadays, natural and organic fertilizers are people’s choices to offer nutrients to their plants and boost their growth. Apart from being great for your veggies and fruits, the ingredients for making these fertilizers are also very easy to get.

And, of course, they are cheaper than commercial fertilizers.

These ingredients are also helpful for improving soil amendment in holding water and boosting soil absorption. Even more astonishing, most of them are household organic waste, including banana peels and eggshells.

Both the organic materials are useful to support the growth and development of your plants as well as maintain their health. Therefore, we offer a way to make banana peel and eggshell fertilizers that are easy and inexpensive and that work great for your plants.

In addition, a brief guide to its application to your vegetable garden is also available. Are you curious? Please read to the end, so you don’t miss any important info!

Benefits of Banana Peels and Eggshell for Plants

Before formulating your banana peel and eggshell fertilizer, you must broaden your insight into their benefits for your plants. What kind of nutrients can boost their development and possibly prevent disease infection? Let’s find out!

1. Banana Peels Fertilizer

Many of us know that bananas are rich in potassium which is good for human health. Hence, we are recommended to eat bananas. But amazingly, the peels are also beneficial for plants to provide additional nutrients to stimulate their growth.

In addition to potassium which helps regulate the movement of water and nutrients in plants, banana skins also contain calcium and magnesium that break down nutrients and help the photosynthesis process.

Moreover, it also has phosphorus that contributes to strengthening roots and stems.

2. Eggshell Fertilizer

While they may seem useless, eggshells contain calcium carbonate that can lower soil pH. It is beneficial for most plants that like low acidity, for example, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers.

In addition, the calcium content in eggshell fertilizer can also prevent black spots on the end root in tomato plants. It also encourages root growth, holds cell membranes, and serves as a pest deterrent.

Which Plants Like a Banana Peel and Eggshell Fertilizer?

After knowing the benefits of banana peel and eggshell fertilizer, the question is, do all plants like and accept this fertilizer to support their growth? The answer depends on the plant.

As for the banana peels, unfortunately, only a few varieties favor this fertilizer, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and some flowers.

Considering the lack of nitrogen, this natural fertilizer still needs to be combined with other ingredients so plants’ nitrogen needs can be fulfilled. Nitrogen is one of the essential components to nourish your plants by helping them produce chlorophyll.

Furthermore, chlorophyll is a crucial pigment that plays a role in the photosynthesis process to produce energy that will be distributed to all parts of the plant.

One of the signs of a nitrogen deficiency is the color of the leaves, from green to yellow.

Meanwhile, strawberries, basil, cabbage, marigolds, and lettuce benefit from eggshells for their rich calcium carbonate content. This nutrient is easily degraded and absorbed by the soil, which will then be used by your plants for their growth process.

In addition, eggshells deter snails, which are the number one pest of these various plants. In addition to plants that grow in the gardens or fields, eggshells encourage bloom in your potted plants.

How to Make Banana Peel and Eggshell Fertilizer?

You may wonder how to properly make and formulate your plants’ banana peels and eggshells fertilizers.

Luckily, they are not tricky. Instead, you can effortlessly make it at home with the ingredients you have. To make it easier, carefully follow the steps below!

How to Make Banana Peel Fertilizer?

Banana peels can make three different kinds of organic fertilizers. Since the liquid one will be later explained below, we will show you how to make the dry banana peel fertilizer step-by-step so that you can easily follow the instructions.

Collect the banana peels from the flesh. Separate them carefully.
Clean up the skins by washing them thoroughly.
Cut the peels square with a knife around an inch wide.
Dry them under the sun or in the oven at a low temperature. Do not use high ones to avoid burning. Ensure they are not damp when you collect them.
Now, you can use banana peels for your plants. We recommend burying them with the soil to prevent unwanted pests from coming to your yard.
If you want to make powdered fertilizer, you can grind the dried skins using a food processor or coffee grinds. Then, add another ingredient, for example, coffee grounds or eggshell.
Apple cider vinegar will also work amazingly to trap insects as well as nourish plants.

How to Make Eggshells Fertilizer?

The process of eggshells fertilizer making is not as long as the banana peels since they are already dry. You may probably need to dry them a bit, but not too long to ensure they are not burning.

Now, we will jump into three different types of fertilizers you can make out of shells.

Wash the eggshells and dry them. Make sure there is no trace amount of egg as it may invite rats to invade your garden or field.
After drying, you can have crushed shells or fine powder by using a food processor, a pair of mortar and pestle, or a rolling pin. Please wear a mask to prevent breathing in the shell dust.
Apply the powder eggshells to your potting soil. You can also add coffee grounds to promote more nitrogen necessary for plant growth.
If you wish to include them in the compost pile, you can grind them first and then pour them into the compost bin.

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How to Make Liquid Fertilizer?

For those who prefer to give their veggies and fruits liquid fertilizer, then these formulations are definitely made for you! They are easy to make and apply to your plants, thanks to their liquid consistency.

1. Banana Peels Liquid Fertilizer

While the dry ones require some time to make, banana peels liquid fertilizers are easier to formulate. The equipment is rather simple. Are you ready to make one? Follow the brief guide below!

Prepare a big or medium jar with a lid, water, and banana peels.
Put the banana peels into the jar and close the lid tightly. Make sure you are not overloading it with too many peels to offer space for the water.
Add water until the skins are soaking.
Let them rest for a week.
After that, you can take out the peels and use them to make compost while the liquid is ready to pour into the plants and nourish them.

2. Eggshell Liquid Fertilizer

Compared to the banana, making eggshell liquid fertilizer needs some additional steps, but it is still handy to make on your own. How?

Prepare a gallon of water. Then, boil it.
Next, add 10-20 eggshells that have been washed, drained, and cleaned before to the boiling water.
Turn off the stove and let them sit overnight.
The next morning, take out all the shells.
Now, you can use the liquid for your plants. It is rich in water-soluble calcium, which is highly beneficial for their development, especially those with blooms.

How to Use Banana Peels and Eggshell Fertilizer?

Besides making them into dry and liquid fertilizers, there are other ways to use both natural ingredients for your plants with no fewer benefits. What are those?

1. Composting

It is one of the easiest ways to utilize banana peels and eggshells to feed your plants.

You can add them to your compost bin with other additional ingredients, such as coffee grounds, grass clippings, leaves, and many more, to boost nutrients.

2. Bury Them in the Soil

You can put the peels and shells on the soil and still get their nutritional benefits for your fruits and veggies. However, they may invite pests to come and ruin your plants.

Therefore, burying them in the soil at the base of the plants is highly recommended.

3. Make Them Natural Fertilizers

Natural fertilizers are the fertilizers made of natural ingredients, like banana peels and eggshells.

They are excellent sources of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, all the ingredients needed for the plants to produce lush green leaves, beautiful flowers, and plentiful fruits.

You can easily scroll up and find our step-by-step guide to making a homemade fertilizer from these ingredients at home!

Conclusion

Banana peels and eggshells are two excellent ingredients for making natural fertilizers. Even though they offer nutrients for your plants, they may not be great for all plants, especially those who need abundant nitrogen to thrive.

Therefore, you need to mix them with other materials, like coffee grounds, to improve the good quality of nutrients.

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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Do all plants like banana peels?

Despite offering some plant benefits, not all plants love banana peels. Bananas and banana peels are good sources of potassium, an essential mineral beneficial to regulate nutrient distribution throughout the plant tissues.

However, banana peels lack nitrogen content and some other nutrients which are vital for plant growth.

Hence, it is better to combine banana peels with other ingredients, like coffee grounds or eggshells, to make organic fertilizer.

Will banana peel fertilizer attract bugs?

Due to the sweet and pleasant smell, small bugs are attracted to the banana peels. Besides, other insects, such as fruit flies, gnats, and ants, also find banana skin interesting and feed on them.

Therefore, we recommend covering your compost bin to prevent such culprits invading your plants.

If you want to add the peels directly to the soil, don’t forget to bury them.

Is soaking eggshells in water good for plants?

Soaking eggshells in the water will dissolve water-soluble nutrients, especially calcium, into the water. Thus, it will be beneficial and more accessible for your plants to absorb.

Calcium strengthens cell walls as it helps hold them together and coordinate essential cellular activities.

Moreover, some examples of vegetables that like adding eggshells to natural fertilizers are tomato plants, peppers, and eggplants.