Why does nobody talk about using banana peels for roses?

I kept seeing yellow leaves on my roses every spring, tried a bunch of store bought sprays and nothing fixed it. My neighbor told me to bury banana peels near the roots, just chop them up and put them in the soil a few inches deep. After 3 weeks the leaves were way greener and I got more blooms than usual. Has anyone else tried this or got another weird trick that worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowanc2916d ago

Did you read that study from a few years back about banana peels being high in potassium and phosphorus? That's exactly what roses need for strong stems and flowers. I tried it myself after seeing it on a gardening blog and it worked well, but you've gotta chop them really small or they take forever to break down. I also heard some people dry them out first and grind them into a powder so it works faster.

terry116d ago

Drying and grinding them into powder is definitely the way to go @rowanc29, speeds things up a ton. I tried the chopped method once and ended up with mushy peels sitting on top of the soil for weeks before they broke down. The powder mixes right into the top layer and gets to work faster for the rose roots. Some folks also swear by soaking the peels in water for a few days to make a liquid fertilizer tea. Have you tried that method with your roses yet?

joseph52914d ago

Dang, it's not that serious lol. Just toss em in the pile.