The benefits of using banana peels to combat aphids and how to use them in your garden
Aphids are very common garden parasites and can cause serious damage to our plants. There are numerous species of aphids - over 800 are known in Europe alone - and they all come out mainly in spring in hot, dry climates.
Many eco-friendly remedies to combat aphids exist, however. Fortunately, aphids also have many natural enemies, (especially ladybugs and wasps), which you can attract to your garden by planting pollen-rich, flowering plants.
Another very effective natural remedy is to use banana peels. This waste product is actually a precious resource for our plants: not only to combat aphids, but also to improve their well-being. Let's discover together the advantages of using banana peel for our greenery.
- To prevent aphid infestation you can cut a banana peel into small pieces, then sprinkle the pieces on the soil around your plants. The peels will give off an unpleasant smell for the aphids, which will repel them. This method also provides an excellent fertilizer for the soil, as the peels are rich in vitamins, magnesium, calcium and nitrogen.
- In the same way you can also use apple, lemon and garlic peels: create a "wreath" by mixing small pieces of these peels and hang them up in the garden, in kitchen garden or on the balcony; the smell will keep aphids away.
- If a plant has already been infested with aphids, you can easily remove them by using a banana peel: by rubbing the inside of a banana peel directly on the leaves, this will eliminate the aphids.
Banana peels are also very useful for other purposes, both at home and in the garden:
- Liquid fertilizer: put banana peels into water, leaving them to macerate for at least 48 hours; then filter the liquid and use it to water your plants.
- Mulch: banana peels are also perfect as a mulch; just sprinkle the surface around your plants with pieces to create an effective and nutritious layer of mulch for your plants.
- At home: banana peels are also a very valuable aid in household cleaning, in particular for polishing silverware and cleaning leather objects.
Now you never have to throw a banana peel away ever again!
