Are your cucumbers turning yellow and there are few fruits? Maybe they are lacking potassium! Instead of expensive fertilizers, try using banana peels – they contain minerals that support growth and fruit formation. It is enough to work them into the soil or to prepare an infusion from them for watering. Take a look.
Cucumber season is slowly here, and many gardeners are properly looking forward to it. However, growing them can be quite difficult, as cucumbers require a warm and sunny location, regular watering, soil rich in nutrients, and as soon as they lack any of these conditions, they will let you know very quickly and very strongly – the leaves will turn yellow, their growth will slow down, there will not be as many fruits as you would need, they will be smaller and bitter. So what can you do to keep your cucumbers growing nicely and at the end of the season you have the biggest harvest in the neighborhood? You might be surprised, but something that you normally think of as trash can help you do this.
You can find a video about growing cucumbers here:
Banana peels for pickles
Most people consider banana peels useless and throw them in the trash. But that’s an eternal shame, because they can have a really good use in the garden, as an additional source of nutrients. Banana peels mainly contain phosphorus, magnesium and other minerals, which for plants, including cucumbers of course, act as key nutrients for proper and healthy growth. Potassium is important for the plant’s water management, supports the formation of flowers and fruits and also contributes to the overall vitality of the plant.
So how to use in the cucumber bed? It is ideal to chop them into smaller pieces and work them into the shallow soil around the cucumbers. Organic material will gradually decompose and soil organisms will release nutrients from it. Of course, it will take a while, but the result will be beautiful, strong and healthy cucumber plants that will bear fruit like crazy.
Another way to use banana peels for the benefit of cucumbers is to make a banana infusion from them, which you will then use as a dressing. This process is very simple. Just take the peels, cover them with lukewarm water and let them soak for a day or two. You can water not only cucumbers with the resulting solution, but basically any plants. But be careful, because nothing should be overdone. A large amount of banana peels left on the surface of the soil in the bed could attract pests or annoying insects.
Waste for some, treasure for others
Even though banana peels are mostly thrown away, they can still provide you with a really solid service in the garden. Although they cannot be taken as a full-fledged fertilizer substitute, they can serve as a cheap life-stimulator for your cucumbers, which will help the cucumbers grow up, for example, when there is a lack of nutrients. So before you throw away banana peels, think about whether you could find a use for them in the garden.
