What Is Banana Water and Is It Good for Plants?

If you’re on #PlantTok or like to scroll through gardening forums for new techniques, you might have noticed that bananas are having a major moment in the spotlight right now à la “banana water.” Maybe you’ve already dunked your peels in water and poured it over your favorite flora, or perhaps you’re skeptical and wondering whether banana water is good for plants and even worth the effort. To satisfy your curiosity, we spoke to a plant expert for all the answers.

What Is Banana Water for Plants? 

Banana water involves taking an old banana peel, cutting it into small pieces, and then soaking it in water for a few days. (It’s basically banana peel tea.) Afterward, you strain the water to remove the peels, and then pour it over your houseplants and garden plants. The theory is that the banana peels—which are rich in potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6—will create a healthy brew that provides nutrients to your plants. 

Is Banana Water Good for Plants? 

While banana water isn’t necessarily bad for your plants, gardening experts agree that this fruity brew isn’t going to give your favorite flora much bang for your buck. In other words: The banana peel juice just isn’t worth the squeeze. 

“Bananas contain potassium, which is an essential nutrient for plant health. Soaking their peels in water might extract a negligible amount of potassium, but not nearly enough to benefit plants,” explains Jessica Damiano, a garden consultant, journalist, and author of The Weekly Dirt newsletter. 

She says that if you really want to nourish your plants with proper nutrients, there are better ways to give them that nutrient TLC. 

Better Alternatives to Banana Water Fertilizer 

Making banana water for plants isn’t a great use of your time since the nutrients are negligible compared to other fertilizing options. Here are some better alternatives that’ll help your indoor and outdoor plants thrive. 

• Banana Compost: It sort of feels like a waste to toss a perfectly good banana peel. “If you want to use banana peels as a fertilizer, chop them up and compost them first,” Damiano says. 
• Banana Powder: Another way to squeeze out the nutrients of your banana peel for plants is to dry them out in a food dehydrator, suggests Damiano. Once dry, “pulverize in a food processor and incorporate that powder into the soil.” 
• Standard Compost: Composting food scraps is one of the easiest ways to reduce waste and provide nutrients to your plants. From onion skins to zucchini ends to banana peels, you can compost these plant-based scraps to create a natural fertilizer for your plants. There are standard composting bins for those with yards, or small electric options like The Mill or Lomi. 
• Compost Tea: If you like the idea of creating nutrient-dense water, one option is to make compost tea. This involves steeping compost in water and then pouring it over your plants. There are various ways to do this, some involving DIY methods and others involving pre-packaged compost tea bags.
• Packaged Fertilizer: Of course, there are always premade fertilizer options you can purchase from gardening stores and nurseries. You’ll want to test your soil and consider your plant type to determine the best fertilizer.