Horticulturist Reveals One Fruit Scrap That Helps Peace Lily Bloom All Through the Year

In the serene rustle of rainforests or on the indoor sill of a house window, the gorgeous white peace lily flowers dwell in poetic beauty. However, given their sensitive biology, peace lilies are vulnerable to losing their vigor quite quickly. As a result, they start drooping and wilting. During summer this year, reporter Chanelle Georgina noticed that her peace lily plant was shedding its white spathes while the leaves looked mottled. Horticulturalist Graham Smith MClhort suggested she use “banana water,” per The Mirror. Banana water is basically the liquid gold for these white blooms.

In the gardening community, banana water is considered a magical potion for plants. Also known as “banana peel tea,” banana water’s rich concoction of potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 makes it an excellent drink for plants, including peace lilies. About a year ago, a woman named Gail Nacoste wrote in a viral Facebook post, how this banana water trick helped her peace lilies bloom like crazy. “I have been watering my peace Lilly with banana peel water. It has been flowering like crazy with big flowers and growing faster,” she wrote. She also mentioned, "I also save the water in a jug. We both eat a banana a day so I have a lot of water to save. I water once a week or more often if needed."

Fantastic Gardener's gardening and plant expert, Petar Ivanov told the Express that banana water is the best fertilizer available in the kitchen for these white blooms. "Feed it banana skin as a fertilizing agent; this is the best kitchen scrap to make peace lilies bloom," said Petar. Excited by the praises people shared for this “banana water trick,” Chanelle repotted her peace lilies in a new planting pot and regularly watered them with mildly warm banana water. Her peace lilies are now flourishing and bursting with lush green foliage, reports The Mirror. But she’s curious to see whether the trick also helps in growing new white spathes on the blooms.

The recipe for making banana water is simple, according to The Spruce. Cut up banana peels into 1 or 2-inch pieces and immerse the peels in water. Let the peels stay dipped in water for two to three days. After this, pull out the soaked peels and strain the liquid into a container or a jar. The banana water is ready. Just pour it around the outer base of the plant from where it will automatically seep into the roots. However, when it comes to the plant’s nutritional needs, banana water may not be enough. With banana water, the plant will only get tiny amounts of macronutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, but not sufficient for their thriving.

Alternatively, if you don’t have bananas, then you can also use eggshells or coffee grounds as kitchen-based fertilizers. “Eggshells are an excellent replacement for banana skin water because they’ll also enrich the plant’s soil with calcium, which is an essential nutrient for plant growth,” Petar noted, "You can also add coffee grounds instead, which contain nitrogen and phosphorus that also benefit healthy plant growth.”