Banana Tea
 

I’ve been reading about Orchids and other plants. Some people swear by Banana Tea. I did get some ready but threw it away because I’m afraid it will attract some little bug because of the sugar. As far as I know there is absolutely nothing living in my plant soil. Apparently the mixture promotes blooming….Is the tea a good idea or not?

I personally don't like the ideas of using any ingredients from the kitchen. If the plant is BS and well grown in the proper conditions. It will bloom when the time is right ( usually seasonal)

Yes, I had some reservations as well, but I’ve read this many times from many different sources. I’m not expecting blooms yet from my one Phal that is not blooming. The second in still in bloom from time of purchase, and my third will be a Mothers Day gift so that will be blooming. I quite enjoy the foliage as well.

When you use these "home brew" concoctions, you have no idea what you are actually providng. When you use a regular fertilizer, you know exactly what is in there, and can then make your dilutions based on what you are trying to achieve. Think of fertiizer as "vitamins" rather than "food" - green plants make t heir own food, utilize the minerals in fertilizer to build new tissue. Since they grow slowly, they don't need much. A healthy orchid will bloom at the appropriate time - you can't make it bloom better with a fertilizer formulation, especially an unknown one. If you have a healthy plant that is reluctant to bloom, it likely needs more light. (Phals nant low intensity light, but also want a duration of about 12 hours a day)

Way back when, banana peels may very well have been beneficial in providing potassium, but only because nothing else was available.

I think a lot of these home brew ideas are just perpetuated from 100 years ago, before complete, factory-produced fertilizers became available, and some gullible people view them as "organic improvements".

All it takes is 1 YouTube video and you have ppl doing all kinds of weird stuff. I was asked about Rice water once.

That’s another of the recommendations for plants that I’ve come across in reading…….Lol!
So far, I’ve fertilized with Dyna Grow Liquid Plant Food…7-9-5.
I did shine up the leaves with a milk mixture, and they are looking great!

I heard it talked about for other things besides plants before. But as a fertilizer only very recently. I guess there is a theory for why it works. But if I were you, stick to premade fertilizers.

As a retired organic farmer and scientist, please don’t put banana water on your plant. It doesn’t provide anything of value and has a lot of downsides (smell, gnats, etc.). Compost your food scraps for the garden.

I have a friend who swears by it. I asked him, and my friend the witch doctor said "Oo ee, oo ah ah, ting tang walla walla bing bang!". But he always says that. I have heard that waving a chicken bone over the plants while applying is helpful as well.