Hydrangeas come in a range of varieties and colours, making them a great fit for many gardens. One thing hydrangea owners struggle with is getting the plant to bloom, increasing the number of flowers. This could be down to a lack of fertiliser, as hydrangeas are considered to be heavy feeders, so they require plenty of nutrients.

While there is a range of specialised hydrangea fertilisers on the market, there are homemade alternatives that can give these flowers a natural boost. Plus, it’s a great way to reduce waste and get the most out of ingredients in your home that you would otherwise bin.

Passionate gardener Holly, behind the blog Sustainable Holly, has shared her love of using banana peels as a natural fertiliser.

Bananas are high in potassium, and in the plant world, this is an essential nutrient for hydrangea plant growth. The plant “requires extra potassium to make them flower like crazy”.

Potassium also helps strengthen them—it thickens their cell walls to make them grow big and strong.

So, how do you make this natural feed? Holly claimed that the “easiest way by far” is just to put the peel in the compost or bury the banana peel in the garden. 

This will slowly break down and release nutrients into the soil to feed your plants. However, there are a few ways to “speed up the process” of extracting the nutrients.

Holly advised: “Chop up your banana peel and add it to a jar of water with a cloth over the top. You don’t want bugs to get in, but you want it to breathe.”

You can keep adding peels to the concoction over the next few days, stirring every time. 

The gardener pointed out that this water is ready to use after at least three days. Just strain the water and add the banana peels to the compost or bury them in the garden.

You can also chop up your banana peels and let them dry out in the sun, and then blitz them up into a powder. Add this powder to water or just sprinkle it around your plants.