Cheese plants, also known as monstera, make a striking addition to any indoor interior when properly nourished – but not all plants reach their potential.
Fertilisers are a good place to start and gardening enthusiasts are getting good results with banana peels.
The natural scrap provides essential potassium, promoting robust plant development in fast growers like cheese plants.
According to experts, this can help some plants achieve an impressive size.
Cheese plants are capable of producing leaves up to three feet wide.
In their natural habitat, the plants can reach staggering heights of up to 20 meters.
House plant enthusiast Olive Mae said feeding her monstera water infused with banana peels did wonders for its growth.
As potassium-infused water seeps into the soil, it provides gentle organic alternatives to synthetic plant foods.
In a clip shared on TikTok, the content creator said: “Gave this girl some banana water and she decided to explode with new growth.”
Rich in potassium, banana peels are gaining popularity as an effective fertiliser for all sorts of garden and indoor plants.
The kitchen scrap contains several key nutrients including potassium and phosphorous, essential nutrients in fertiliser.
Unless they’re dried, however, the peels are composed mainly of water, meaning the amount of nutrients they have compared to regular fertiliser is relatively low.
Fertilisers used for gardening practices are typically concentrated sources of plant nutrients and usually come in compact forms such as pellets, granules, powders or liquids. Although they’re effective, they can be expensive.
Chemical fertilisers used in industrial settings have proven benefits for plant growth, but their overuse can harden soil and decrease fertility.
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Research suggests they also strengthen pesticides and pollute water, bringing hazards to human and environmental health.
By decreasing reliance on chemicals, banana peels offer a more sustainable approach to indoor and outdoor gardening.
Using organic matter as fertiliser can present challenges, however.
Some gardeners report an uptick in pests like fruit flies and fungus gnats around the base of the plant.
