‘Inexpensive’ fruit to make roses ‘stronger and healthier’

Chris Bonnett from Gardening Express said: “Plants need a plethora of nutrients and a bit of care to survive.

“Some fertilisers and repellents can be costly when bought, but nature has many of the answers if you have a little bit of time.

“Plants can start dying when they lack the proper nutrients they need to live, and this can be upsetting for plant owners, especially when they live in the house.

“Homemade plant food is an easy and inexpensive way to feed plants without accidentally harming them or breaking the bank.”

Banana peels can be used as a plant food because they are extremely high in potassium, which most plants, including roses will love.

Chris recommended throwing the banana peel right onto the soil around the plants, watering thoroughly to break down the peels.

The extra potassium will also help to make roses “stronger and healthier”, giving them more energy to fight pests too.

The fruit also contains calcium, iron, copper and manganese, proving they’re not just useful for human consumption.

Roses, which will be in full bloom across the UK until early autumn, would appreciate banana peel, according to John Dempsey, gardening expert at Housetastic.

The pro said: “Applying two or three banana peels to the soil will provide an advantage to newly planted roses.

“You should put a chopped banana peel in the bottom of the hole before inserting the plant and mixing the rest with compost and soil around the new plant.”

If gardeners don’t have roses to enjoy the banana peel, it is recommended to put it into the compost bin, to avoid waste.

This will also help to improve the “richness” of the compost for all garden plants.

Gardeners should prune back roses in the first winter after planting, doing this crucial job in late winter or early spring. With all roses, first remove dead, damaged and weak growths.

General ongoing care involves feeding every spring as well as mulching immediately after, keeping the mulch clear of the rose stems.

Roses may struggle to establish, especially if planted poorly or provided with little aftercare. 

They may also struggle if they are planted where roses have grown before, known as replant disease. The RHS said this is a poorly understood problem and occurs when a plant is replaced with the same type.