Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Plant Food

Kate writes~ I used to have a recipe for plant food made with banana skins and Epsom Salt. There were some other ingredients also but I have forgotten what they were and what the amounts were. I used to make this when I lived in Florida. I had 9" Hibiscus blooms and elephant ears that were huge when I used it on them. I have looked everywhere and can't find it. I remember that everything was put in the blender and blended. It is a wet mix. It was absolutely wonderful and inexpensive to make.

A. I had to combine sources and come up with a suitable recipe for you. Some gardeners adore this mix and claim great results:

Mix:
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon household ammonia
1 tablespoon Epsom salts
1 teaspoon salt

Stir well in:
1 gallon water

Add:
1 cup banana skins, pureed in a blender or food processor or minced finely with a knife

Shake or mix very well.

Apply monthly to indoor and outdoor plants.

Here is one of the old gardeners' tales to feeding roses. Once finished eating a banana, take the skin out and lay over the surface of the soil so the outer part of the skin is facing up towards the sun and the soft inside is flat along the ground. Over time with sun and the rain, it breaks down and releases vital nutrients into the soil, which enhances the performance of the rose, both foliage, roots and flowers, giving natural feed to your plants. Bury them near roses and other established shrubs. Banana skins are rich in potassium which encourages strong, healthy growth and helps plants resist disease. Chop them up and feed to your roses. Epsom salts are said to be a good deterrent for slugs in the garden. This also adds magnesium to the soil but do not be too heavy-handed, or you may get a build up of excess salts. There is misunderstanding concerning Epsom salts since some sulfate compounds (e.g., ammonium sulfate, aluminum sulfate, iron sulfate) have soil-acidifying properties. However, there are many other sulfate compounds which do not acidify soil. Examples include calcium sulfate (gypsum), magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), and potassium sulfate. Magnesium is a key component of chlorophyll, the green coloring material of plants, and is vital for photosynthesis (the conversion of the sun's energy to food for the plant). Deficiencies occur mainly on sandy acid soils in high rainfall areas, especially if used for intensive horticulture. Heavy applications of potassium in fertilizers can also produce magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency can be overcome with dolomite lime (a mixed magnesium-calcium carbonate), magnesite (magnesium oxide) or Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate).