Happy Tuesday, Friends! I hope you had a relaxing long weekend in observance of Memorial Day, and thank you to those of you who have served our country! Today I'll show you how to reuse orange and banana peels to create chemical free pest control and fertilizer
That's right, you can make two different garden care products by using two kinds of peels: oranges and bananas.
You may remember the organic fire ant control that I shared previously made with orange oil. It contains D-Limonene, the extract from citrus peel that kills ants. Since then, I've experimented and found that orange peel infused vinegar is just as effective in killing ants and you can make it yourself for a fraction of the cost of the oil! Simply fill a quart jar with orange peels, cover with white vinegar, and allow to soak for two weeks or longer. When you are ready to treat ants, remove the peels, and apply the vinegar directly to the mounds. TIP: While you don't want to saturate your plants with vinegar, you can place the peels around plants that are prone to ant damage.
Now let's use the banana peels! Let me first clarify that this banana peel "tea" is for your garden--not for indoor plants. Also, unlike the orange vinegar which you can let sit for weeks, you will want to use this natural fertilizer within a few days. Having said that I realize those of you who compost may prefer to toss the entire peel on the pile--this is just a simple alternative to naturally add nutrients to the soil.
You'll need several banana peels and a gallon container. After placing the bananas in the container, fill with warm water and allow to soak for at least an hour and up to a day. Then remove the peels before watering desired plants.
Join us tomorrow for the Vintage Charm link party!
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We are definitely going to make a jug of orange peels...sounds perfect for mid-summer ant attacking, lol. Thanks for the simple idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I'm trying to take my gardening skills up a notch this year and pest control is on the top of that list.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm just lazy; I open my front door and wing my banana peels in the general direction of my rose bush! It does appear to help!
ReplyDeleteI need to try this. We are dealing with ants again. They come and go!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this at the Sunday Sunshine Blog Hop 62
Laurie
This is such a fabulous tip. It's also so affordable! Thank you for sharing this on our Home Imagined Link Party.
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