Footballer Gordon Strachan was part of league title-winning sides in both Scotland and England. He made his senior debut for Dundee in 1974 and went on to play for a further four clubs, finishing his playing career in 1997, aged 40, at Coventry City, where latterly he doubled up as manager.
The secret of his longevity – an astonishing 23 years as a professional player – the former Scotland midfielder said, was bananas.
Almost three decades after Strachan hung up his boots, the banana diet is back in the news. The fruit that has probably made most headlines based on its shape – bendy versus straight – is finally gaining the recognition it deserves as a superfood.
But not only are bananas a great source of nutrition for humans, the bit most people throw away is equally valuable, containing many of the elements that are key to healthy plant growth.
Banana skins contain relatively large amounts of potassium and phosphorous, alongside calcium, sodium, sulphur and manganese. Phosphorous is good for healthy root development, while potassium encourages more flowers and tastier fruit and vegetables.
Obliging colleagues at The Irish News will be familiar with my often zealous endeavours to collect every available banana skin for composting – a practice that regrettably has waned since the Covid pandemic.
Thankfully, my supply is unaffected, as my elderly, edentulous parents consume near-industrial quantities of bananas, ensuring I’m regularly furnished with a bag of my favourite compostible, which augment those consumed within our own household.
As a result, when I recently planted out tomatoes into the bed in the greenhouse, each of the 14 plants got its own, individual banana skin beneath.
I’d assumed all if not most gardeners were familiar with the banana skin’s value but revelations about its properties have gained widespread traction online, beginning with a Facebook post from New York-based gardener Carmen Johnston apparently “going viral”.
She posted pictures earlier this month of her basil plants, adding that they were being fed with “banana peel water”, made from two banana skins soaked overnight in a “gallon of water” (almost 4 litres, roughly 8 pints).
“I keep a jug going all the time and keep adding water as I use it up. I also throw in peels as I eat them,” she continued.
“The peels turn brown and you can discard them after you’ve added more peels. It’s a great organic fertiliser.”
I must concede I’ve yet to try the banana skin ‘tea’, though regular readers will know I’m evangelical about liquid fertilisers made from either nettles, comfrey or seaweed, the latter of which Gordon Strachan also took in tablet form.
Be mindful when using homemade liquid fertilisers to ensure they are well diluted when applying, and that you don’t overdo it – think of overfeeding like Supersize Me for plants.
It also seems that the banana skin’s deployment as the key ingredient in a feed or composting isn’t its only horticultural application.
Another ‘hack’ doing the rounds online recommends using the peel as an organic cleaning agent on your houseplants’ leaves.
Simply rub the inside of the peel on the top surface of your leaves, with the potassium helping move nutrients and water between plant cells.
It’s said to especially helpful for plants that fruit and flower, and can be used on tomato plants, peppers and monsteras, among others.
