Banana skins as compost, worm food etc.

[Thighland]

I'm able to get large amounts of banana skins, up to 20kg daily. So far I've just thrown them around my plants with some coco, hopefully worms will find them.

Does anyone have any other ideas or experience, I was thinking to set devote a section of my worm farm so as to get castings high in potassium.

 

[xet]

show off

 

[Creeperpark]

The microbes will get more from the sugars than the potassium. You have to remember the carbon-to-protein ratio for the best results. If it were me I would pull the stuff off the stem to keep stem rot down. If the ground you grow banana is the same you are growing the weed in you have plenty of potassium in the soil. Super photo thank you for sharing it. Keep us posted.

 

[troutman]

It would be better to compost the banana peels and then apply the compost.
Fruit flies and other pests like an animal may come to damage your plants if
you place them near your plants beforehand. I like fish emulsion. But would
never place fish leftovers beside my plants for the same reason.

 

[Thighland]

Thanks for all the positive input. I was in a hurry and threw them there. I think I'll compost with biochar. I'm in Thailand, we get carbonised rice husks here, which are like a fine black sand biochar.

Normally I compost with chicken manure, but I'd like a compost for flowering and would welcome any suggestions for the mix.

 

[exploziv]

I would shred them fine and mix them in. It will make things go faster. But you would need a big pile to be able to take those quantities if you plan on adding them daily..

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Should you be able to chop them up fine and find an inexpensive carbon source (Edit: and nitrogen) worms would love you for it.

Is the local population aware of the power of worm castings?

 

[Thighland]

Yes, there's a worm farm close by, $9 for 25kg.of castings. I'm waiting on some worms, the weather's been appalling.

 

[Thighland]

I got a heap more, removed them from the stalks so they were no longer in batches. Then mixed with biochar, chicken manure, rice husks, effective microorganisms and molasses.

Mixed it all together, covered with biochar to catch odours. No smell.

In a few hours it should be warm.

 

[aliceklar]

Worms should love that (if you're using worms... or maybe you're just doing a hot compost?). Worms always seem to go crazy for banana skins when I put them in the home compost. 20kg/day tho... that is a lot of banana skins! (and a lot of compost)

 

[nono_fr]

you can add brown cardboard . it will aerate and the worms will eat it! to have a good texture .

 

[Thighland]

Thanks for the advice on worms, unfortunately they are unavailable at the moment. This is a hot compost.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Add more brown matter and some EM.

 

[Thighland]

It has EM and molasses. For brown matter it has rice husks, but not much. Will the bio char act like brown matter?

 

[nono_fr]

here a list of brown matter and some explanations ->

Brown Composting Materials (Everything you Need to Know)​

https://helpmecompost.com/compost/materials/brown-composting-materials/

Compost enthusiasts use the term “brown” to refer to any organic matter which is rich in carbon. Any plant waste which is dry, fibrous, and hard is generally recognized as brown. Browns are more resistant to decay. You can consider them as the slow-burning food for your compost heap. On the other hand, “greens” are anything soft with a higher moisture content. A balance of both brown and green substances is required for efficient composting.

Browns = Carbon​

So “browns” provide microbes with the carbon they need but they also play another useful role.

Structure and Oxygenation​

Browns are generally hard and bulky and because they rot down slowly they tend to retain their structure for longer. Browns ensure that compost has good texture with plenty of air pockets. This helps to create good air flow and provide essential oxygen for microorganisms.

Humus​

Not only that, the fibrous carbon-based matter in brown feedstocks is what contributes the humus part of finished compost. Humus is important for amending the structure of your soil and improving the soils ability to retain moisture.

Brown Compost Tips​

For effective composting you need a lot more carbon than nitrogen.


The fall is a good time to collect browns which you can stock nearby for use as needed. At certain times of the year you have an abundance of carbonaceous feedstocks like fallen leaves and pruned branches. It’s a good idea to store them for times when you lack browns.


Keep your stocks close to your compost bin to reduce the workload.


The more varied the range of browns the better. Greater variety gives you a better chance of obtaining a balanced compost. And you’ll have a more diverse range of microorganisms at work in the pile.

Brown Materials for Compost : Leaves and Autumn Fall, Evergreen Leaves & Pine Needles, Wood from Tree and Hedge Trimmings, Wood from Shavings and Chippings, Wood Bark, Cardboard, Paper & Newspaper, Hay and Straw, Cornstalks, Husks & Cobs, Dead Plants and Houseplants, Ashes ( wood not coal ! ), Peanut Shells ...

 

[Thighland]

Although it's not listed in the brown matter, I would have thought the bio char would provide the carbon content? It's in the form of carbonized rice husks, like a very fine sand. It's hot. When I've done it before I end up with pile of fluffy biochar which doesn't break down any further.

 

[Thighland]

The compost is almost done. Everything is almost completely broken down and I'm left with fluffy biochar which will mix into the soil