My stubborn jade plant finally put out new leaves after I tried something weird with a banana peel

I have this jade plant I got from a friend in Phoenix about two years ago. It just would not grow, even with good light and careful watering. The leaves looked pale and it felt stuck. I read online about using banana peels for a potassium boost, but all the guides said to make a messy tea or bury chunks. That seemed like a lot of work and could bring bugs. So last month, I tried just rubbing the soft, inside part of a fresh peel directly on the few leaves it had. I did it once a week for three weeks. I figured the plant might absorb something through the leaf surface. Well, I checked this morning and there are four tiny, bright green leaf pairs pushing out from the old stems. It actually worked. Has anyone else tried a direct leaf rub with something like that, or was I just lucky?

2 comments

2 Comments

perez.christopher1mo ago

My old jade in Tucson did the same thing, just sat there for almost a year. I tried the banana peel tea once and it smelled awful. What worked for me was actually wiping the leaves down with the peel, like you did, but I only did it twice, about two weeks apart. The key is using a really ripe, soft peel so it leaves a thin film. It’s not just luck, the potassium gets right on there. Just be careful not to do it too much or you might get a sticky residue that attracts dust.

rosek731mo ago

@perez.christopher That's interesting, but isn't the main nutrient in banana peels actually phosphorus, not potassium?