Peace lilies 'grow faster' and flower 'like crazy' thanks to weekly 13p solution

Peace lilies are a mesmerising plant, which can tolerate a variety of living spaces, such as semi-darkness and it doesn't require a lot of looking after.

The Express reports that the rugged houseplant can even survive some neglect from forgetful gardeners - but you should aim to fertilise it now and again to keep it thriving.

Taking to the Creative Gardening group on Facebook, a social media user claimed that banana peels are the main reason that their peace lily has such "big flowers".

Alongside a photo of their thriving plants, the Facebook user wrote: "I have been watering my peace lily with banana peel water.

"It has been flowering like crazy with big flowers and growing faster. I have also been watering my other plants with banana water. All are going great."

Bananas contain a lot of potassium, which is one-third of the chemicals that make up fertiliser - that also include nitrogen and phosphorus.

Potassium helps plants move nutrients and water between their cells. It is especially helpful for plants that flower - like peace lilies.

Banana peels also contain small amounts of manganese, magnesium, calcium and sulphur, which the majority of plants appreciate and enjoy.

The green-thumbed social media user explained how they made the banana peel water, as they said: "You put the banana peel in a jar of water with the lid on top and leave it in the water overnight or a couple of days.

"The water will look cloudy then I put the liquid in a jug to use later. Make sure you cover the peel completely with water.

"I use quart mason jars with a lid to soak my peels. When I use the banana water I do add some more water to it about three parts banana water to one part plain water.

"I also save the water in a jug. We both eat a banana a day so I have a lot of water to save. I water once a week or more often if needed."

The post was inundated with responses and received 23,300 likes and over 4,000 shares, with fellow Facebook users noting that they were going to test out this top tip.

One said: "Wow. I've never heard of that. I have one. Now I'm going to try that."

Another wrote: "My husband made what he calls banana soup. We had the best show of blooms on ours this year. It's brilliant and practically free."

And a third said: "I just started using banana water too! So glad to see you used it in your peace lily. I’m going to do that too."

A fourth added: "It works. My mother-in-law, who lived to 100 and had never used Google, swore by placing banana peel at the base of the plant to enhance growth and flowering. It's the potassium."

Bananas are a staple fruit in most households and they are very cheap to buy. A pack of six can be picked up from Tesco for 75p, which works out as 13p per banana.

However, it can be argued that banana peel is not a full replacement for fertiliser as they do not contain nitrogen.

Fertiliser can be good for peace lilies, but it's important to avoid overfeeding as too much can create brown spots on the leaves.

If the flowers are a little green instead of creamy white, gardeners are probably overdoing the fertiliser - just cut back on it or dilute it slightly.

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