Peanuts are a food with numerous beneficial properties for our body. In addition to being rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, zinc and iron, they contain essential fatty acids and antioxidants that contribute to heart health and the maintenance of glowing skin. Consumed in moderation, they can become a nutritious and practical snack, perfect to take with you to school or work, or as an accompaniment to munch on with a cocktail in company.
It is advisable to opt for peanuts that are roasted and sold with their peel, since those already peeled often have a high content of salt and preservatives, which reduce their nutritional benefits and can be harmful to your health.
But what to do with the peanut shells once the fruit has been consumed? Instead of throwing them away, the peels can be reused in the garden as a natural fertilizer. Rich in nitrogen, peels enrich the soil, promoting plant growth and improving soil structure. Their action is twofold:
- Zero waste fertilizer: Peanut hulls provide nutrients to the soil, improving fertility and supporting root development.
- Draining effect: added to the soil, the peels make the soil more draining and reduce the accumulation of water. This feature helps prevent harmful waterlogging that can cause root rot.
This simple measure allows you to avoid waste, giving new life to peanut peels and contributing to the health of your plants!
How to Use Peanut Husks for Plants?
If we want to fertilize the soil naturally, we can transform peanut peels into a simple but effective compost. Here are the steps to prepare them:
- Preparation of the peels: spread all the peanut peels in the center of a clean cotton cloth.
- Crushing: we close the cloth on itself, covering the peels, and crush with our hands or with a rolling pin to obtain a coarse powder.
- Application on the ground: we distribute the compost directly on the surface of the soil in the pots or in the vegetable garden, where it will be gradually absorbed by the soil, enriching it with nitrogen and other precious nutrients.
- Conservation: if we have a large quantity of peels, let’s keep them in a jar or bag to use them when needed.
Using peels for drainage
In addition to acting as a fertilizer, peanut hulls are ideal as a drainage layer in pots. To create a draining substrate:
- Preparation of the vase: place a bed of peanut peels on the bottom of an empty jar. We avoid shredding the peels in this case, since their whole shape helps to facilitate the passage of water.
- Filling: we add the soil over the layer of peel, which will act as a filter, avoiding the stagnation of liquids.
- Alternative techniques: we can also mix the whole peels directly with the soil, creating alternating layers of soil and peels to optimize both drainage and aeration of the roots.
With these simple techniques, peanut peels are transformed into a natural and sustainable solution to enrich and improve the soil, avoiding waste and giving new life to food waste.
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