Indoor and outdoor plants thrive with fertiliser using common kitchen scrap

A plant and sustainability expert has shared his nutrient rich homemade fertiliser - and all you'll need is one common household ingredient (and water).

Taking to Instagram, @sustainabilitymattersva said that if you take some water, a banana peel and a jar with a lid, you can make your own fertiliser which will help your plants to bloom and grow. He warns people not to chuck away the peel after you've eaten a banana and instead, use it elsewhere.

He urged people: "When you're done with a banana, don't throw the peel out. Instead, chop it up, add it to a jar of water, mix that in and let it sit for at least a day.

"The peels will release potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. Essentially, all the things your plants need to grow happy and healthy."

Once the water looks cloudy, as he shows in the video, you can use it on your plants to water them. It works on both indoor and outdoor flowers so you can sit in with a cuppa tea and admire your tulips, or sit outside on a hot, summer day and look at your wonderful roses.

Elsewhere, Nicole Jaques aka @itsnicolejaques has taken to Instagram to share her latest tip, sharing a fresh flower technique to keep your "blooms going for weeks."

Showing her cutting the stems under water, as reported by the Daily Record, she says that there is a good reason for this. Urging people to instead try this rather than cutting the stems as you normally would, she explains: "Why cut the stems under water?

"The reason for this is because when the stem is cut, the flower’s roots immediately loses access to water. As air flows through the stem, an air pocket or embolism occurs, preventing the absorption of water. Cutting underwater reduces the risk of air pockets and allows the flowers to absorb water right away."