Adding fertilizer to soil has been practiced for as long as gardeners have gardened. From your history lessons, you might remember that the American Indian taught the new settlers to add fish to the holes where they were adding corn seeds. Thankfully, there are now much more convenient ways to get the benefits of fish fertilizer. These days you can find it combined with seaweed fertilizer
What does fish do for your garden? Fish by-products provide a quick burst of nitrogen as a foliar feed. They also introduce P and K into the earth. The bones supply calcium, which contributes to strong cell structure and helps balance pH in the soil. When you use the combined benefits of fish fertilizer and the huge array of trace elements and plant hormones found in seaweed, you’re certain to notice an improvement in your harvest. Many professional gardeners swear by this seaweed/fish fertilizer combo.
Generally, fish emulsion and seaweed meal or extracts are sold separately. They are available in both dried and liquid forms. But some brands combine the two into one product, so keep an eye out for seaweed/fish emulsions wherever you specialty fertilizers are sold. As you would expect, you can find fish emulsion and seaweed fertilizer through nursery outlets. It’s also available through retail establishments online.
But for the do-it-yourselfer, you might want to try your hand at mixing up a batch of seaweed and fish fertilizer at home.
* Start with a large bucket that’s filled halfway with sawdust and seaweed meal.
* Add canned or fresh fish parts then cover in a solution of water and a healthy dose of molasses and a tablespoon of Epsom salts. You’ll want to cover this as it gets ripe.
* Stir every few days for 1 or 2 weeks.
* After the brewing time, add water to dilute, then use the liquid to water your plants or to foliar feed (1:1 on the roots and 1:5 on the leaves).
* Don’t waste the dregs. Apply them on your garden or in your compost pile.
It may seem strange to people who are unfamiliar with gardening, but to those who know how soil and plants function, using a mixture of seaweed fertilizer and fish fertilizer just makes good sense. The all-natural source of trace elements and starches in seaweed plus the high nitrogen and calcium content in fish parts make this combo a gardener’s “dynamic duo.”
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