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Franklin, Tennessee

Being a fisherman I can go out and catch a bunch of fish, large minnows being the easiest to obtain. If I grind these up and mix them into the soil, would this be a good fertilizer for the AG pumpkins?

And is there a way to make a tea or some form of liquid from the fish that I could use with irrigation or as a foliar feed? Because obviously I can't bury fish in the soil once the vines are growing.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks

(PS yes I'm a beginner. First try at AG's will be next year)

10/16/2009 4:38:26 PM

DeWitt, Iowa

Im interested in this idea also.

10/20/2009 11:31:21 PM

El Paso TX.

See here - http://www.ehow.com/how_2325703_make-fish-fertilizer.html for directions on making homemade fish emulsion fertilizer.

10/20/2009 11:49:51 PM

Franklin, Tennessee

Thanks JDFan - I will bookmark that and refer to it when I have enough fish to make an emulsion with.

I can imagine the smell will be bad - I know what decaying fish smells like. Do you think molasses really will help reduce the odor?

10/21/2009 3:38:35 PM

Minnesota

I tried it this year. I'm going to just buy the stuff next year. Yes, the mollasses desolves the fish, and it keeps it from smelling so bad. I think I will only make my own now if it is for fall preparation. It was fun and free. I only did not know the shelf life, I had it in the sun for 6 weeks and I wondered if I was hurting the plant by using it. Ity did take some time to desolve, I chopped my fish up small, put a few pieces in a used old blender to speed things up, when I was ready to used it, I would strain it and use it. I used 15 pounds in a 5 gallon bucket. I also made some seaweed, I bought at a store that sells seaweed, I shred it in a paper shredder, (this is actual seaweed from the ocean, not processed in anyway) put it in the oven on low for 15 minutes, until crumbley, then it crumbled right up into small pieces, into the bucket with some mollases & water.

10/21/2009 3:52:25 PM

Minnesota

Oh yes, I almost forgot, if you put fish in your garden there are small animals, rodents, cats that will dig up your garden and ruin what you have growing. That is what led me to trying to make fish emulsion, to risky to burry fish in the garden unless burried deep.

10/21/2009 3:54:34 PM

Western NY

I used them. Just bury in the dirt after i've taken the meat off. Or just bury whole if it's junk fish.

10/21/2009 4:14:11 PM

Covington, WA

We have a few hundred thousand dead pink salmon littering my local river. Just send me a self addressed and stamped bubble pack envelope and I'll send you all you can handle. All the rivers have had record runs this year and they are at the end of their life cycle. I've been trying to catch coho and can't keep the humpies off my hook. It's smelling pretty ripe down there right now.

10/21/2009 11:34:43 PM

Franklin, Tennessee

Tiller - sounds amazing but I can't imagine sending dead fish through a bubble mailer...have fun with those fish though. Wish it were salmon territory down here in TN.

10/22/2009 1:02:22 PM